Conching in the Sea of Abaco

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The Sea of Abaco

Well, we've been very busy since we last posted an update for you all. The internet signals in the islands are weak and inconsistant, particularly when you move around as much as we do. To catch you up on our latest adventures we need to start by telling you about Conch. This is a variety of seafood that is very popular and available here in the islands. There are conch fishermen, conch menu items, conch shell collectors, and the ceremonious conch horn blowers!  We've been anxious to find a shell of our own on the beaches and avoid having to purchase one as a souvenir. Our wish came true in Marsh Harbour a few days ago. As we talked to a local street vendor selling “fresh conch salad”. We managed to scarf up a few of his empties, in addition to a healthy portion of the famous salad. The salad is a mixture of finely chopped fresh vegetables, raw conch, and lemon and lime juice. Definitely something requiring an aquired taste. Anyway, we have re-harvested the conch shells by cleaning them up and repairing the hole made while extracting the little tasty animal inside with a small, thick batch of apoxy, and sawing off a small piece from the pointed end to create the mouth piece. We are now the proud owners of our very own Conch Horns. We will be practicing every night until we can force a sound out of them and look forward to sharing this new talent with all of you !! :) (LM: After all the music lessons I've had I'm sure my parents are very proud of me at this moment lol) Each night at sunset those that have a horn sound a note to signal the setting of the sun. It's quite fun to listen to in a remote are with all other boats anchored with you for the night. We're told there are actual contests among these souls to see who can sound their horns for the longest duration. Our good friend John on MYSTIC has an impressive record at 42 seconds, but still got 2^nd place that year.

We also had a perfect opportunity a few weeks ago to pull that other sail out of the bag. You know the one, the spinnaker! (see pics, taken as actual evidence that we remembered how, lol) We had a nice light breeze that carried us out of Green Turtle so we went with it. After a few hours we doused the chute and headed into the protection of Manjack and Rat Cays. Our travels have also included the gorgeous beaches of Treasure Cay, sightseeing and potluck dinner on Great Guana Cay, an layover in Hopetown on Elbow Cay, and a few nights in Marsh Harbour. Right now, as the back to back cold fronts and gale force winds move through the area, we find ourselves back inside the canals in Treasure Cay for the duration.

We've included several pictures from, and of, the Lighthouse on Elbow Cay in Hopetown. This is one of just three of the last remaining lights of it's kind. We've traveled almost all the way around the Sea of Abaco and are starting to retrace our steps towards West End. We'll be looking for an opportunity to cross the Gulf Stream back to Florida sometime in the next 10 days to 2 weeks.