Marsh Harbour

Hi all,

We are anchored in Marsh Harbour, Abacos, the second largest town in the Bahamas, although it’s not very big – one traffic light. As you can see, the Bahamians have a good sense of humor, mon.

We got here sailing from Great Guana Cay about 5 days ago – beautiful sail of only about 7 miles in 15 knots of wind and sunny skies with flat water. There are about 50-100 cruisers anchored in the harbor along with us. Every morning at 8:15 there is an informal but organized “cruiser’s net” on our VHF radio, where for about 45 minutes, everything of interest is discussed – weather, passages through ocean inlets, news, sports, local advertisements for restaurants, dive shops, etc. Then there is an open microphone section where people ask for information, help, or offer invites to parties. Saturday morning I asked where I could watch the Patriots play on a TV without a loud band playing. I found a place.

Life here is really pretty easy – the stores have most everything we need, so provisioning, while expensive is there as needed. Cruising has been described as fixing your boat in exotic places. It turns out that is pretty true. And if you are not fixing your own boat, you often are helping someone else. This AM I helped someone climb his rig to take off a spreader plate that was cracked and needs welding. Yesterday, I consulted with someone putting up a wind generator before going transatlantic on virtually the same boat as we have. We think he’s nuts, but it is his choice.

I’ve been asked what do we do? Twice we have gone snorkeling off a reef just outside of the harbor. The fish are so used to seeing snorkelers that they are downright friendly. We brought a bag of bread and stuff and fed them. They swarmed around us to get a meal and then followed us for the next hour while we took in the sights – lobsters, lots of colorful fish – really nice. Sorry, no pictures of that yet – need to get home and get them developed the old way.

We spent a few days looking for a part ( a foot pump for our water system that leaks) at all the possible marine supply places. We took our bikes to the other side of the island, but no luck with the part. Got to see the island and got caught in a storm with a beautiful rainbow – actually it’s coming out of Ronnie’s head, as you can see.


Ronnie has done 2 paintings so far and a few sketches. She did one this AM on the beach where we were snorkeling – got to justify bringing her art supplies along, and she’s having a great time painting.


A few days ago we found the office of the local internet provider who offers Hot Spots for WiFi and signed up for the duration. We were so happy to be getting reliable wifi on the boat that both of us spent some serious communication time with e-mails.

Lots of nightlife in Marsh Harbour. The other night there was an impromptu party at a local bar called Snappa’s where a local entertainer named “Brown Tip” was sort of a DJ/singer/drummer along with his cousin who scraped a saw (tooth side up) with a stick to the music and danced incredibly. Together with Brown Tip’s grandson, age 4, dancing pretty well, they played 120 decibel music and got everyone jumping to the beat. The music was not great, but the intensity was on the ceiling and really pretty neat. Unfortunately, everytime Brown Tip plays somewhere in Marsh Harbour, you can hear him all over the harbor. Luckily things get quiet about midnight most nights so we can get to sleep.

We have anchored on the other side of the harbor for the night, because we are expecting a cold front to come through and blow for a day out of the northwest. This new anchorage should be more protected from the wind and waves. We’ll be doing a lot of reading tomorrow. After the storm clears out, we think we will head out to see some other islands.

More later,

Arnie and Ronnie