About us
Man o War is a lovely Cay (pronounced "key") in Abaco , Bahamas. The Bahamas has more than 20 different island groups, each having it's own "outer Cays". These "island groups" are much like the US states, with our own local representative in Nassau. Even the different Cays have a local representative.
Abaco is the northern most of the island groups, about 90 degrees east of West Palm Beach, Fl.
Man o War Cay is an important island only 2.5 mi long and about 1/3 mi wide.
It is the boat building capitol of the Bahamas. Known for their strong wooden boats of yesteryear, they now build just-as-strong fiberglass boats of all kinds and will still build you a wooden boat that will last a lifetime with proper care. These are hand-built boats (board by board fitting), take a lot of time to build and are built and sold only on Man o War Cay. The sailing dinghys are a beautiful sight, perfect for a father/son/daughter vessel and great way to learn about sailing.
You will find our locals to be exceptionally gracious, hospitable and very interesting to speak with. We are a very practical bunch and you will see that in our homes and businesses.
After Hurricane Dorian came through, our homes fared much better than the surrounding Cays. A lot of people think this is a result of our boat-building prowess used in building our homes.
It should be noted that Man o War (MOW) is the only Cay in the entire Bahamas that does not allow alcohol sales. However, you are permitted to pick up your own in the store in Marsh Harbour and bring it with you on the Ferry. Just ask your taxi to make a stop there for a small additional fee while you shop. We are not a judging people, We just want to keep our streets safe for our children.
MOW has golf carts for rent and boats for rent......in advance if possible.
We would also suggest ordering a Sea of Abaco Pocket Folding Chart in advance of your visit, even if you don't plan to rent a boat. It will give you an easy way to see the entire Sea of Abaco (the sea is the calm side of the Cays, other side is the open ocean with the worlds' 3rd longest reef running the entire length of all of Abaco islands and Cays.
If you do not want to rent a boat but want to see the other Cays, Scheduled ferry services are available. Suggestions are Guana Cay for the younger set and Hopetown, Elbow Cay for the more mature crowd. Hopetown is the easiest to get to. There is a ferry change in Marsh Harbour to get to Hopetown with only a short layover.
Our Cay is the smallest among the populated Cays with ferry service but it's a quality, quiet and lovely place to be. Stay a week, come back next year and we'll probably remember your name......and it just gets better from there.
