The Abacos'
Great Guana Cay

Bergen County Register
By LYNNE MULLER

Tom Roberts took out his family album, displaying pictures of his grandfather from 70 years ago. That's recent history. Then he told me how his ancestors came to the Abacos Great Guana Cay in 1822 from Eleuthera, having fled Wales in the 1600s.

Looking up from the well-worn album, I saw a tiny, lazy harbor with a dozen shades of blue water, perfectly framed by palm trees. A few sailboats and brightly painted Abaco dinghies were tied up in Kidd's Cove, named for the pirate. A Cuban fishing boat unloaded some boxes, probably containing cigars.

This is Tom's everyday view from his shop on Great Guana Cay, population 80, in the Out Islands of the Bahamas.

Tom's history is the history of the Abacos, the 130-mile-long archipelago of islets and cays in the northern Bahamas, settled by Loyalists of British heritage who left the United States during the Revolutionary War.

Determined to remain loyal to the Crown, they fled New England and the Carolinas, bringing their culture and architecture with them. Others, called "adventurers," came by way of Bermuda, like one of Tom's ancestors.

Despite the long history of settlement, there's a feeling of remoteness -- and discovery -- in the Abacos. These quiet islands are less visited than the rest of the Bahamas, even though Marsh Harbour Airport is only about 175 miles east of Palm Beach, Fla.

Ten miles north of Marsh Harbour, Great Guana Cay and its seven-mile beach wait to be discovered. Most island residents are former boat builders who fish, farm, or run tourist enterprises.

On the other side of the narrow island from the tiny town, Nipper's Beach Bar and Grill, and the pristine beach it overlooks, are the reason for many a day-trip to Great Guana Cay.

Owned by Michael and Johnny Roberts (they're related to Tom, of course), the dune-top bar is the kind of place you expect to see Jimmy Buffett hanging out. Although Nipper's is only a short walk from town, golf carts, the island's main mode of transportation, shuttle visitors bearing fins and other snorkeling gear from the dock up the 30-foot, rutted dunes.

Crowded on weekends because of the "pig roast," a buffet featuring barbecued pork, peas and rice, and macaroni and cheese, Nipper's specializes in rum drinks and ocean-view ambience. Customers sway to the Barefoot Man's rendition of "I Lost Two Weeks at Nipper's" in the sheltered boardwalk bar.

But for many, the real attraction is that snowy-white beach, one of the Bahamas' best. Narrow strips of green reef wave off-shore, alternating with shades of turquoise and peacock blue ocean water.

More tiny Cape Cod-like towns and deserted beaches await on Elbow Cay, Man-O-War Cay, and Green Turtle Cay, easily reached by two ferry services and numerous charters from Marsh Harbour. These Out Island villages, with their clapboard houses, look like New England with a twist -- they're painted pink and yellow and are festooned with purple bougainvillea. Orange and lemon trees flourish in front yards.

The most famous landmark in the Abacos is the red and white striped lighthouse in Hope Town, on Elbow Cay. After docking at the small wharf near the base of the 1863 lighthouse, we climbed the 101 steps to a breathtaking view of the outlying Parrot Cays and Elbow Cay's enclosed harbor.

Lighthouse keeper Jeffrey Forbes said this was one of only three kerosene-powered lights in the world, and all are in the Bahamas. The large Fresnel lens floating in a bath of mercury generates a light visible more than 17 miles.

There is no motorized traffic in Hope Town, and the hilly streets must be explored on foot. Water is visible on both sides of the island -- the blue ocean on one side, the green harbor on the other -- during a stroll down Back Street, a narrow lane running along the spine.

The Wyannie Malone Museum, in one of the oldest houses in Hope Town, is named after the settlement's founder. Filled with simple treasures donated by island residents, the museum traces the history of Hope Town through photos, documents, and maps, as well as china, quilts, and other heirlooms.

Accommodations here at the "top of the Bahamas" are as laid-back as the lifestyle, even at the Abacos' largest hotel, Abaco Beach Resort at Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco. The luxury here is casual, with an emphasis on sailing and fishing.