Marsh Harbour Days

Sunrise in Marsh Harbour

Enjoying a warm cup of Roastaroma tea with soymilk on this blustery morning, the sun about to rise.  A cold front came in from the north bringing temperatures in the 60s during the day and high 50s at night.  Fortunately we’d thawed out (finally!) the Thanksgiving turkey breast so cooked it yesterday – yams, potatoes, parsnips and cranberry sauce – warming up the cabin nicely.  Now we’ll have turkey sandwiches and wraps for days to come.  We are thankful to be here.


Yesterday we dug into the steering system to tackle the leak.  Jeff had done this a couple of months back, but as we only had a couple of packages of the Teflon impregnated flax packing, we only put in two layers.  That didn’t quite do as there was still a drip.  Dave and I took off the steering quadrant and added another layer of packing.  It took us most of the day.  Hopefully this will take care of it.

Marsh Harbour Home

We’ve gone into town a couple of times.  We found a wonderful little bakery called “Da Bes Yet,” and it is!  We asked to try a beef pasty, which looked like a turnover stuffed with ground meat, piping hot just out of the oven.  We also bought a loaf of wheat bread, nice and firm unlike the squishy pillows from big American stores.  As we waited for the baker to wrap our goods, a TV up in the corner scrolled flower-accented funeral notices for locals recently deceased while the fire and brimstone rant of a woman shouted out.  The Baptists are in the Bahamas.  In my travels, I’ve always been intrigued by how Christianity weaves its way into local customs and morphs into something unique to the locale. 
 

Back to the pasty.  Dave and I stepped outside into the shade and split the hot treat.  It was so good, we had to buy another.  Dave tried some humor and said to the baker, “There was a problem with the pasty.”  She furrowed her brow.  He added, “It was so good that we ate it up and need another.”  Her worried look disappeared into her beaming smile.  The British influence is seen in subtle ways here, including the pasty, BUT the flavors made it a spicy, savory Bahamian treat.



Tow truck out of commission for quite some time (note trunk beneath)

We also visited a modern superstore, Maxwell’s, to get a few mundane things.  We were surprised to find such a store here; however, Marsh Harbour is the largest town of the Abacos, so it makes sense.  Marsh Harbour supports four small marinas so caters to the boating tourists.  There is at least one charter boat company, as well.  Fortunately the tourist influence is low-key and not hugely developed and the town is small enough to easily walk.  The locals are friendly and helpful.  Marsh Harbour has been a good point of entry to the Bahamas and now we’re itchin’ to move on.  We still have a lot to research concerning weather, currents, best routes, etc.  It’s a whole new ball game here, but we are learning. 


We’re in email contact with our Texan friends, Don and Jan, who are wrapping up mechanical and electrical projects on their boat, Plane to Sea, in Florida.  Our current plan is to meet up in Nassau next week.  It’s a little tricky because, of course, weather is a factor, not to mention boat “issues” that may pop up.  Plus we don’t know what the email/phone situation will be in Nassau.  But we’ll make a go of it and connect up somehow.  After that we will most likely go down the beautiful chain of islands called the Exumas to Georgetown, where many of our fellow cruisers are, to rest and enjoy warmer weather.