Howdy everyone!
Michael Sims here, president and co-founder of H+G. Summer is in full swing now, and our kids are out of school and enjoying time off with family and friends. I hope yours are, too. We recently went on a family trip to the Bahamas with our neighbors and had a great time! I wanted to share our trip with you all so that if you happen to break away in the next few years and get down there, you might be able to enjoy some of the same places we were able to visit. This was our kids' first trip to the Bahamas and they were blown away by the clear water and the snorkeling and all the fish and other sea life they could see just a few feet from them. 
We flew in on a Tuesday to Marsh Harbour and had most of our day to enjoy the beach at the Bahama Beach Club on the Abacos. I couldn't believe the devastation caused by the hurricane (six years ago) and how the vast majority of the structures roadside were still in shambles. The island has not recovered. However, we were pleasantly surprised that the Bahama Beach Club was back in full swing with both restaurants open, pools and so much to do! We spent the next full day on the beach in kayaks and paddle boards, snorkeling, fishing, and swimming. We were on the tail end of a cold front moving through and it blew out our chances of a bonefish trip on the front end, but we enjoyed the beach.
The next few days we rented a 26' Sea Hunt and piled on. Our first destination was No Name Island to see the pigs, a must see for the kids. They enjoyed seeing the pigs and we posted a Hook + Gaff sticker on the sign, so keep an eye out for it next time you go! We bounced over to Green Turtle Cay after that, and the kids thoroughly enjoyed swimming with the sting rays and the green turtles. You can tell the kids were not too sure about those sting rays! For lunch we docked the boat around the corner at the marina and headed over the top of the island on foot (about an 8 minute walk) to the Tranquil Turtle bar and grill on the oceanside. The food was amazing--fresh mahi on tacos, sandwiches and salads. We loved the swing out in the shallow water and the kids had fun climbing on the palms and playing on the swing. Later in the day we made our way to Pineapples Bar and Grill and met some fun people. The kids found a huge starfish and wanted to show it off! 
On day 3 we had our sights set on Elbow Cay. It's a good 25 miles from the marina at the beach club, so we picked a nice flat day with very little wind to make this trek. We had several stops to make on this trip. First, we stopped in Hope Town and did a loop. We had to see the lighthouse. Some of the bars and restaurants were not quite open yet, so we did a loop and snapped a few photos. We had numerous people tell us to stop at the Abaco Inn and try their Pina Colada, so of course we did! That was the next stop. It was nice to pull up and dock right there at the inn and enjoy a pina colada. We swam in the pool for a bit and enjoyed the waves on the ocean side. I'm not sure if anyone has ever done it, but there was a wickedly good left breaking out there just begging for someone to surf it. After that, we bounced around to the sandbar. This is quite a cool setup. They have a swing on the sandbar in about two feet of water, dozens of boats backed up to it, and a mobile food boat serving up the best fish and fries in the islands. We spent a lot of time here and then decided to bounce over to the Firefly Resort owned by Jim and Ann Irvin (who started the Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka) from Charleston. Believe it or not, this was some of the best snorkeling we had anywhere. We loved the setup there and enjoyed drinks, the bar, pool, and swimming along the rocks and checking out the colorful fish.
On day 4 we shot across to Great Guana Cay. We had so much to do here! A lot of people don't know about this, but if you shoot south past Nippers/Grabbers and keep an eye out, there is a break in the island that creates a lazy river. There is about an 8' break in the reef to pull your boat inside the "pond area" and pull up to the beach alongside a few other boats. This area offers some of the coolest snorkeling anywhere in the islands. We saw so many different colorful fish, baby green turtles, conchs and starfish and other sea life. We spent most of the morning here. By lunch time we were ready for some food and docked the boat at Grabbers. We ordered some food. Owen had to arm wrestle one of the locals. And then we made the walk over to Nippers. It was fun to dip in the ocean on that side. The views were awesome and exactly what I remembered. I last visited almost 21 years ago. We met many fun people here and enjoyed hanging out. There are H+G decals at every bar/grill we visited, so keep an eye out--an Abacos scavenger hunt for our followers!
On the last day, we flew back to Charlotte but our friends stayed to fish at Abaco Lodge. They had perfect weather, very little wind, and they saw dozens of bonefish. I think they landed at least 10 or 12 bonefish and had a great morning.
One thing I'll say about this--the rentals are easy and the guys over there at the marina will give you good advice on places to go. You don't get a stern anchor unless you ask for one, so be sure to do that. We knew we were going to be pulling up to a few sandbars and beaches, so we made sure we had that in the boat before trekking all the way to Hope Town and Elbow Cay. It was a very enjoyable trip and I'd highly recommend it if you are handy with a boat! The kids will love it as much as you will! Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Michael Sims
CoFounder/President H+G