The Abacos’ Maritime Culture

THE ABACOS’

MARITIME CULTURE

By Khashan Poitier Photographs courtesy of The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation

As you island-hop throughout The Bahamas, you’ll discover that each island has its own personality and culture, and the Abacos are no different. It’s an archipelago within an archipelago. With the mainland and a cluster of islands only minutes away, it’s an explorer’s playground.

The main mode of transportation is by boat. No wonder Abaco is considered the boating capital of The Bahamas! Without a water vessel, it’s nearly impossible to live here. And, if you don’t explore the treasures of the Abacos, you haven’t lived!

Boasting colonial-style architecture, and a vibrant art community, Abaco has disputedly the best, freshly baked Bahamian desserts and bread. Although a dying art, Abaconians are among the few boat builders in the country. So, it comes as no surprise that the shorelines are traced with sailboats, yachts, fishing boats, and the like. It’s a view that even Picasso couldn’t replicate.

With 120 miles of an island cluster as your playground, there is so much to get into, but the adventure begins in the ocean. Rent a private boat or hop on board a ferry to enjoy a sea safari, fish in the open water, or dive the shallow shipwreck of the Catacombs. The emerald green, crystal waters will draw you in from any harbour.

Abaco Diving

Hope Town Candy Stripe Lighthouse

Transportation in Abaco

The ocean is the road that connects you to the neighbouring cays. The journey from Marsh Harbour to Elbow Cay is about 30 minutes in a one-engine vessel, 20 minutes from Man-O-War Cay, and a mere five minutes from Green Turtle Cay.

Hope Town in Elbow Cay has one of the most recognizable landmarks—the candy-striped lighthouse which is still lit by kerosene oil. With a 360-degree view of the islands and the harbour, to get to the lighthouse is just a short trek.

With 100 miles of colourful reefs to explore, Abaco boasts of the third largest barrier reef in the world. It’s a snorkeler’s delight to dive around an historic Civil War gunboat wreckage near Man-O-War Cay.

Diving near Green Turtle Cay, Manjack Cay, and No Name Cay may get you a glimpse of stingrays, turtles, or nurse sharks, or swimming with the world-famous Swimming Pigs on the shores.

If sailing is on your itinerary, be sure to glide over to Sandy Point, known for its shallow, turquoise waters. The golden sand traces the long stretch of shoreline. Sandy Point is a settlement on a narrow peninsula in southeast Great Abaco, which is about 50 miles away from Marsh Harbour. Dive for conch shells or enjoy some bird watching overhead, or sail to the seven-mile-long narrow island of Great Guana Cay for a cocktail and a day of swimming, snorkelling and diving.

Abaco’s personality fits the adventurer that has the constant urge for the open road. The ocean air is like oxygen and feels more like home than the inland. Why drive state to state, when you can sail from island to island? UA

Abaco Fishing

Abaco Cottages Abaco Marinas