Monday, April 18, 2016

Jib Room Abaco Times

...Radeen, Hayden and Linda...

We spent our time in Abaco with one week at Hope Town, a week anchored out and about a week in Marsh Harbour based around the Marsh Harbor Marina and the WORLD Famous JIB ROOM. One of the main reasons we sail back though Abaco is because of the Jib Room. We simply love it here. This is one of the places were we feel at home along our many thousands of miles of travel. Linda and Tom and son Stephen along with Jason and Desmond and Master Chief Marvin run what I call "The Best Place in the Bahamas with the Best food, Best People, Best Party!" hands down!

The BEST meal in the Bahamas
Steak Night at the Jib Room

If you every plan to sail into the Bahamas, then make sure you make this a stop. Plan to spend a week here so you can take in RIB NIGHT on Wednesdays and STEAK NIGHT on Saturdays. That is exactly what we did this year again. In between, we went snorkeling at Fowl Cay and diving where we clean and serviced the bottom of the boat. Time in Abaco is always measured because you are waiting here for a weather window to make the 3 day jump back to Florida or longer to the Carolinas. So while you watch the weather, you enjoy the Jib Room, you shop at Maxwell's massive grocery store, you service the boat, change oil, fuel filters and defrost the freezer. You get your boat ready and you watch and study the weather. Once the weather window opens, every one makes a run for the Whale Cay Cut, then Green Turtle, then Great Sale Cay and across the Gulf Stream to Florida or north for several days to Carolina. Our weather is looking good for a Whale Cay Cut passage Wednesday or Thursday and then off to Fort Pierce, Florida where we will go to Vero for a few days to decommission the boat.

Island Spirit with the Island Packet Yachts flag
Notice our "office" flag Whiteaker Yacht Sales
We will then be moving to the Stuart Hinckley Service Yard where we will haul out the boat on May 9th. This will be a first time event for us. to we leave our boat in a yard in Florida and rent a car and drive home to PA. We hope to be home around May 14th or 15th. A first. Our boat will stay in Stuart, Florida May until Nov 2 when we relaunch and begin year #6. We are excited about year six as we are planning a Caribbean run, it may be western or eastern, but we do plan to go beyond the Bahamas next year.

The Goal is set, Caribbean 2017, East or West?
Yes, we will repeat our normal schedule of winter in Florida, Spring to the Exuams, but then from there, in April 2017, it will be onward to the Caribbean. It is time to expand the bubble. Exciting times ahead, for now, we are enjoying our time here in Abaco....


Jib Room fun for Jean, Radeen and Linda

 So glad to meet Huck, the newest Jib Room Family Member


Marvin, the Master Chef and Grill Master

These steaks are very large and perfectly grilled

Hayden with IP 485 Buddy Sheryl Lynn

Michael and Sheryl Lynn of IP485 Sanctuary

Boat Buddies IP 420 Amekaya
Hayden, Linda, Radeen and Maris

Team IP 485 Sanctuary
Sheryl Lynn, Michael, Audi and Andrew

Jib Room Party time

While in Abaco, I created the Facebook Group Crusiseheimers
This is for the fleet that checks in on 8.152 USB on the single side band radio

Hope Town is a dream

Walks around Elbow Cay

My favorite curly tail lizard photo, he posed on a fence

Seeing this will make you cry after being in the Exumas for a month+

Look at this Bahamas grocery store, UNREAL

OUCH, prices are high, this is a PINT

Did I mention the JIB ROOM ribs are the best?....YES THEY ARE



Snorkeling / Diving GrL Radeen

All alone anchored out, calm enough to dive and clean the bottom of the boat

A most beautiful handmade gift from Tanya
s/v MINX


Abaco Sunset

Busting out the Dive gear to service the yacht

Diver Radeen

First one in is Radeen

We are working out floating the gear off the dinghy

Climbing back in with the gear left tied to the dinghy worked

Abaco cruising life is really fun, it is really easy compared to the Exumas, the services abound, the grocery store is large, and the protected anchorages are every where. Abacos are FUN FUN FUN. We really enjoy returning back here year after year. Thank you for sailing along.....



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Safe sailing north, guys! And congrats on your planned Caribbean cruise next year! Make sure you go to Antigua's Shirley Heights for some good BBQ and awesome steel drum band!

Unknown said...

Love the dive photos. Radeen sure loves the water!

Kimberly said...

Great pics, as always. Your comments crack me up. Looking forward to Nov 2. My vote is for the eastern Caribbean!