Abacos Beach Bar Crawl

Abacos Beach Bar Crawl

After spending our first three weeks in the Bahamas at Green Turtle Cay and Manjack Cay, we were eager to head further south towards the Exumas and see more of this beautiful country. What we discovered is that the road to the Exumas, via the Abacos (figuratively speaking of course), is filled with a veritable who’s who of famous beach bars!

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The Tranquil Turtle on Green Turtle Cay
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Jim enjoying a happy hour beverage at the Ballyhoo Bar & Grill also in Green Turtle Cay.

But, before we could partake in our own Abaco beach bar crawl, we had to first make it through an area around Whale Cay known simply as “the Whale”. There’s a shallow bank between Treasure Cay and Whale Cay that is too shallow for most cruising boats to cross, requiring a passage through the Whale Cay Channel, around Whale Cay, and through the Loggerhead Channel to get from the Green Turtle Cay area down to the area commonly referred to as the Hub of the Abacos.

Weather conditions often make the Whale impassable for several days at a time, so when we finally had a chance to make it through, we went for it. We timed the passage through the channel for slack tide so we wouldn’t have too much current to contend with in addition to the four-foot plus swells that were out there. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but we made it safely through and before long were looking for a spot to anchor in Fishers Bay on Great Guana Cay.

First stop on the beach bar tour…Nippers Beach Bar & Grill! Unfortunately we got there a little too late to enjoy their weekly Sunday pig roast buffet, but they still had good music playing, plenty of cold drinks and a wonderful ocean view. A bit pricey here…$6.50 for a Kalik and $10 for a frozen Nipper (rum with pineapple, orange and cranberry juices), but hey…we figure we’re worth it! We were gonna stop at Grabbers Bed Bar & Grill on our way back to the boat, but it was now dusk and the bugs were out en masse, so instead we high-tailed it outta there!

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Nippers Bar & Grill
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Enjoying a frozen Nipper and the gorgeous view!
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Mermaid sighting!

The next day we motor-sailed across to Treasure Cay and grabbed onto one of their mooring balls. Pretty touristy place, so not really our typical style, but we did enjoy it there. We spent lazy days on the beautiful sandy beaches and alternated between the Coco Beach Bar and the Tipsy Seagull in the evenings. One of Tipsy Seagull’s claims to fame is that it’s where Billy Currington’s “People Are Crazy” video was filmed. The bar scenes were all shot at the Tipsy Seagull, but the outdoor scenes are from Green Turtle Cay, where we spent time when first arriving in the Bahamas. Check it out to get a better feel for the beauty of these islands! You should be able to recognize the blue tile bar from the picture at the top of this post as the bar where Billy and the old man are having a drink together.

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Mermaid at the Coco Beach Bar in Treasure Cay
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View from the Tipsy Seagull
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Leaving our mark at the Tipsy Seagull! Let us know if you see it there!

Next stop – Marsh Harbour, which is home to another famous bar, the Jib Room. We did go over and check it out, but it was Sunday afternoon and there was hardly anyone around, so we took some pics, met Bacardi the marina kitty and headed back. Our main reasons for a stop in Marsh Harbour were actually to hit up the two grocery stores and to go to the BTC store to get a SIM card for our phone. We were also happy to find a seafood store and stocked our teeny, tiny freezer with two lobster tails and some grouper…we were getting kinda tired of canned meat.

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Mermaid AND merman! Coolest restroom signs at the Jib Room!
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Bacardi, the marina kitty loves to have his head scratched!
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And just because I like the way it turned out…a picture of me outside of the Jib Room. 🙂

Wouldn’t you know it…the very next day on our way down to Lynyard Cay we finally caught our first fish, which we were able to identify as an 8.5 pound Mutton Snapper. Figures…we give in and buy a bunch of fish and catch one of our own less than 24 hours later! Not complaining though.

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Good looking, huh? Nice fish too!

Last stop on our Abaco Hub beach bar tour was Pete’s Pub and Gallery in Little Harbour, about a two-mile dinghy ride from where we were anchored at Lynyard Cay. What a cool looking little anchorage. Felt like we were in the South Pacific instead of the Bahamas! Tried their signature rum punch drink, a Blaster, which did not disappoint, and then checked out the art gallery next door which features mainly bronze sculptures by the owner, Pete Johnston. Did not, however, try one of those!

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Pete’s Pub in Little Harbour
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Chillaxin’ at Pete’s Pub
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The view from Pete’s Pub. So gorgeous there!

Stay tuned to read about our adventures in the Exumas island chain! Oh…and if there’s any other famous Abaco bars we missed, let us know so we can hit them up on our next go round!

4 Comments

  • Kris Likert

    May 2, 2016 at 10:33 pm Reply

    So glad you two are enjoying your time! Looks so sunny and bright everywhere? Thanks for the updates and pics:)

    • Chris

      May 3, 2016 at 10:22 am Reply

      Hi Kris! Glad you’re enjoying the updates! We need to get together and catch up when we’re home this summer!

  • Kathy Walden

    May 3, 2016 at 2:39 pm Reply

    Loved your post again and especially the pictures. Anxiously awaiting the next post.

    • Chris

      May 3, 2016 at 10:56 pm Reply

      Thank you! Will try to get another one up soon!

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