Green Turtle Cay - 2017

Feb 28 thru Mar 3

--Blogpost written by Bob

This blogpost is about our experiences with our sailboat moored in Black Sound (as part of our cruise through the Abacos) and our travels by dinghy and by foot into the settlement of New Plymouth.  We found Green Turtle Cay unique and thoroughly intriguing.  We met one cruising couple who spend their entire winter-spring season here at Green Turtle Cay.

We took the dinghy into the settlement of New Plymouth shortly after we arrived on February 28.   We walked along the narrow streets and bought a loaf of homemade coconut bread at a the McIntosh bakery on Parliament Street.  

New Plymouth dates back to pre-Revolutionary War time.
British loyalists who lived in the colonies at the time of
the Revolutionary War migrated here and
established this small settlement.

The concrete streets in New Plymouth are relatively narrow and the small homes and shops border the streets.  White picket fences line Parliament Street and some other adjoining streets.  While we were in the settlement, we saw mostly golf carts on the streets, maybe six.  We saw only one very small service van and one small pickup truck in the hour or so we were in town.  (Later, we saw a couple very small cars on Parliament Street, which is a one-way street.)

This photo was taken in the middle of the afternoon when no one
was walking or driving on Parliament Street.  The bank
(on the left side of this image) is only open on
Thursdays from 10 AM to 3 PM and there
are no ATMs on the island.

The homes in New Plymouth are mostly small and well-maintained,
painted with bright colors with complimentary colors
for the shutters and window trim.

This was one of my favorite color combinations
for homes in New Plymouth.

Even the street signs are small and they are attached to
telephone poles.  The alley in the center of this image
leads to more homes near the waterfront.

This is a restaurant called 2 Shorty's Take-away (like Take Out).
Their conch fritters were excellent!  This restaurant is a
little off the beaten path and much cheaper
than restaurants near the water.

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This morning, (March 1) the skies were overcast and it rained very briefly.  This seems to be a daily occurrence here in the Abacos now.  (Twenty five years ago, it only rained twice in the 3-1/2 months I spent in the Bahamas--once in Marsh Harbor and once in Great Sale Cay.).  Maggie made our onboard breakfast this morning--homemade French Toast using the fresh coconut bread we bought in New Plymouth yesterday afternoon--it was the best French Toast I've ever eaten!

Maggie's coconut bread French toast made for an
excellent onboard breakfast this morning!

We took the dinghy into New Plymouth to post a blogpost this morning.  We bought 1-week of Out Island Internet (OII) for $20 and managed to use very little of the slow service it provided from the Post Office.  Then a man who lives across the street from the Post Office graciously offered us the use his personal internet service--it was equivalent to U.S. providers.  Later, on the boat in Black Sound, the OII network was not even on my list of available networks--I believe I paid $20 and got nothing in return.  (When I made this trip 25 years ago there was no internet, believe it or not.)

We met two other boat couples for happy hour at Pineapples Bar & Grill (PB&G), Marion and Jonathan from s/v Eleuthera (from Ontario, Canada) and Ken and Nancy from s/v Hafli (from Cape May NJ).  PB&G makes the best Goombay Smashes and during happy hour, drinks are two for the price of one (except for pina coladas which are huge!).

Maggie waits on a bar stool at Pineapples Bar & Grill.
This became our favorite spot for happy hour.

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March 2nd started with a beautiful sunny sky and a slight wind out of the southwest.  There is supposed to be a front with lots of rain coming through tomorrow, according to fellow cruisers we met last night.   Not that a mooring isn't safe but we got a slip at Black Sound Marina so we could continue to explore Green Turtle Cay without wet dinghy rides into town.  The marina has WIFI and with WIFI we can get weather reports.  We also have to fill up our water tanks soon--so, we'll do that at the marina as well.

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At 3:50 AM (Friday, March 3) the rain started with just an intermittent pattering sound on our cabin top.  Then it stopped.  Later, when we awoke, the sky was overcast and a light rain was falling.  The light rain was off and on all day.  I love this kind of rainy day because it is so relaxing!

Yes, it DOES rain in paradise!  This photo was taken on
Friday morning from the cockpit of our boat in
Black Sound Marina looking north.

We went to Pineapples Bar & Grill for happy hour again.  It was a way to get off the boat after being confined here all day because of the rain.  It was quite a chore getting back on the boat at low tide when we returned--we had to climb down a ladder to get back on the boat.

Looking at the palm trees on the point extending 
from New Plymouth, it was still quite 
windy on Friday evening.

Stay tuned for more of our experiences in Green Turtle Cay in our next blogpost...

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