The Abaco Cays

The Abaco cays lie along the eastern edge of a shallow protected sea, and the settlements on them were founded by loyalists who left the American colonies after 1783 and built in the manner they knew: white clapboard houses with picket fences and shuttered windows, which is why Hope Town, New Plymouth and Man-O-War Cay look more like coastal New England than the Caribbean. Boat building was the trade for generations and a few yards still work in wood. The Elbow Reef lighthouse at Hope Town, candy-striped red and white, is one of the last manually operated kerosene lights anywhere, wound by hand every couple of hours.

History

The Lucayans, a branch of the Taíno, were the first people here and called the islands Lucayoneque, the people's distant waters; the Spanish began taking them as slaves soon after Columbus, and by 1520 none remained in the Bahamas. Juan de la Cosa's map of 1500 shows Abaco as Habacoa, Juan Ponce de León landed here in 1513, and the Turin map of 1523 names it Iucayonique. In August 1783 about 1,500 Loyalists from New York, answering a call in the Royal Gazette, settled near today's Treasure Cay and built the town of Carleton, named after Sir Guy Carleton, while quarrels over food led some to found a rival town, Maxwell, near Marsh Harbour; the settlers lived by salvaging wrecks, building small wooden boats and farming (Wikipedia, Abaco Islands).

What you'll find

• Hope Town lighthouse - hand-wound kerosene light, one of the last in the world.
• The loyalist settlements - clapboard and picket fences on the cays.
• Man-O-War Cay - the boatbuilding island, with yards still working.
• The Sea of Abaco - protected shallow water, the country's best sailing.

When to go

December to May is the dry season and the sailing high season. Regatta week in July is the biggest event. Ferries link Marsh Harbour with the cays several times a day. Hurricane Dorian in 2019 devastated Abaco and rebuilding is still going on, so check what is open.

Practical notes

Hurricane Dorian hit Abaco directly in 2019 as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, and the recovery is incomplete: some businesses never reopened and damage is still visible. Accommodation is limited and expensive. Man-O-War Cay is a dry island where alcohol is not sold. Ferries stop in the early evening and stranding yourself is easy.

Nearby

Marsh Harbour is the hub; Treasure Cay's beach is on the main island.