The great thing about the Abacos is the close proximity of all the wonderful places to each other. It took us only an hour to leave Bakers Bay and arrive at the pretty sheltered cove that is Fishers Bay. Here we picked up a mooring ball alongside “Kokopelli” and after meeting up with Ian and Sue dinghied ashore with them to explore.
The small settlement at Fishers Bay is a funky little village in a tropical setting. The roadways that win through this hamlet are little more than wide concrete sidewalks and it can all be seen in less than half an hour. This is good. It’s great to have virtually everything within sight and sound in a central location. At one end of the village is “Grabbers” an elegant little hotel/bar/restaurant perched on the edge of a sandy crescent of beach and sheltered by dozens of swaying palms. At the other end lies Orchid Bay Marina--an upscale resort community with impeccably groomed grounds. In between are vegetable stands, an open air cafe, pastel cottages, grocery store, post office and a handful of boutique shops selling tee-shirts and beach jewellry--all interspersed with tropical foliage and flowering bougainvillea. A sand path in the centre of town leads off the main street at right angles where it winds up a small ridge through a canopy of lush foliage and ends at “Nippers”--the quintessential Caribbean beach bar.
The view from “Nippers” is breath-taking. A wide white beach stretches i both directions as far as the eye can see. Below the bar just off the beach, interesting rocky outcrops shelter fish and fan corals within easy reach for snorkelling. And the turquoise Atlantic waters here are shallow enough for swimming and protected by a long off-shore reef. “Nipers” itself is a strange establishment built willy-nilly in a piecemeal fashion across several levels and sporting every shade of paint in the rainbow. There are open air decks, covered porches, umbrellas, a two-tiered swimming pool, small gift shop with sand floor and a fantastic view across the beach and ocean below.
After a long walk through the surf with “Kokopelli” we returned to enjoy a lunch of burgers, fries and the famous “Nippers Punch” which really knocked me out! We ran into “Missing Link” on the way back to the boat but I was in no mood for more socializing. After a long day of exploring the island, walking the beach and drinking that punch I was ready for a nap! Later that evening Sue and Ian came aboard to play cards and the next day it was more of the same. The weather was warm and the sea smooth enough for snorkelling so the four of us pulled on our gear and swam out to the reef. We returned to the boat about 3:00pm but I was tired and, as I climbed from dinghy onto boat, too areless ending up “doing the splits” and falling into the drink. In the process my prescription sunglasses were knocked off--disappearing somewhere under the water. Spluttering and flailing about, I eventually managed to make my way around the boat and was able to pull myself up the ladder and collapse in a graceless heap onto the deck. But Vince was determined to find and retrieve the glasses--which I at this point couldn’t care less about. All I wanted was a drink and bed!! I heard Vince floundering around in the water outside the boat for about 15 minutes until “lo and behold!” he actually emerged with sunglasses in hand! What a man!!
After a brief shower and a cup of hot strong coffee, we headed back out--this time to “Kokopelli”--where we continued to graze on snacks, drink wine, and play cards until dark. Then it was off to bed. The next morning we bade our friends goodbye and headed out to the sheltered waters of Treasure Cay where we planned to hole up during the “big blow” which is forecast to hit us tonight.
No comments:
Post a Comment