2015 - 6/25 to 7/2 - Green Turtle Cay & New Plymouth

 This is a chart showing our travels to date. You can see the dark line coming up from the bottom left (from the Keys) then crossing to the West End to Double Breasted, Grand then south to Green Turtle. We love the ability to see our trail.

6/25 - We arrived in Green Turtle about 4:15 pm, a day before Laura, Laurel & Daniel - they had a slow, tough sail south - wind was not cooperating.  
From Wikipedia: "Green Turtle Cay is one of the barrier islands off mainland Great Abaco The Bahamas. It is considered part of the "Abaco Out Islands" and is 3 miles (4.8 km) long and 1/2 mile wide. It was named after the once abundant green turtles that inhabited the area...The population of the island is about 450 and its main settlement is New Plymouth which was founded in the 18th century. The architecture of the older homes in the village is unique in the Bahamas, with steep-pitched roofs, originating with settlers from New England. New Plymouth contains a post office, a bank, a customs and immigration office, four grocery stores, several restaurants, bars, and churches and there is a museum featuring the paintings of noted Bahamian painter Alton Lowe. The village can be walked in less than 15 minutes end to end. While cars are allowed on the island, golf carts and bicycles are the usual mode of transport. Both are easily rented for those visiting the island".

We anchored outside White Sound. The 'sail boaters' arrived the next day & anchored near us on this overcast, rainy day. But, we were not to be discouraged from our mission.

This is Miss Emily

We dinghied into New Plymouth to get an icy cold Goombay Smash at Miss Emily's. Miss Emily's daughter, Violet, does an excellent job of running the place & she has added a wonderfully, cozy & air conditioned restaurant...we stayed to eat.

circa 2007 - Violet

Cracked Conch for me, of course. And, BTW, Violet hasn't changed a bit in 8 years. Her two daughters now help her when she takes a day off.

Misty & Ashley

 

Old jail behind Miss Emily's

On 6/27, after a short rain shower, we moved the boat into White Sound & anchored. 

 There was a Lion Fish tournament taking place...so that's why there are so many fishing boats!
Lion Fish have been described as "one of the most aggressively invasive species on the planet". Lots of information on the web about these invasive creatures. 
We're having the same problem with these deadly fish in the Keys & we have tournaments also.

This is how they should be - DEAD.

 Apparently, they're good eating...they cooked a bunch up for the party & restaurant.  The awards party was taking place at the Green Turtle Club. Fresh Lion Fish salad (made like Conch salad) & free drinks were flowing. 

Lion Fish salad made by Fiftty - could not tell it wasn't Conch

Baby Lion Fish

The next day we went back to New Plymouth ...

Memorial Garden on New Plymouth

"The Landing"

 New Plymouth & Key West are sister cities & after visiting the Loyalist Memorial Garden, I see where KW got the idea of our new memorial garden at Mallory Square. In addition, the names of the residents & founding fathers are the same as our KW old time Conchs – Curry, Lowe, Roberts, Albury, Pinder, Sawyer to name a few.

 Sunday, 6/28 - We heard there were drink & food specials @ Bluff House's new restaurant/bar on the beach facing the Sea of Abaco called the Tranquil Turtle. 2-4-1 drinks & fish & banana pancakes - what?? The cook gave me a pancake to try - yummy - but served with fish ?? not for me.

Laurel & her new found friend

Bluff House is a beautiful resort that has a marina, lovely rental cottages & Ballyhoo's bar/restaurant on the White Sound side. A short but strenuous walk (at least for us oldies)  over the steep hill to the Sea of Abaco side to get to the Tranquil Turtle.

Men's room sign brought to you by the Health & Rehabilitative Services

Brought to you by someone with a sense of humor

I don't mind going to a bar but I'd rather have something to do except just sit there. They had a Corn Hole game. Laurel & I started to play without the knowledge of rules. We asked a few people & they all gave us a different answer. Laurel was done playing but a guy named Robert wanted to play.

He supplied the ground rules.  However, I beat him badly & he soon declared me the winner. 

These cousins won $300 at the Lion Fish tournament

 It was overcast the next few days which was a pleasant relief from the glaring sun. Wayne had the icky job of fixing the aft head. We played dominoes with Daniel & Laura. Wayne experienced a sudden attack of pretty severe vertigo during the game - we figured it was the wine. I put him to bed. He was feeling somewhat better in the morning but then started to vomit. (sorry folks- TMI?) What to do?? After all, I AM the nurse - I'm supposed to know what to do. There can be a hundreds of reasons for these symptoms. I kept him in bed & NPO (medical term for 'nothing to eat or drink').  In Regatta terms, it was a Lay Day.
He felt better, but tired the next day. We took the boat out to dump the holding tank then anchored outside of New Plymouth again - walked 'town', got bread &, of course, a Goombay Smash at Miss Emily's. We were happy to be the first recipients of something new - free appetizers - which became our dinner. We met a few kids along the way who were ga ga over Jack & Scupper - they wanted to walk them to Miss Emily's. 

Chenovia, Jack, Spencer, Roshon & Scups

 

Cleaning Conch at the public docks on New Plymouth. Next to him, a local man makes fresh conch salad for sale - $10 for 16 oz.

 We pulled the anchor & re-located to Fiddle Cay, just north of Green Turtle in preparation of 'The Big Party' on 7/3.

Dominoes was the game of the night. See, when Wayne doesn't want to play, Laurel & I return to, back-in-the-day when people actually played card games...Rummy or Gin Rummy - we don't know what it's called, we just play.