Making a U-Turn in Little Harbour

With another storm system in the forecast, we needed an anchorage that had protection from the southeast through northeast as wind was expected to shift with a cold front coming down from the states. We set our sights on Little Harbour since it is protected from most wind directions and the ocean swell if you are able to get nicely tucked inside. So, we turned the boat south from Tahiti Beach for an almost 13 nm sail to Little Harbour. We also needed to get to the entrance at high tide as it is known to be around 4 feet deep at low tide. With our 5’2 draft, we needed the tide to be up so that we could safely enter. We were quite lucky and saw no less than 6’ of depth as we entered (but we saw 5’6 on our way out. Yikes!) and were able to get a mooring ball well into the harbor.

Little Harbour itself is a small settlement on the South end of the Sea of Abaco where locals come to seek safety from storms, get libations from Pete’s Pub & Gallery or be an entrance/exit point into the Atlantic toward Eleuthera, Nassau. Pete’s Pub & Gallery seems to run the town with moorings in the harbor, cottage/boat rentals and, of course, their pub and art gallery. They have a day use dock that can also be used overnight but it’s not encouraged. Their nightly rate was 35$ per night with no amenities other than a restroom and restaurant onsite but it is worth it for the location and the peace of mind during weather. 

We took the dinghy on a bit of a wild journey outside of the harbor into the Bight of Old Robinson which is just to the west of the channel. Within the Bight, up along the western shore, you can snorkel among the smaller Cays and in the blue holes among the mangroves to see stingrays, sea turtles and loads of other sea life. We also took a hike to find the abandoned lighthouse on the eastern point and walk through the neighborhoods to see all the houses in various states of repair after Hurricane Dorian in 2019. 

It was hard not to be at Pete’s Pub for every meal but we did “try” to limit our meals out while we were there. We thoroughly enjoyed their signature cocktail, the Blaster, Friday night Sushi and the Smoked Chicken Easter special. 

We stayed in Little Harbour a bit longer than we had planned in order to see our friends Deon and Janine. We met them while at Waterford Harbor Marina in Kemah, TX. They, and their catamaran Kanina, arrived in town from Florida to start their summer cruising season in the Abacos. It was nice to see familiar faces and to catch up on all the Kemah news.

It was at this point in our Bahamas journey that we decided to make a u-turn and head back north into the Abaco Sea and not into the Atlantic for a crossing to Eleuthera or the Exumas. We had a few options on the table with plenty of factors that we were considering. We had already been in the Bahamas for over 5 weeks and were enjoying the slow pace that we were traveling and exploring. We had missed some spots due to being conservative in our timing to find safe dockage/anchorage during weather. It also seemed that there would be less safe anchorages if we went to the more remote islands of the central and southern Bahamas. We were also concerned that we would have to rush through new islands and wouldn’t get to fully enjoy our visit if we kept moving south. We were also talking about wanting to make it further up the east coast this summer and wanted to get an earlier start than last year. With all things considered, we decided to make a U-Turn and start to head back north. 

We have not second guessed our decision to stay in the Abacos and enjoyed the next 2 weeks filled with making new friends, snorkeling, and dodging storms. Skål!