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Part 2: We moored
in Kidd’s Cove in Great Guyana Cay looking for a more serene anchorage
after our rough night and hooked up the barbeque for an early lunch.
By Eileen Mansfield — Spring
2004
Our exploration continued as we stumbled upon Cemetery
Road, which took us through the mildewed graves of Cholera Cemetery (named
for the epidemic that almost wiped out the island’s population in
the 1800s) and opened up onto a beautiful beach.
Later that afternoon, after finding our way back to
the boat, we set course north for Green Turtle Cay. Finally it was my
turn at the wheel. As Liz and Aimée released us from the mooring,
I worried that I’d forgotten everything I’d learned at boating
school, but once behind the helm I felt pretty comfortable.
Abaco Sound shoals up as you approach Whale Cay on the
way to Green Turtle, and most boats have to go outside it into the open
ocean, where the seas can get rough. This time I was the jittery one,
but fortunately the winds were weak, the seas were relatively calm, and
the passage was uneventful. About a half-hour later, we were back inside,
and Aimée took the helm for a bit. (With just a bit of instruction
from Liz, you’d have been hard-pressed to guess it was her first
time.) Traveling at around 15 knots, we ran about two hours before we
anchored just outside Settlement Creek, and Aimée piloted us in
the dinghy into historic New Plymouth. Our initial impression was that
this was a ghost town, until we saw a sign in a shop that said, “Closed
for funeral.” We wandered the streets of New Plymouth alone, save
for a lazy dog enjoying some shade on a hot day. Inspired by his relaxed
attitude, we dinghied back to the boat for a nap, followed by cocktails.
We even considered cooking onboard but decided it would be better to have
someone cook for us and headed back into town to The Other Side Cafe.
We met some friends of our canine muse upon arrival and ordered some ice-cold
rum cocktails (a necessity if you have the incredibly spicy jerk chicken).
A windy night meant no restful sleep. Liz, being an
energetic morning person, took the helm, while Aimée and I hauled
the dinghy and anchor as we set our course back down south. This time
there were six- to eight-foot seas outside Whale Cay, but the twin-hull
464 offered a surprisingly comfortable ride. Meanwhile, Liz had her feet
up on the helm, espousing the virtues of the autopilot. It hadn’t
taken her long to get into a groove.
A little over an hour (and about 15 NM) later, we moored
in Kidd’s Cove in Great Guyana Cay looking for a more serene anchorage
after our rough night and hooked up the barbeque for an early lunch. The
formerly frozen burgers from our provisioning package claimed to be “all-beef,”
but the grayish-beige color suggested otherwise, so into the drink they
went while we made ourselves sandwiches on deliciously fluffy Bahamian
bread. Our appetites in check, Aimée again piloted us to shore
in the dinghy (she had become a pro at this by now), and we rented a golf
cart to explore the island. We planned to have dinner at Nippers, a colorful
bar/restaurant overlooking the ocean, but wanted to check it out in daylight
first so Aimée could shoot some photographs. A bit of advice: If
you have any desire to tour Great Guana Cay, make sure Nippers isn’t
your first stop. It was ours and, as it turned out, our last. Once those
Frozen Nippers—a mixture of four types of rum and two fruit juices—start
flowing, all notions of sightseeing quickly disappear.
>> Next page >> Part 3: Down the road at Albury’s Sail Shop, we discovered
the sturdy canvas bags that have become something of a trendy item for
boaters. Page
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3, 4
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