Thanks
to John Horton for these great pictures of the
Great Bahamas Fly-out
2004
Great Bahamas Fly-Out to Hopetown
Mike Sherer, Fort Myers, Florida
After three hurricanes (one five years ago and a double-whammy this year), it finally happened: Our long-awaited fly-out to the Bahamas. The weather gods were apparently on our side, as we couldn't have asked for better conditions. A total of sixteen people in five Tigers, one Cheetah and one Grumman-Comanche made the hop across the Gulf Stream and Grand Bahama Island on Friday, November 19 to our destination airport of Marsh Harbour on the island of Abaco. 30-mile straight-in finals are standard operating procedure there. Nobody had any problems with the flight over, although the VORs and many of the remote communication outlets were still out of service. At the airport, the only other apparent sign of the tropical cyclones that had hit the area this year was a swale across the runway, making for some interesting landings.
After clearing immigration and customs and taxiing over to our host FBO Zig-Zag Airways, it was time to unload the luggage, tie down the aircraft and take a cab to the Albury Ferry Dock for the 20-minute ride over to the picturesque settlement of Hopetown on Elbow Cay, just off the eastern coast of Abaco. After checking in at the Hopetown Harbour Lodge and picking up their Zig-Zag caps, everyone seemed to gravitate to the hotel's Reef Bar at the beach in order to sample the local food and drink. That evening, we all walked over to Capt'n Jack's for dinner, savoring crawfish (lobster tails), cracked conch, grouper and other taste treats to the accompaniment of Goombay Smashes, Rum Punches and good old Kalik beer.
Saturday saw some of us just swimming and walking the beach, while others toured the island on rented golf carts, checked out the Cuban cigar offerings in the shops or hitched rides on passing boats or ferries to get to the candy-striped lighthouse. After ascending the 109 steps to the top, we were rewarded with a breathtaking view of the surroundings and a close-up look at one of the world's few remaining petroleum-fueled lighthouses.
Following a group dinner that evening in a private dining room at the Hopetown Harbour Lodge (so as not to disturb the natives, I presume), it was time for the raffle (everyone was a winner) and the longest-distance award. There was no need to consult the GPS to determine the winner of that contest: Rob & Christi Bondy had flown in all the way from New York City for the event! Others had come from Georgia (Joe and Carolyn Smith plus John and Karen Creedon) as well as from various locations in Florida (Claude and Verna Allen, John and Cherry Horton, Steve Gushwa and Belisa Oliveira as well as Mike Sherer and Sarah Sciple, along with daughter Suzanne Sherer and her friend James Williamson).
Although the fly-out had been scheduled to end on Sunday, only three aircraft actually departed Marsh Harbour that morning: Everyone else who didn't absolutely need to be home by Monday had spontaneously decided to extend their stays! It was unanimously decided to make the Hopetown Fly-Out an annual event.
