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Chartering a boat in The Bahamas: crewed, bareboat or a day with a captain
How boat charters work in The Bahamas: crewed yachts, bareboat sailing and captained day boats, where each works best, what is included and what operators ask.
The Hope Town Lighthouse, Elbow Cay
Standing in red and white stripes above Hope Town harbour, the Elbow Reef Lighthouse is the emblem of the Abacos. Lit since 1864, it is still wound by hand every two hours through the night and still burns kerosene, one of a tiny number of such lighthouses left anywhere.
History
The British built the lighthouse to warn ships off Elbow Reef, over the objections of local wreckers who made their living salvaging ships that struck it. Its Fresnel lens, installed in the 1930s, floats on a bed of mercury and is turned by a clockwork mechanism driven by weights that the keepers wind by hand. The light was restored and is maintained by a local preservation society after storm damage, most recently from Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
Visiting
Hope Town is reached by scheduled ferry from Marsh Harbour in about 20 minutes. The lighthouse stands across the harbour from the main settlement; a short walk or a water taxi brings you to its base, and when open visitors may climb the 101 steps to the gallery for a view across the Sea of Abaco and the Atlantic. Opening hours vary; check locally.
Hope Town itself
Hope Town was settled in 1785 by Loyalists leaving the newly independent United States, among them Wyannie Malone, a widow from South Carolina whose descendants still live on the cay. The settlement keeps its grid of narrow lanes and clapboard cottages, a small museum of local history, and a harbour ringed by docks and restaurants. Beaches run along the Atlantic side of Elbow Cay, and Tahiti Beach at the southern tip is a sandbar that appears at low tide. Golf carts and bicycles are the only transport, rented through accommodation or at the dock.
What to see and do
Climb the lighthouse
101 steps to the gallery and a view of the whole Sea of Abaco.
Hope Town settlement
Loyalist cottages, a small museum and harbourfront restaurants.
Want to visit Hope Town Lighthouse, Elbow Cay?
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Common questions
Can you climb the Hope Town Lighthouse?
Yes, when it is open. The climb is 101 steps to the gallery.
Is the Hope Town Lighthouse still working?
Yes. It is hand-wound and kerosene-lit, one of the last of its kind in the world.