Our main modes of transportation are walking, shuttles, buses and dinghy. I guess another way to look at it is, we pay a city or company for a ride otherwise we dinghy or walk. There are just some places the feet and dinghy cannot take us. Oh, by the way, if the dinghy is involved, so are the feet. Once in awhile we will need to rent a car for a week or two. If we rent a car we make the most of it. We use it to travel further away to see sights we would not be able to reach by boat.
While in Green Turtle Cay we have enjoyed another treat, renting golf carts. Golf cart rental can be a bit pricey depending on the island you are visiting and the time of year. That is, unless you have Mark as your negotiator. Mark is very good at getting deals. As much as he jokes about his frugal tendencies those tendencies allow us to be out here enjoying ourselves. “Hey Cindy, I saved us $50 on a golf cart. Want to go out for lunch?” I love the way he thinks.
During our stay in Green Turtle Cay we rented a golf cart for a week. There are more golf carts than cars on this small island. There are golf carts of various sizes and brands but most are the typical ones you see in our photo.
There are no stop lights in Green Turtle Cay. There is a main road that is one way around town and a few cross streets. They drive on the left side of the road. Most drive in the middle of the road and move to the left for oncoming traffic. There is not a lot of traffic. The roads are narrow. Just enough room for two cars to pass in most places. We smiled when we saw people talking on their cell phones and texting while driving golf carts. Aw, just like home. It must be universal. At least they were doing this at much reduced speeds. It is hard to go very fast in Green Turtle Cay. Not just because the golf carts are limited when it comes to speed but because the roads outside town are bit rough.
Road going toward New Plymouth. New Plymouth is the main town on Green Turtle Cay
The types of roads in Green Turtle Cay are concrete, semi-concrete and rough dirt paths. The further you travel away from town the less concrete there is on the road. Rain has removed a lot of it and left pot holes. It seems perfectly correct to drive on the shoulder of the road to avoid the pot holes. There are worn tracks that lead off the road around the rougher patches and then back onto the road.
The further you get from town the more rough the roads become
We were so happy to have our own ride. It was nice not being held to the schedule of a shuttle or bus. We could do things at our own pace and take our time. Ah, driving a vehicle again, so different from sailing. Since there are no traffic lights or stop signs out on the open water there are different rules for different circumstances and for different types of boats as well. Unfortunately, not all boaters follow the rules of navigation. It can be stressful not knowing if the other boater knows the rules of right of way or if they are paying attention to where they are going. Often other boaters will not monitoring the radio so hailing to be sure of their intentions often fails. We were happy to be driving on roads again. The rules are more clear when you are in a motor vehicle. Everyone knows a stop sign means stop.
Road signs. Notice the one way sign points to the left but the signs to the businesses would send you the wrong way. I like the signs. They are unobtrusive and there are not very many of them.
Mark walking down a main road in New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay on Christmas Eve
Having a golf cart was such a great way to see the sights and run a few errands. We visited all the little nooks and crannies of the island. We found some nice secluded spots on beaches that were just beautiful. It gave us a chance to see places that we would not ordinarily get to visit.
There are not very many road signs. There are a few signs posted on electrical poles pointing the way to town. If you get lost, just ask someone. If you stay on the main road you will get where you need to go. Once in town there are a few signs on poles advertising local stores or restaurants. These are mostly near the ferry dock where most visitors enter the island.
This time of year most cruisers move quickly through the Abaco Islands to get further south. They spend the rest of the season working their way back north. There are navigation reasons for this but we will get into that in another post. We decided to stop and take a break in the Abaco Islands. Being that it is off season we picked up some good deals along the way. Staying longer allowed us to really get to see the island and learn a lot about the local traditions during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.We are glad we decided to hang in Green Turtle Cay for a little longer and really experience the island.
New Plymouth
Finding Hidden Beaches
