Position 26:35.81N 17:00.68W Man O'War Cay
PASSEPARTOUT
Christopher & Nirit Slaney
Thu 15 Dec 2011 22:57
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After windy four days in Marsh Harbor we upped anchor
and moved a short distance across the Abaco Sea to the small outpost on Man
O'War Cay. Like many of the settlements around here it was founded in the 1770's
by Loyalists who wanted no part in the American revolution. Once again our deep
draft prevented us from accessing the harbor, so we anchored a short distance
offshore in a welcome lee created by what passes in these islands for 'high
ground'.
The differences which exist between these
islands, even though they are just a few miles apart, is striking.
The building styles vary, the colours used, they varieties of shrubs and
trees in the little gardens, there is little in common. The lady in the post
office told us that the islands each have their own distinct dialect. One
feature uniting them all is piety. On Man O'War we counted four churches
for a year-round population of 350 and I think we might have missed
one.
As advised by Tom Dywer, we visited the Albury Brothers
boatyard and watched fiberglass being laid up to form the hull of one of their
23 foot boats. Along the private docks which line the inner harbor we could see
several examples of their craftsmanship. We lunched on conch salad at the
Dock & Dine washed down with iced tea; this is a 'dry' island. In short, all
is well and if the tomorrow's weather is as forecasted we will leave for the
open ocean and a seventy mile sail down to Spanish Wells at the northern
point of Eleuthera.
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