By August of 2012, we had made our way to Staniel Cay in the Exumas. The Staniel Cay Yacht Club is owned by David Hocker, who also owns Watermakers Air. They operate out of the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and usually fly twice a day between Fort Lauderdale and Staniel Cay. We, along with friends and family, have been regular customers of this airline since then. In the fall of 2014, they became Watermakers Air and Exuma Cays Travel and now offer regularly scheduled flights to multiple destinations in Andros (San Andros, Fresh Creek, Congo Town) and to the Berry Islands (Chub Cay, Great Harbour Cay) along with Staniel Cay. You can learn more about them at www.watermakersair.com.
When we flew back to Compass Cay on December 27, 2014, we were scheduled to stop at Great Harbour to clear customs.
The map below may be a little hard to read, but it shows the Berry Islands in the Bahamas with Great Stirrup Cay at the north (a private island owned by Norwegian Cruise Line) and Chub Cay at the South. There is a better map of Great Harbour Cay later in this article. The Berry Islands are a chain of thirty large cays and numerous small cays of about thirty-two miles in length. The islands are located to the south of Great Abaco and about forty miles north-northwest of Nassau.
Just west of Great Stirrup Cay is Little Stirrup Cay, which is also owned by the cruise line. Charts, and cruising guides, give clear directions on getting to Great Harbour Cay from all points in South Florida and throughout the Bahamas. Once you have navigated your way to or around Little Stirrup Cay, you will follow these 6 way points to get to the marina.
SITE 1 – LITTLE STIRRUP CAY – LAT 25 48.88N LON 77 56.89W
SITE 2 – SAFETY POSITION – LAT 25 48.80N LON 77 57.35W
SITE 3 – BH UNITE RW BN – LAT 25 46.09N LON 77 56.65W
SITE 4 – GR BN – LAT 25 45.27N LON 77 53.68W
SITE 5 – RED BN – LAT 25 44.79N LON 77 52.12W
SITE 6 – INTERIOR OF HARBOUR (JUST INSIDE CUT) – RED AND GREEN MARKERS
We came to Great Harbour in January, 2012. At that time, most of the “sites” listed above were not designated by markers. Use your GPS and head in the general direction of the communications tower. There was a red marker just before the “cut” (shown below). Great Harbour Cay Marina, monitors channel 16, and can help guide your vessel at any point during your approach.
Great Harbour Cay Marina, located at Latitude: N 25° 44′ 51″ Longitude: W 77° 51′ 34″, has 65 slips inside a serene harbor and can accommodate yachts up to 130 feet. This “Hurricane Hole” is one of the most protected marinas in the Bahamas. When we were there, the dockage rate was $1.50/ft. for less than a week. $1.20/ft. for a week. Plus metered electric at $.75/kh. They charged $.50/gallon for water and registered guests received free Wi-Fi.
Fuel is not available at the marina but there is a gas station with fuel dock located just inside the “cut”, next to the power plant. Gas and Diesel fuel is available and Visa, MasterCard, and cash are accepted. Their hours of operation are: Monday – Saturday 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00PM – 4:00 PM and Sundays and Holidays: 7:00 AM – Noon.
I found what Ernie Marti says on www.consultantresearch.comto be pretty accurate and thank him for the following annotated map of Great Harbour Cay.
“Only 126 nautical miles east of Miami (and pronounced Great Harbour Key), GHC is a secluded out-island 6.7 miles long by 1.5 miles wide. It had its heyday in the 1960’s, after being developed as a luxury resort and attracting such vacationers as Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Brigitte Bardot. Ten years later the development stopped and over the years some of the resort’s opulent facilities deteriorated; however, key infrastructure elements (e.g., roads, airport runway, electrical power, telephone service, marina) are in good condition and well maintained. Today the island is a quiet, simple paradise, with beautiful beaches, great fishing and a well-protected marina. More importantly, it is blessed with wonderful people (about 500 live on the island). There is very little shopping and virtually all transactions are cash (both U.S. and Bahamian currency circulate) — there are no ATMs, and credit cards are accepted only for marina slips/services/fuel (they take only Visa and Mastercard and add a 5% surcharge) and in some instances for lodging.”
“Near the southern end of GHC, just north of Haines Cay, is a shallow area which the Cuban-Americans (many of whom have houses on the island) call the “Bajito” (pronounced bahitoh). Roughly a square mile in size, this sand bank comes out of the water at low tide and is a treasure trove of sand-dollars and shells for children of all ages.”
We met so many wonderful people while staying on this island in January/February. With Jon and Arline, sailors spending the winter here, we walked across the Bajito to Hawksnest Cay. We learned a valuable lesson from them. When you arrive at the island on an out-going tide, put conch shells at the water line. That way you will know when you have to start back before the water gets to deep to walk.
While Jon and Rick dove, Arline and I checked out the beach.
This beach is just one of several beaches. If you can rent a vehicle, you can see them all, but if not, you can see the best of them by walking over the ridge of the island from the marina.
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One of the beaches that Jon and Arline took us to see was Cave Beach.
The beach that we went to most often was a beautiful crescent-shaped beach approximately four miles long and within walking distance from the marina. I don’t think I’ve seen any prettier beaches in all of the Bahamas.
There are about a half dozen places to eat on the island. We ate several times at the Beach Club, right on the beach, across from the airport. We would take a short-cut to get there by walking part of the golf course where the tee markers are painted conch shells.
There is also an open-air restaurant, the Pool Bar, at the top of the hill above the marina. And, the CarriEarl Boutique Hotel has a good restaurant where we ate brunch with a group from the marina and where I was invited to join the ladies of the island for a luncheon.
The CarriEarl Boutique Hotel used to be the home of Earl Blackwell of the famous “best dressed” list. It is run by a charming English couple and the food is terrific. There is also a tiki bar by the pool where they serve really good drinks. You can learn more about it at http://www.carriearl.com.
Next to the marina is the Tamboo Club, which also serves food. This club was built along with the original development and, while a little run-down since then, continues to serve as a social hub of the island. We attended a “Super Bowl Party” and many activities associated with a fishing tournament at this club.
The tournament had been held around the third weekend of February every year, as it was in 2012. But this year, Great Harbour Cay’s “Wahoo Weekend” was held January 08, 09 and 10, 2015. You can check the marina website to learn more about future tournaments. They sell a “social” ticket for those who don’t want to fish, but enjoy participating in the other activities. We attended the “Captains’ cocktail party at the Pool Bar, enjoyed the “Low Country Boil” on the docks (supplied by participants from Savannah), had a terrific steak and lobster dinner on the night of the tournament, and ate a great breakfast brunch the next morning for the price of our tickets. We would definitely recommend it to anyone.
We met some wonderful people staying in the marina for the season and, through them, many of the island’s residents. As I mentioned earlier, I was invited to join the “ladies of the island” for a brunch and we were invited to a number of homes on the island as well.
The town on the island is known as Bullocks Harbour.
Access from Great Harbour Cay to Bullocks Harbour used to be over a manual-crank bridge over the cut which was left open every night making it impossible for the residents of the town to cross over to the rest of the island. But, that has been removed and there is now a causeway with a small bridge that connects the town to the rest of the island. There are a few places to buy groceries and a few restaurants and bars on that part of the island as well.
Great Harbour Cay’s close proximity to the southeastern United States combined with its unspoiled beauty and seeming remoteness, made it a tropical, private and very exclusive haven for the rich and famous during the late 1960’s. Golf course designer Joe Lee fashioned an 18-hole championship golf course on rises of land that overlooked the sea. With over 125 golf courses designed in seven countries, Joe considers the original 18-hole, par 72-regulation golf course to be one of his best. A magnificent multi-story clubhouse offered sweeping panoramic views of the island from its wooded hillside. Currently, the homeowner’s association tries to maintain 9 holes on the golf course (with no working sprinkler system). The two-story clubhouse has been abandoned.
In the beginning, famous and some say the infamous, including Hollywood celebrities, came to play in this idyllic environment. Cary Grant danced the night away in the clubhouse. Brigitte Bardot graced the beaches with her beauty. Telly Savalas and F. Lee Bailey also vacationed here. Jack Nicklaus had a house on a hilltop along the back nine. Earl Blackwell, author of the celebrity best dressed list, enjoyed a home on the island. Great Harbour Cay was popular with the socially elite Rockefeller clan. Dame Margot Fonteyn, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Ingrid Bergman and Hugh O’Brian were regular visitors. While Jack Nicklaus may not own property on the island anymore, he is still a frequent visitor and was there in his boat, Sea Bear, while we were there. It seems that he loves to go bone fishing and he practices that sport between Great Harbour and Chub.
Development slowed and then stopped in the late 1970s. Attempts were made in the late 1970s into the early 1980s to revitalize Great Harbour Cay; but these were overshadowed by drug and weapons traffic in 1983. With the cooperation of the United States and Bahamian governments, the huge drug problem in the islands was overcome and the island has been quiet since. My research of the island indicated that F. Lee Bailey represented one of the reputedly biggest drug lords of the time who also owned property on the island.
When we entered the harbour, we thought we’d stay for seven days, instead, we stayed for seven weeks and enjoyed every minute of it.
