Some Frequent Questions to Help with your Stay
What is the VHF, where is it, and how do we use it?
The VHF is a high frequency marine-band radio used by just about every boat, business, and many cottages on the Island. Our VHF is located on the top shelf just as you enter the house. It is set to remain on channel 16. This is the mainstream broadcasting channel that all communication initially travels over. When wishing to use it to contact anyone the proper protocol is as follows: Press and hold button, clearly state "Calling Alburys' Ferry, this is Windward House". You may repeat it once if you feel inclined. Release the button and wait to hear a response. A normal response might be "Windward House this is Alburys' Ferry go to channel 17". Do not carry conversations over channel 16, this channel must ALWAYS remain open to 'traffic'. Depending on the channel dictated adjust the channel setting and carry on whatever conversation is required. When you are finished return the channel back to 16. The VHF is a great way to hear what people are up to, what's going on in the town. "Cruiser's Net" is on channel 68 with weather and sea reports at 8 am daily.
Do we need to bring towels?
Nope, here at Windward we have a plethora of towels for all your needs. If you'd prefer your own though, please feel free.
We have young kids, do we need to bring toys?
Windward has a variety of games and toys for young kids. We have a small basket of beach toys for small children, card games, board games, and other such things to keep everyone entertained. But again, feel free to bring what you like and there are many places on the island to grab other !
A loud clanking noise sounds in the walls when we turn on a faucet or a shower. What's up?
Here in Hope Town our water supply comes from two sources: desalinization equipment and the sky. Island cottages generally collects their own rain water and store it in cisterns located on the property as does Windward. When those cisterns empty, we are forced to buy water from a desalinization vendor which could take a day or two to acquire. That being said, boat etiquette is encouraged regarding water usage. Turn off the shower while your lathering or shaving, turn off the faucet while your scrubbing down plates and pots, don't rinse plates that will just be washed in the dishwasher, turn off the water while you're brushing your teeth or shave. Windward has ample water storage but if you do run out of water contact our property rental agency Hope Town Hideaways immediately so they can get water to you ASAP. You may hear the water pump operating periodically to keep pressure charged. You may also hear a ticking in the walls when using hot water, which is simply the pvc pipe expanding as the water starts to heat.
The power just went out. What should we do?
Ordinarily by the time you're thinking "oh no........" the power will come back on. Windward has its own diesel powered generator on the property which is set to automatically switch on in the event of an outage. It usually takes about five seconds for the generator to automatically kick on and another ten seconds for the power to switch over. If for some reason it does not turn on and you are forced to ask this question, get on the VHF and radio Hope Town Hideaways. They'll get somebody over to check it out. PLEASE... if the generator does kick on, limit A/C units to bedrooms only. Their use tends to put a greater load on the generator and sometimes power can be down for a long time. To ensure there is enough fuel to see you through the outage keep those guzzlers on limited use. Instead, open up the jalousies and turn on the ceiling fans.
When is trash day?
Trash is picked up on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in the early morning. Please have the trash in bags or boxes on the curb by 7 am. While putting it out the night before might seem preferable, night time critters tend to make a mess of garbage sitting out. Any local glass beer bottles and aluminum cans can also be left out at this time for collection in a box. All other containers should be bagged as regular trash.
When is the bank open?
First Caribbean International is the only bank on the island. It is open ONLY on Tuesdays from 10am until 2pm. They do not have an ATM but are able to process cash advances for credit cards and debit cards. Marsh Harbour has other banking options with more versatile hours. Most bars, restaurants, and shops take major credit cards. For fishing ventures and other rentals cash is likely required.
When is the medical clinic open and where is it?
The medical clinic of the island is located right across the street from Jarret park next to the post office near the main dock. It is the pink building with white trim that you passed coming in from the Main Ferry Dock. It's hours of operation are Monday-Fridays 9am to 1pm. The clinic provides basic first aid including stitches, nurse level diagnosis, and offer basic prescriptions. The grocery stores on the island will have basic first aid needs. Windward house also has an ongoing stash of basic medical supplies in the lower bedroom closest to the front door's bathroom closet. The closest full capacity hospital is in Nassau. as there are none in Abaco. In the case of emergencies, there is a government-run clinic in Marsh Harbour. Hope Town also has a volunteer Fire & Rescue team, and BASRA (Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association), who are on call for emergency situations. In severe emergencies, patients are airlifted to Nassau or Florida.
Do they recycle on the island?
A group collects local beer bottles to be reused by the Bahamian brewers and aluminum cans. Leave them out with you trash in the mornings on pick up day. Unfortunately Elbow Cay does not have an extensive recycling system. That being said, please try and be as conscientious as possible. All garbage goes into a landfill on the island. Much of it will end up in the ocean. Reuse plastic bags and cups, don't use paper plates and limit yourself to how much trash you consume. Please use the reusable shopping bags for groceries and daily shopping to cut down on the number of plastic bags used. We don't have a lot of space on this island, let's make it last as long as possible.
How do the phones work?
The land line available at Windward is on the Vonage network and is registered as a US domestic phone number. This means phone calls to anywhere in the US, England, and other parts of Europe are available. As it is not a registered Bahamian number, phone calls to local businesses on the island are in effect "international". Unfortunately Vonage cannot access the local cellphone network so you will not be able to call local cell numbers. Local land-line numbers are generally accessed using a 1-242(local prefix)-the local 7 digit number. For whatever reason, we have found these calls to be less reliable and more likely to have service interruptions. If you experience difficulties please use the VHF and page the business you're attempting to contact. Many businesses have their own VOIP phone numbers and prefer we use them.
Where can we rent golf carts?
Elbow Cay Cart Rentals
(242) 366-0530
Hope Town Cart Rentals
(242) 366-0064
Island Cart Rentals
(561) 208-8160 (US line)
(242) 366-0448
JR’s Cart Rentals
(305) 359-5222 (US line)
(242) 366-0361
T & N Cart Rentals
(954) 727-5294 (US line)
(242) 366-0069
Where can we rent a boat?
(242) 367-5570
Rainbow Boat Rentals
(242) 367-4602
Rich’s Boat Rentals
(242) 367-2742
Where can we rent bikes?
Harbour's Edge
(242) 366-0087
Sun Dried T’s
(242) 366-0616
A & S
(242) 366-0633
Where can we rent kayaks?
Abaco Eco Kayak Adventures is the group to go to for kayaks. They provide rentals by the hour and day, as well as provide organized group tours of a variety of locations on Elbow Cay. Check them out for an educational adventure
.
The VHF is a high frequency marine-band radio used by just about every boat, business, and many cottages on the Island. Our VHF is located on the top shelf just as you enter the house. It is set to remain on channel 16. This is the mainstream broadcasting channel that all communication initially travels over. When wishing to use it to contact anyone the proper protocol is as follows: Press and hold button, clearly state "Calling Alburys' Ferry, this is Windward House". You may repeat it once if you feel inclined. Release the button and wait to hear a response. A normal response might be "Windward House this is Alburys' Ferry go to channel 17". Do not carry conversations over channel 16, this channel must ALWAYS remain open to 'traffic'. Depending on the channel dictated adjust the channel setting and carry on whatever conversation is required. When you are finished return the channel back to 16. The VHF is a great way to hear what people are up to, what's going on in the town. "Cruiser's Net" is on channel 68 with weather and sea reports at 8 am daily.
Do we need to bring towels?
Nope, here at Windward we have a plethora of towels for all your needs. If you'd prefer your own though, please feel free.
We have young kids, do we need to bring toys?
Windward has a variety of games and toys for young kids. We have a small basket of beach toys for small children, card games, board games, and other such things to keep everyone entertained. But again, feel free to bring what you like and there are many places on the island to grab other !
A loud clanking noise sounds in the walls when we turn on a faucet or a shower. What's up?
Here in Hope Town our water supply comes from two sources: desalinization equipment and the sky. Island cottages generally collects their own rain water and store it in cisterns located on the property as does Windward. When those cisterns empty, we are forced to buy water from a desalinization vendor which could take a day or two to acquire. That being said, boat etiquette is encouraged regarding water usage. Turn off the shower while your lathering or shaving, turn off the faucet while your scrubbing down plates and pots, don't rinse plates that will just be washed in the dishwasher, turn off the water while you're brushing your teeth or shave. Windward has ample water storage but if you do run out of water contact our property rental agency Hope Town Hideaways immediately so they can get water to you ASAP. You may hear the water pump operating periodically to keep pressure charged. You may also hear a ticking in the walls when using hot water, which is simply the pvc pipe expanding as the water starts to heat.
The power just went out. What should we do?
Ordinarily by the time you're thinking "oh no........" the power will come back on. Windward has its own diesel powered generator on the property which is set to automatically switch on in the event of an outage. It usually takes about five seconds for the generator to automatically kick on and another ten seconds for the power to switch over. If for some reason it does not turn on and you are forced to ask this question, get on the VHF and radio Hope Town Hideaways. They'll get somebody over to check it out. PLEASE... if the generator does kick on, limit A/C units to bedrooms only. Their use tends to put a greater load on the generator and sometimes power can be down for a long time. To ensure there is enough fuel to see you through the outage keep those guzzlers on limited use. Instead, open up the jalousies and turn on the ceiling fans.
When is trash day?
Trash is picked up on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in the early morning. Please have the trash in bags or boxes on the curb by 7 am. While putting it out the night before might seem preferable, night time critters tend to make a mess of garbage sitting out. Any local glass beer bottles and aluminum cans can also be left out at this time for collection in a box. All other containers should be bagged as regular trash.
When is the bank open?
First Caribbean International is the only bank on the island. It is open ONLY on Tuesdays from 10am until 2pm. They do not have an ATM but are able to process cash advances for credit cards and debit cards. Marsh Harbour has other banking options with more versatile hours. Most bars, restaurants, and shops take major credit cards. For fishing ventures and other rentals cash is likely required.
When is the medical clinic open and where is it?
The medical clinic of the island is located right across the street from Jarret park next to the post office near the main dock. It is the pink building with white trim that you passed coming in from the Main Ferry Dock. It's hours of operation are Monday-Fridays 9am to 1pm. The clinic provides basic first aid including stitches, nurse level diagnosis, and offer basic prescriptions. The grocery stores on the island will have basic first aid needs. Windward house also has an ongoing stash of basic medical supplies in the lower bedroom closest to the front door's bathroom closet. The closest full capacity hospital is in Nassau. as there are none in Abaco. In the case of emergencies, there is a government-run clinic in Marsh Harbour. Hope Town also has a volunteer Fire & Rescue team, and BASRA (Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association), who are on call for emergency situations. In severe emergencies, patients are airlifted to Nassau or Florida.
Do they recycle on the island?
A group collects local beer bottles to be reused by the Bahamian brewers and aluminum cans. Leave them out with you trash in the mornings on pick up day. Unfortunately Elbow Cay does not have an extensive recycling system. That being said, please try and be as conscientious as possible. All garbage goes into a landfill on the island. Much of it will end up in the ocean. Reuse plastic bags and cups, don't use paper plates and limit yourself to how much trash you consume. Please use the reusable shopping bags for groceries and daily shopping to cut down on the number of plastic bags used. We don't have a lot of space on this island, let's make it last as long as possible.
How do the phones work?
The land line available at Windward is on the Vonage network and is registered as a US domestic phone number. This means phone calls to anywhere in the US, England, and other parts of Europe are available. As it is not a registered Bahamian number, phone calls to local businesses on the island are in effect "international". Unfortunately Vonage cannot access the local cellphone network so you will not be able to call local cell numbers. Local land-line numbers are generally accessed using a 1-242(local prefix)-the local 7 digit number. For whatever reason, we have found these calls to be less reliable and more likely to have service interruptions. If you experience difficulties please use the VHF and page the business you're attempting to contact. Many businesses have their own VOIP phone numbers and prefer we use them.
Where can we rent golf carts?
Elbow Cay Cart Rentals
(242) 366-0530
Hope Town Cart Rentals
(242) 366-0064
Island Cart Rentals
(561) 208-8160 (US line)
(242) 366-0448
JR’s Cart Rentals
(305) 359-5222 (US line)
(242) 366-0361
T & N Cart Rentals
(954) 727-5294 (US line)
(242) 366-0069
Where can we rent a boat?
- In Marsh Harbour:
- In Hope Town:
- Abaco Dorado Boat Rentals Sea Horse Boat Rentals
(242) 367-1035 (242) 366-0023
B & B Boat Rentals Cats Paw Boat Rentals
(242) 367-7368 (242) 366-0380
Blue Wave Boat Rentals Island Marine Boat Rentals
(242) 367-3910 (561) 249-4046
(242) 366-0282
(242) 367-5570
Rainbow Boat Rentals
(242) 367-4602
Rich’s Boat Rentals
(242) 367-2742
Where can we rent bikes?
Harbour's Edge
(242) 366-0087
Sun Dried T’s
(242) 366-0616
A & S
(242) 366-0633
Where can we rent kayaks?
Abaco Eco Kayak Adventures is the group to go to for kayaks. They provide rentals by the hour and day, as well as provide organized group tours of a variety of locations on Elbow Cay. Check them out for an educational adventure
.