Spanish Cay is one of the northern-most islands in the Abacos, so it was easy to reach from North Carolina. Once we rested and explored the cay, it was time to go deeper into the Abacos. The wind was calm and the sea was flat, so we had a very pleasant motor trip to Green Turtle Cay, just a little south of Spanish Cay. There, we grabbed a mooring ball in White Sound and did a little shore excursion.
Because the busy season doesn’t start until late February, the island was very quiet. We explored some of the island on foot and made our way to a quiet bay with stingrays, turtles, sharks and fish. The area is protected, and rays approached us to see if we had food to give them! We also got treated to watching a Bahamian wedding party get started. We then wandered back to the boat with a quick stop at the Dollar Bar.
The next morning, we headed further south, motoring again in calm seas and sunny skies. This time, we went a bit farther and made it to Man-O-Way Cay. Man-O-War is a tiny and quiet place, with very little commercial activity on the island. It’s harbor has excellent protection from all winds and regular ferry service from Marsh Harbour, so it was a good place to wait out a front with high winds and to meet Rose. We grabbed a mooring ball and settled in to wait for Rose to arrive.
We had plenty of time to explore the island and got to know one the local dogs, Gus the Great. We never learned his owner’s name, but we saw Gus making the rounds quite confidently on the island. He approached everyone he saw, sure he would get a scritch or a belly rub — and he was right! On Tuesday, Rose flew into Marsh Harbour and took the ferry to Man-O-War to meet us. We had another day on the island and then it was time to move on for new scenery.