While travelling with “Tally Ho” this year we learned about the RMHYC of which they were members. This is a great organization comprised mainly of boaters who cruise the Abaco Islands. The initiation fee is I believe currently $150. with yearly renewable membership dues of $30. And there are great benefits for those who join--including special rates at select marinas throughout the Bahamas and USA. The club is headquartered at “Boat Harbour,” just south of Marsh Harbour, and is part of the Abaco Resort/Marina complex considered to be the most upscale in the region. Dockage fees here are normally $2.75ft for transients. But RMHYC members who sign on for “long stay” agreements before Dec.31st enjoy substantially reduced rates of: $1.20ft/31 days, or $.72ft/61days or $.65ft/90 days. There are I believe several hundred current members who enjoy great monthly parties at Boat Harbour including an elaborate Christmas Celebration and Commodores Ball in February. Since several of our own cruising friends were already members of RMHYC, this year we decided to join too. Not only does Boat Harbour enable us to experience an entirely different boating lifestyle but it also provides us with a safe, inexpensive place to leave “Fortnight” when we return to Canada in March to celebrate Ernie Weeks’ 100th birthday.
BOAT HARBOUR
We sailed into slip #420 just before noon on Sat. Jan.30th. As our boat approached the dock, not only was the dockmaster there to help us but also the skippers of neighbouring boats. And, after securing our lines, introductions were made and we were warmly welcomed by the other boaters sharing dock #4. All of these cruisers are “long stay residents” and although most hail from all corners of the USA we were surprised to find Canadians from Grand Bend, Port Elgin, Kingston, Calgary and Manitoba among the group. Virtually everyone we met had been returning to this place year after year and after a few days here we could certainly understand why. Apart from “Atlantis” in Nassau, Boat Harbour and the Abaco Beach Resort of which it is a part is the most luxurious destination we have experienced to date in the Bahamas.
This resort community is part of a gated complex with villas, condos and an upscale marina. The grounds are beautifully manicured with walkways and terraces of interlocking bricks, interspersed with gardens of luxuriant tropical foliage and colourful flowers. There are curving stone walls and lots of palm trees, a great restaurant and a heated freeform swimming pool complete with “coves,” bridges and a swim-up bar just steps from the boats. On weekends there is live music on site and during the weekdays an early morning walking group, water aerobics, yoga, bridge, mahjong, bocci ball, pickle ball, a book club, karaoke and crafts. Every evening at 5:30 cruisers enjoy a cocktail hour together and there are group outings for golf, fishing, diving, snorkelling and anything/everything new and interesting that happens in the Abacos.
We found groups of cruisers enjoying many of these same activities last year at Georgetown in the Exumas. But there, it was necessary to take a long and often wet dinghy ride to wherever the event was taking place. Here it’s only a short stroll to a comfortable locale with padded lounge chairs and drinks readily available. There it was more like a “day camp” experience, here the ambience is “country club.”
When we first arrived we thought we’d be using Boat Harbour as a safe base from which to venture out from for adventurous days and returning to as a refuge from inclement weather. But once here and settled in, we have found it very hard to leave. We are enjoying all of the interesting activities, have met lots of new friends and are really having fun--in safe, comfortable and civilized surroundings.
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