Hope Town

Elbow Reef Lighthouse

Hope Town features one of the last operational kerosene-fueled lighthouses in the world. This lighthouse was built in 1862 and became operational two years later, it is striped horizontally red and white. Its light can be seen from 23 nmi away.

The Elbow Reef Lighthouse is one of only three manual lighthouses left in the world. It has a weight mechanism that has to be hand cranked every several hours to maintain the sequence of five white flashes every 15 seconds. The lamp burns kerosene oil with a wick and mantle, at the rate of 1 gallon per night. The light is then focused as it passes through the optics of a first order Fresnel lens which floats on a bed of mercury.

The Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society, (a Bahamian Non-Profit) is responsible for keeping the site true to its historical past as a fully-working, non-automated, aid to navigation. Entrusted by the Ministry of Transportation and Local Government, (responsible for the Port Department and Maritime Affairs), The ERLS is the Elbow Reef Lightstation's infrastructural custodian, tasked with the oversight and ongoing preservation and restoration of the Lighthouse and Lightstation itself which comprises the lighthouse tower, two lighthouse keeper's quarters, six outbuildings, one gift shoppe and the wharf/dock. Websites: elbowreeflighthousesociety.com and elbowreef.org

Tourism

The Hopetown downtown area is home to the colonial "Cholera Cemetery". Cholera swept through the island in the 1850s, killing over one hundred English colonists that had settled the island.

Tahiti Beach is located on the southernmost portion of the island. During low tide, a sand pathway stretches far into the ocean from the beach. It is a popular spot for boat-docking and shark-spotting.

One of the only safe breaks to surf in the Elbow Keys is found in the center of the island, outside of the Abaco Inn. Surfers and spectators alike gather there for swells off the east coast of the island.

Weather and climate

The weather in Hope Town is very similar to that of South Florida. Hope Town and the surrounding islands of Abaco generally follow five weather patterns throughout the year. The winter cold fronts (or Canada Clippers) that pass down to south Florida also affect the Abacos, although occasionally some stall before getting to the northern Bahamas. They are often over by the end of April, and from that point, Hope Town's temperature increases, staying warm until September. During September and October showers recommence and Hope Town often experiences rain. In November and December the cold fronts hit Abaco again.

Hurricanes

Hope Town experiences hurricanes as often as Florida, and over the last decade the number has stayed high. Hope Town's most notable hurricane is considered to be Hurricane Dorian, that hit on September 1, 2019, as a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale.

In popular culture

In 2009, TV comedy Scrubs filmed a two-part special on location in Hope Town. The episodes featured Hope Town landmarks and points of interest such as the Elbow Cay lighthouse. Eighty-four cast and crew members turned up in Hope Town, temporarily increasing its population of 300 by over a quarter.

Season 3 of TLC's Little People, Big World also features the Roloff family visiting The Bahamas, where they make two stops in Hope Town. A visit to the lighthouse is featured, as well as a scene with the local Methodist church.

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer, Chad Smith, was married by the lighthouse in Hope Town.

Season 3 of HGTV's Bahamas Life follows Florida couple Brian and Rana through the process of searching for a house in Hopetown for their family. Several of the homes on the island as well as scenic shots from around the island are featured in the episode.

References

References

1. link. (2016-06-24 – Bahamas Department of Statistics)
2. "Golf Cart Elbow Cay {{!}} Hope Town Cart Rentals {{!}} Lighthouse Cart Rentals".
3. "Hope Town".
4. {{cite rowlett. bhs
5. "Hope Town, Abaco, Bahamas".
6. "Welcome to the Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society". Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society.
7. "Cholera {{sic".
8. [http://abacomessageboard.com/AbacoWeather.html Abaco's Weather in the Bahamas] {{Webarchive. link. (2008-05-11 Weather)
9. (September 2020). "One year since Dorian release".
10. link. (2009-08-02 Scrubs films in Hope Town)