Elbow Cay is one of the more well settled cays in the Abacos. Before hurricane Dorian, it had quaintly colored tiny rental cottages, large private homes, a small primary school, a museum showcasing artifacts from the island’s history, restaurants, a few resorts, and an iconic red and white striped lighthouse, the last of its kind, warning mariners of the dangerous reefs nearby as well as many trees shading the streets.
Now, two and a half years post hurricane Dorian, most of the trees have disappeared or are dead but the island is a hive of activity with the sounds of hammers and backhoes all around, each busy rebuilding and returning the island to its former glory. The primary school that educates perhaps 40 local children has been rebuilt save for the playground. Many of the rental cottages have been rebuilt and brighten up Hope Town with their brilliant colors. Most docks have been rebuilt better than ever, and workers were laying a new sidewalk for pedestrians along the one lane road barely wide enough for the golf carts that are the preferred form of transportation here. Most of the larger private homes (presumably owned by foreigners) have been refurbished to their former glory or were actively undergoing renovations.
Workers from nearby Great Abaco/Marsh Harbour come by boat each morning and work the construction jobs in the hot sun, commuting home each night. It seems like there is not enough workers to meet the demand. Barges with heavy equipment can be seen pulling up to the beach front properties since often it is easiest to access properties from the waterfront.
On the other hand, we also saw several properties on which homes once stood, but which have been leveled either by the hurricane itself or because they were too far gone to refurbish. Several of these have for sale signs. We suspect many of these properties were owned by Bahamians. The photo below shows one complex in Hope Town with magnificent views of the ocean, however the swimming pool is filled with sand and the resort remains closed with no sign of activity.
The iconic candy cane striped lighthouse at Hope Town with it’s two foot thick walls, still stands strong and we climbed to the top for a great 360 degree view of Hope Town https://youtu.be/ygj4xHvwRgw. We snorkeled the reef off the beach at Hope Town’s northeast side, but it was pretty much dead. We stopped at the popular Tahiti beach at the southern end of the island and discovered the hurricane had reshaped the shallow sand bar, bisecting it in half.
Tuesday night, May 3rd, we had quite a light show. First we had incessant lightening flashes and lightening bolts from storms all around us. Added to this was the five flashes and a pause from the Hope Town lighthouse that was a quarter mile away from our anchorage. We passed on the cinco de Mayo celebration at the Hope Town Inn and Marina, a locale popular with the anglers we saw one angler unload about eight Mahi-mahi) choosing instead to make piña colada’s and nachos on Juno. The pizza that followed was equally delicious.
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