(Click on pictures to enlarge. See more pictures at Stuart Sailfish Club Pictures.)
The Abaco cruise was great fun. Wish more could have joined in. Two boats, Patricia J with Karl & Pat Salo and Cavalier with Dave & Jodi Mills left on the 16th & returned on the 24th. Along the way, we met up with friends, acquaintances, and fellow club members. The seas were like a bath tub, and rains were limited mostly to nights, and some days were overcast giving relief from the heat. Doesn’t get much better than that!
1st stop, Spanish, for check in, fuel, and overnight. Very easy, as customs people met us in the air conditioned bar to handle paperwork. (Much better than what a couple of friends dealt with who spent a few hours the next day trying to check in at Marsh Harbor, & finally gave up in frustration.) Spanish hasn’t changed much in the past couple of years, people are nice, food very good, service good, and diesel at $4.10/gal. The property hasn’t changed, pool nice, and showers air conditioned. Currently, no reservations required as they were only about 20% occupied. A good place to stop for a night and clear customs.
Next stop, three days, Sea Spray at Elbo. Great place to spend time! Again, had plenty of room with no advance reservations. Junior Mernard, general manager, has run the place for many years, and is one of the world’s good guys. His staff is terrific, and wants to be sure that they are glad you are there and will enjoy the stay. Here, we caught up with club members Mike & Jean Matlack (Catch One) & family, as well as others from the area. Friday night the entire bar was full of people from Stuart & surrounding area. We ran into many acquaintances. The Saturday night party with local band made up of marina employees & friends brings people from everywhere within radio range. BIG PARTY!
Next stop, three days at the Bluff House at Green Turtle. Sad news about the Bluff House. Service is good, food is great, the staff does fine. But, ownership has not spent any money there for a couple of years. The property looks pretty good, but the pool needs paint, some showers don’t work, several toilet seats are broken, etc, etc. Internet service was down much of the time, so we only got weather reports one day. We were the only two paying boats in the marina. And, we didn’t pay because they were giving credit against slip costs based on money spent in the gift shop, bar, and restaurant. No fuel available there anymore, and we ran across to the Green Turtle Club for that ($3.69/gal).
Day trips & side trips included Man O War (great newer little lunch restaurant next to the fuel dock called Dock & Dine), Boat Harbour (where we ran into the Matlacks again), Hopetown, New Plymouth, and Treasure.
The last night was at West End, where we were joined by club members Levis, Beata, & Luca Minford who live in Port Lucaya. Many empty slips, but otherwise a very busy place. Pool, restaurant, and beach were filled with happy people. (Fuel $3.35/gal.)
Go-back overnight places….Spanish, Green Turtle Club, Sea Spray, Boat Harbour, and West End. Side trips include Man O War, Great Guana (Nippers), and Treasure (especially if you brought your golf clubs.) There are likely others, but we ran out of time.
(Oh yeah, assume the usual, that power goes down nearly every day/night, and have generators/inverters in shape to handle power when it’s not available at marinas. Also, the Coast Guard is active, and boarded both our boats, and every other boat in sight, on the way back today.)
1st stop, Spanish, for check in, fuel, and overnight. Very easy, as customs people met us in the air conditioned bar to handle paperwork. (Much better than what a couple of friends dealt with who spent a few hours the next day trying to check in at Marsh Harbor, & finally gave up in frustration.) Spanish hasn’t changed much in the past couple of years, people are nice, food very good, service good, and diesel at $4.10/gal. The property hasn’t changed, pool nice, and showers air conditioned. Currently, no reservations required as they were only about 20% occupied. A good place to stop for a night and clear customs.
Next stop, three days, Sea Spray at Elbo. Great place to spend time! Again, had plenty of room with no advance reservations. Junior Mernard, general manager, has run the place for many years, and is one of the world’s good guys. His staff is terrific, and wants to be sure that they are glad you are there and will enjoy the stay. Here, we caught up with club members Mike & Jean Matlack (Catch One) & family, as well as others from the area. Friday night the entire bar was full of people from Stuart & surrounding area. We ran into many acquaintances. The Saturday night party with local band made up of marina employees & friends brings people from everywhere within radio range. BIG PARTY!
Next stop, three days at the Bluff House at Green Turtle. Sad news about the Bluff House. Service is good, food is great, the staff does fine. But, ownership has not spent any money there for a couple of years. The property looks pretty good, but the pool needs paint, some showers don’t work, several toilet seats are broken, etc, etc. Internet service was down much of the time, so we only got weather reports one day. We were the only two paying boats in the marina. And, we didn’t pay because they were giving credit against slip costs based on money spent in the gift shop, bar, and restaurant. No fuel available there anymore, and we ran across to the Green Turtle Club for that ($3.69/gal).
Day trips & side trips included Man O War (great newer little lunch restaurant next to the fuel dock called Dock & Dine), Boat Harbour (where we ran into the Matlacks again), Hopetown, New Plymouth, and Treasure.
The last night was at West End, where we were joined by club members Levis, Beata, & Luca Minford who live in Port Lucaya. Many empty slips, but otherwise a very busy place. Pool, restaurant, and beach were filled with happy people. (Fuel $3.35/gal.)
Go-back overnight places….Spanish, Green Turtle Club, Sea Spray, Boat Harbour, and West End. Side trips include Man O War, Great Guana (Nippers), and Treasure (especially if you brought your golf clubs.) There are likely others, but we ran out of time.
(Oh yeah, assume the usual, that power goes down nearly every day/night, and have generators/inverters in shape to handle power when it’s not available at marinas. Also, the Coast Guard is active, and boarded both our boats, and every other boat in sight, on the way back today.)
