Good morning

We are going to go and explore Hope Town this morning walk up to the light house here which stands 120 feet above the town, apparently you can go up inside so the views should be great . We will then go into town which is a short shuttle ride over to explore and pick up a few things.

Its a cloudy day so good for exploring and then a cruise over to a possible anchorage somewhere near Green Turtle Cay that decision is still up in the air.

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Well the day changed as they typically do :-) The weather improved and we ended up with a nice hot day, the decision was made to stay in Hope Town all day and explore and enjoy the Marina.

Our walk to the light was great after we found the entrance, it was in such a strange location you had to walk up a dirt road then through their boat yard to the end by the garage bays then onto some cobble stones and wala there it was also a liquor store and marine shop all tucked away. There were a few drops of rain on our walk but that was it for the day. A bit of history for you:

In 1864 the lightstation at Hope Town was erected . It was built to keep vessels from grounding on the treacherous shoals of Elbow Reef, so it was christened the Elbow Reef Lightstation. When it was first built it showed a fixed light, that is, one that did not flash but shone a steady white light. In 1936 the Imperial Lighthouse Service saw the need for a light which could be more easily identified by the ships at sea. A major refit took place using the lens and turning mechanism which had been at the Gun Cay Lighthouse. The lighthouse is one of few Kerosine light houses still working today and casts a light out 17 miles for all the mariners to see. There are 101 steps to the top, it is open for visitors and gladly excepts donations to help with the maintenance of this beauty.  

We then took the marina's boat shuttle to the other side of the bay to explore the town and shops. There are many small trinket shops, 2 small grocery stores, a bar Captain Jacks, pizza place, coffee shop etc. a really charming place. The speed limit on the Island is 5 miles per hour and the roads are very narrow one car at a time or a golf cart to move around. The VRBO opportunities on the Island are many with gorgeous pastel painted homes just waiting for you to enjoy, we did some research and it looks like a fun place for a group to come. We walked all over the Island made our way to the East end beach it was just beautiful. Later in the day I went for a workout which was running the lighthouse stairs, I added push ups, squats and plank in between trips up...I managed 10 times so a great workout. Followed by some pool side time a bocce and also bean bag game a fun afternoon.

We went over to Captain Jack's for dinner it was great Mahi Mahi I just love the fish here. It was an early night I'm thinking we were all fast asleep by 10.