By Kevin

Real LIfe and crew are sitting safely in a slip at Harbortown Marina, Fort Pierce, Florida, after sailing for 33 hours from the Abacos.

We’ll post more on our last 4-5 days in the Bahamas when we wake up from our stupor.

By Kevin

We’re sitting in Treasure Cay right now, about 150 miles due east of the coast of Florida. When the weather gods smile upon us, we’ll be leaving the shores of the Abacos and Bahamas and heading home.

We are planning to shove off early Monday and sail two nights northwest to arrive in Jacksonville by Wednesday.

As always, our itinerary is written in sand.

Treasure Cay

Treasure Cay Marina

Treasure Cay Marina

Treasure ay Marina wifi hotspot

By Jennifer

Another stop along the island chain as we near the end of the Bahamas. Treasure Cay is very built up with resorts and condos.

The Sail Shop at Man-o-War

Shopping at the Sail Shop

Shopkeepers sewing at the Sail Shop

With our bags in front of the Sail Shop

The Sail Shop

Shopping at the Sail Shop

Shell stand

Lola from Lola’s Bakery

The boat yard

Lunch at the marina in Man-o-War

By Jennifer

We sailed from Hope Town for a lunch stop at Man-o-War Cay, where the Loyalists are known for their boat crafting skills. The other main attraction was the Sail Shop — where women sew a variety of bags from sail cloth and other fabrics. It was a complete craze in there with visitors elbowing there way around the shop, including us!

Mom’s birthday party

Mom’s birthday party

Birthday cake

It was a very nice birthday. Thanks!

The wine and spirits store

Hope Town

Monument honoring those lost at sea

Where the Loyalists landed

The museum

Hope Town harbor

Downtown Hope Town

Captain Jack’s

Eating at Captain Jack’s

Hope Town

Hope Town

Local wine bar

Hope Town

By Jennifer

Hope Town was by far my favorite stop in the Abacos. Hope Town was settled in the late 1700s by Loyalists, people throughout Colonial America who fled after the American Revolution. Throughout the town you see the brightly colored cottages and quaint, narrow roadways. One of our favorite spots was the ice cream shop! We made back to back stops there during our four day stay. We also hiked to the top of the red and whited striped lighthouse, one of the remaining kerosene lit lighthouses in the world.

Real Life at anchor at the Abacos Land and Sea Park

Madeline and Jennifer

Madeline

Jennifer with the Looky Bucket

Kevin

Madeline driving the dinghy

Kevin and Zach

Madeline

Kevin

Sea biscuit

Sea biscuits galore

Madeline

Zach holding a sea biscuit

By Jennifer

Our first stop in the Abacos was near a Bahamas Land and Sea Park, where beach combing on this small beach in the Abaco Sea revealed many treasures.

By Jennifer

Crossing the Northwest Providence Channel to the Abacos Island chain,  Zach tossed overboard a message in a bottle.

boats anchord in the harbor at low tide

Harbor Island

About to board the ferry

Relaxing during the ferry ride

Lunch at Rormora on Harbor Island

Jennifer in front of a local nursery on Harbor Island

The ferry parked at Harbor Island

By Jennifer

While in Spanish Wells we took a day trip to Harbor Island, a popular resort destination near Eleuthera. Part of the attraction is getting there. The only way to see Harbor Island is by navigating through the Devil’s Backbone, a stretch of ragged coral reef that has been know to shipwreck vessels trying to come ashore. The guidebooks supply pages of reasons why NOT to try and navigate this area without a local pilot. We heeded the warning, and decided to take the Bahamas Fast Ferry, the “Bo Hengy,” to go see the island. The ferry ride was quite a luxury with American satellite television, air conditioning, plush seats, and a concession stand selling all of our favorite treats.

Harbor Island was nice, too.

Spanish Wells Primary School

Harborside Gift Shop, a wifi hotspot

The view from our mooring in Spanish Wells

The channel leading to Eleuthera from Spanish Wells

Spanish Wells museum

Spanish Wells museum curator giving us a local history lesson

An original phone from Spanish Wells on display at the museum

Shaggy’s on the island!!

Kathy’s Bakery –awesome Johnny cakes

By Jennifer

Spanish Wells offered a nice dose of civilization after weeks of sailing through the Bahamas wilderness. One thing that oddly stood out during our visit was the number of locals on their golf carts (the preferred method of transportation) that simply lapped the 2-mile long and half-mile wide island. On a quiet Sunday afternoon when ALL of the businesses were closed we decided to walk the island. On our trek, one teenager buzzed around the island at least five or six times with her music blasting. A woman in her late 70s also lapped the island, but I lost count of how many times because she continued lapping the island over the course of our five-day stay. The images disturbingly reminded me of caged animals…