There are many, many stories regarding the Out-Islands of the Bahamas but in our travels throughout the Islands we believe Great Harbour Cay has the most intriguing and colorful history.
This phone booth is just one of the many relics from the 1960's when development of the Island was in high gear.
I encourage anyone who is intrigued by such history to click on the link and do some reading. You will find it very interesting.
Click this link.....
Great Harbour History
First things first....gotta get some "Go Juice" in the Jeep....that's what the rental guy called it.
We towed a little Suzuki like this one in our other life and we always called it our little "Cheap Jeep".
Like most vehicles over here, it's a rust bucket.
We decided to see just how many different beaches we could find since we had a vehicle to cover the Island in.
We were overwhelmed at the beauty of them all.
I can't remember all the names but this one was near the "Beach Club" which is a little beachside bar/cafe that was also built during the development of this Paradise back in the 60's.
It is the oldest continually operating business on the Island.
The Admiral took us to the "Flats"..she had been here with girlfriends during our last visit here in 2015.
The "Flats" is a huge area that becomes dry during low tide and you can walk across to another Island if you swim a few feet across "Shark Creek" which dumps into the Flats.
She loves to find driftwood too.
She took a break with Dave at this rock...
Dave is worn out too...lifting those beers will do that to ya..
Clouds not threatening, just passing over..
That covers the South end of the Island so it's off to the North end.
I am first into the cave to take pictures of everyone as they come around the beach and see the cave for the first time..
It's a sight to see....
The sun was behind us so the pictures are not very good looking in this direction.
Our previous trip here was a different time of day and the pics were better.
We staged this picture just to see how it would look compared to the same shot taken in 2015 on the same rock at the same angle....hey, it's something to do.
But fun it was...
What else you gonna do when you retire....
Pools like these form along the beach in this area making for great playgrounds.
It's easy to see why the "Rich and Famous" and Movie Stars wanted to own a piece of this.
It's just impossible to understand what happened to make it all crash and go to ruins.
More on that story later.
Atop this rock bluff sits one of the houses built during the boom development in the 60's or 70's.
What a view, and some are still occupied but most have gone to ruins after the crash.
All part of the history of this unique Island.
Not very many new builds on this Island like on some of the other Islands we visited.
Could be because all it has going for it is an airport, a good Marina (both built during the boom) and Sugar Beach..
Well, imagine that.....we must have found another beach..
While wandering up and down Sugar Beach we came across this fellow loading up his jet ski...
Here's how he does it...He gets a fast run toward the beach, I mean fast. He hits the beach head on...the Jet Ski slides up the beach toward his home-made wooden ramp behind his house. He then gets his sand buggie trailer down to the ski.
If he doesn't get the jet ski far enough up the beach he usually gets the ranger stuck...He did just that today,
The sand is like sugar, very deep and fine. The Ranger just buries itself so he then gets his pickup and parks on the ramp. He winches the whole outfit up the ramp and he's done.
He says it just all part of the fun. He is from Ft. Lauderdale and built his home here in 2005...gotta ❤️ it..Great Harbour Cay History
Sunday, April 29
We took full advantage of another beautiful day in the Berry Islands.
We took the dinghies out the Cut and headed North to go exploring.
Clear skies and calm seas made for a great day on the water.
Seems everytime we explore an Island with some old Drug Running history we find sunken airplanes.
The last on was off Norman's Cay in the Exumas.
This shot shows a better view of the wing span that is still intact under about 4 feet of water.
Like I said, you need to read the history of Great Harbour Cay to get the full effect of what went on back in the 70"s...
And as usual, Christine was determined to find another beach.
This time we found a great beach and we had it all to ourselves.
Her and Annie (along with Michele) wandered around for and hour looking for treasures.
And she managed to find some nice ones.
She is collecting a bunch of driftwood, sea shells, and coral to make some yard art......we'll see how that goes over in a Kentucky backyard.
The squirrels will have a field day.
While the girls are plucking treasures I wandered back to the dinghy and mixed me a Jack Daniels chiller from under the seat and proceeded to take more pictures.
Life is Good...
After I mixed my Chiller I walked out several more yards and took this Pano Shot of the beach we found. The water is so clear it is hard to get an idea of how far out I went. The water at this point is about 3 feet deep.
Annie had a great time with no body to yell at her.
She could just run and hunt all she wanted because we had it all to ourselves.......
The look on Annie's face is priceless....It's as if she is saying "Holy Crap, did you see that one guys"? Dogs and Dolphins make the best movies.....
Monday, April 30
Guess all that Dolphin chasing and beach roaming wore'em out.
After a quiet day around the boat we attended the weekly pot-Luck dinner at the marina.
The Marina host the dinner and do a great job, hanging flowers, decorating the tables, and even provided the conch salad for everyone.
Another couple from Legacy arrived yesterday. Rick and Michelle "Ghost
Rider" have been trying to catch up to us for a month but weather and visitors held them back a few days.
Finally the Legacy gang are together for awhile. Sure glad they could join the fun.
I will lead them on a walking tour of the ruins today..
If dinghie riding wore'em out....wait until tomorrow.
This upcoming walk is thru some back country bush.
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