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The Necessities
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Groceries
To bring or not to bring? Ask that question to ten veteran
Abaco visitors, and you’ll get ten different answers.
It depends on a number of factors; let’s take a look
at them. Food can be heavy, and beverages are really heavy.
A twelve-pack of beer or soda weighs ten pounds; do you
want to pay for and lug that extra weight? Those items are
readily available at about twice the US price in Abaco.
Milk, water, bread, eggs, fruits and vegetables, and those
sort of basic things are always available anywhere. Conversely,
you won’t find a lot of good beef; that may be something
you might consider bringing in. A bag of chips or cookies
can easily cost $5; get used to high prices, it all has
to be imported, and then it’s taxed. (After a while
the restaurants won’t seem so expensive.) Maxwells
in Marsh Harbour is the place to go for everything but Liquor.
There are several good liquor stores in Marsh Harbour too,
just ask your taxi driver. Go to the stores first
and then go pick up your boat. Bear in mind there is no
grocery store on Lubbers and you will need to go to Elbow
Cay or back to Marsh Harbour if you need to re-stock. Also
consider that some of the smaller airlines will charge you
extra for bringing in your coolers. There is a new service
called AbacoEase
that also will shop for you, prior to your arrival so you
just pick up your food items from them in Marsh Harbour
when you arrive, maximising your vacation time, so their
service sounds potentially very useful.
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Rental Boats
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As
you can see by this map, you will need
a rental boat in order to get around. |
Rental boats are a necessity for getting around the islands!
Rental boats are the run-about types and are available for
rent in various sizes. They are easy to operate and the Sea
of Abaco is protected and not deep and is perfect for boating.
Most companies offer center consoles in the 20-26’
range. A couple can make do with a 20-footer; a party of 6-8
will want a 26-footer. Larger boats will typically handle
rough weather better than smaller ones.
As soon as you book your cottage, you'll want to rent your
boat right away as they can sell out quickly, and book at
least 2 months in advance for June & July rentals or you
may well be stuck on Lubbers without a boat, and chartering
a ferry is about $80 1-way (to Marsh Harbour), and island
hopping would be impossible! Listed below are some of the
rental agencies:
Blue Wave
Boat Rentals, Bay Street, 367-3910
Rainbow Rentals,
Bay Street, 367-4602
Rich’s Rentals,
367-2742
Sea Horse
Rentals, Boat Harbour, 367-2513
Most people tend to use Sea Horse Rentals as it is nearest
to Lubbers. |
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Daily Local Info
The best source of daily local Abaco information for visitors
is the Cruisers' Net which is broadcast on VHF channel 68
every morning at 8:15 AM. The Net starts off with a detailed
local weather report, some brief international headline news
and a quick look at the stock market.
Then several Abaco businesses, particularly restaurants, bars,
and tour operators, announce their hours and availability,
menus, specials, etc. At 9am there is a repeat of the weather.
It's a great thing to listen to even if you are familiar with
Abaco. |
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