Coopers Town and Powell Cay are praised in cruising guides as a nice pair. You have the unspoiled wilderness of Powell Cay with the convenience of restaurants and provisions in Coopers Town, less than three miles apart across the Sea of Abaco. The problem was that because of bad weather we spent four days on the convenient side and only one in the fun and beautiful side.
Coopers Town
Coopers Town is the northernmost town of Great Abaco Island. It’s a nondescript village of less than 1000 inhabitants. The ones we met were amazingly friendly, but that’s no longer a surprise in these lands. The shoreline runs straight on that part of the island, so there’s no harbor. And no beaches. Not much to do, really, other than buying groceries in one of the two convenience stores, and taking refuge from west winds.
Powell Cay
Powell Cay is a small, uninhabited barrier island with a good anchorage (as long as the wind doesn’t blow from the west), beautiful beaches, and the most spectacular trail we hiked in all of Abaco.
Lovely photos!
I first visited Cooper’s Town in 1974 and found the people there exceptionally open and friendly and have only been back once since . . . good to hear that they’re still that way.
How are you doing with the summer heat and mosquitoes there in the Abaco’s?
Yes, I spent the night in Atlantic City, but at the little anchorage and not the marina. So far this trip I’ve only anchored and found some great spots.
Re – your previous post about the chain wrapping the daggerboard . . . I think you’ll be surprised to learn that our boats do not draw 2′ 6″ as proclaimed by Maine Cat. I measured mine while out of the water in Maine and found that with the boards fully up ( and the rudder being the deepest part of the boat ) that the draft is more like 3′ 6″ . . a full foot more. This discovery was a big disappointment for me because a difference of that scale makes a real impact on what’s possible in shallow water spots like the Bahamas.
I’m currently two days north of Norfolk where I’ll take the ICW for the rest of my trip. I too have had some mechanical issues (overheating port engine, unreliable autopilot, etc.) but mostly it has gone very well for a solo journey
Thanks Ross. We’re not in Abaco anymore. I’m behind in the blog and don’t want to spoil what comes next, but to answer your question: heat wasn’t an issue for us, but we (and I in particular) are quite tolerant, and all that water around the boat helps keeping things cool.
Mosquitos are a different story. We felt under siege at times. We have screens in all hatches, a screen in a small window behind the mast, and the main strata-glass panel in the back can be replaced by a mosquito net panel, all of which make for decent ventilation while mostly avoiding mosquitoes. We just have to remember to close everything before sunset. And we sleep in a mosquito-free enclosure by hanging mosquito net fabric around our berth (you’ve seen a picture in the previous post)… for now using masking tape, but soon we’ll have velcro-fastened screens professionally made.
And yes, only two weeks ago I figured our draft is one whole feet more than advertised 🙁
Have fun in the ICW! (And consider the Pamlico Sound as an alternative for a break).