sailboats in water in front of small red and white lighthouse
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Adventures of a Modern Pirate: March 2019

With plenty of daylight left, my uncle suggested the Hope Town lighthouse next. Tom gave an approving nod of the head as Evelyn clapped her approval. And just like that, it was decided. We were going to Hope Town.

Another lighthouse? I thought. It seemed like a nice idea, so I gaily went along, as I was a captive participant in an otherwise happy pirate ship. So, we left The Wrecking Tree, meandering back to the dock where lines were stowed away. We pushed off the dock as Tom got the engine going and had the boat headed out to sea once more. 

My uncle reached in the cooler and threw me a beer. I did not complain! I took a long pull of the cold brew and noticed Evelyn sat reclining in the bow, suntanning her lovely self, her hair waving in the wind. I couldn’t keep my young eyes off the Captain’s wench. As I glanced around, the beauty surrounding me never ceased to amaze me. 

Hope Town is one of the districts of Abaco Islands on Elbow Cay that is surrounded by small towns. We came in through a small channel that curved to our right and followed along until we came to a dock with a long cement walkway that led up to the base of the white lighthouse with red stripes. Given the beauty of the location, I was surprised to find the dock was empty. 

Tom and my uncle had the boat secured in record time and I took my first steps into Hope Town. I felt as if by good fortune, my feet stepped into another adventure in a faraway place in the mystical Caribbean. Such is the pirate life. Tantalizing! 

We all followed along behind Evelyn up toward the lighthouse, where we climbed the steps, taking glimpses through the windows along the way, each one higher and higher. 

I had gotten accustomed to seeing lighthouses but was still in awe of the spectacular view of the vast expanse of the amaranthine shrubbery and that eternal sparkling ocean. I studied the view, snapped mental pictures, and filed it somewhere in my skull for future recollections. 

Below, I admired the quaint town and thought how nice it must be to live there as the place was surrounded by the turquoise crystalline ocean. All that godly goodness washed over me like a shot of rum. I was one lucky 15-year-old! 

Gotta get back to my coconut concoctions . . .

This column is part of an ongoing story of tales from the past that continues each month. Read Josh’s previous columns here:

To read more about Josh’s new novel, click here!

Joshua MacLeod is a NSB local and a Florida native. He is the author of Savage Tango and Chasing Latitudes. He lives with his dogs, Durango, Higgins and Oscar.

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