Albury’s Sail Shop

I shy away from shocks of colour, literally, I am afraid of the wheel on which it is forever painted. Ironic really, considering just before our arrival to Albury’s Sail Shop I was busy snapping photographs in Hope Town where clapboard houses painted in every hue can be admired. Naturally when my husband, Chris picked up this canary yellow and blue strapped tote I fought what could be considered an internal battle of sorts.

How ever would I look past the celebration of colour and see what the bag truly represents: a souvenir?

I’m not speaking of your two-for-five-dollar souvenir but a real souvenir. The one that elicits pride in its owner, who so much as boasts about their travels to Man-O-War Cay, the small dot of an island in the Abacos where they purchased a similar bag, hat or jacket from Annie, a third generation owner of Albury’s Sail Shop. It was her grandmother Lois, wife to “Uncle” Norman Albury who started making small bags and purses from the leftover scraps of canvas that Norman would use to make sails. Now over sixty years later Annie continues the tradition with new styles and fabric colours, however using the same sturdy 8-ounce cotton “duck” fabric her grandfather once stretched and sewed in his own parent’s house.

Of course looking to it now I know that in the years to come it will always serve as a reminder of our visit to Man-O-War Cay where the history is rich as the colours that can be found on land and at sea, and of course in Albury’s Sail Shop.

P.S. Island Directions – Albury’s Sail Shop is located at the eastern end of Man-O-War Marina. The clearly-marked speciality shop overlooks the harbour and offers a dock for boats to tie up to.

Related Stories

Instagram #700islands