Georgetown, Exumas Part 1

We arrived into Georgetown area of the Exumas in the  early afternoon after an uneventful trip down Exuma Sound.  This is a good thing since the only way to Georgetown is to venture on the east side of the Exumas where there is more exposure and deeper water.  Uneventful is a good thing.  We passed the couple from New Bern we met in Bimini leaving and we chatted a moment on the radio.  They told us that the boat count was over the 300 boats in and around Georgetown.  Most boats actually anchor along Stocking Island across from Georgetown and Elizabeth Harbor.  As we entered the area we were speechless as the anchored boats just went on and on.  These boats are here for the annual GeorgeTown Cruising Regatta, a mecca for cruisers in the Bahamas.  Many people come straight to Georgetown each year and spend their entire time in this area.  We found that for cruisers with children this was an even better place to get lots of kids together and parents could play.
According the Chat ’n Chill website, a beach bar located on Stocking island where most of the Georgetown Crusiing Regatta fun can be found. The regatta and area are described this way.
'Since 1980, cruising yachtsmen and their families from around the world have been gathering in George Town, Exuma, Bahamas for a multi-day event called the George Town Cruising Regatta, which takes place every year in late February/early March. Initially beginning as a sequence of boat races, the event has evolved to a succession of fun parties, games, contests and boat races. At the epicenter of the eclectic gathering, was Kenneth Bowe, better known as K.B., the Bahamian-born proprietor of the Chat ‘n’ Chill and owner of the nine acres of unreal beach on which many of the regatta activities take place. “I figured out what the people wanted and what they needed,” he said. “I separated the wants from the needs and started with the needs. From there, the business has gone straight up.” “Without K.B., there’d be no George-Town,”'
According to Caribbean 1st website:  
"The Georgetown Cruising Regatta includes ten days of activities for visiting cruisers and Exumians on Stocking Island, Elizabeth Harbour and George Town. You can enjoy two days of sailing, as well as spectacular onshore activities, such as conch-shell blowing contests, a variety show, softball competition, and lots more family fun-filled activities."
We chose our anchorage along the west side of Crab Cay know as Red Shanks anchorage.   Vacation Soup website (which seems to be down at the moment describes the area below:

Crab Cay
"The largest island within Elizabeth Harbour is Crab Cay. The appeal of Crab Cay is partly its location. It is protected by a string of offshore islands so hurricane surge is not a problem. The many small soft powder sand beaches that dot the shores of the 200 plus acre island shores invite you to take advantage of the wonderful, warm climate of The Bahamas."

As we arrived into the Red Shanks anchorages we spotted Barefoot which we met in Rock Sound and they gave us some advice about the area, the regatta and Channel 68. A well-organized “Cruiser’s Net”, where each morning, local businesses make announcements, the latest weather information is provided and cruisers can ask each other for help with just about any problem and make trades.  We settled in and watched the sun go down.  The next day we caught up with Erin and Chris from Barefoot over at Chat ’n Chill beach for the Coconut Toss and enjoyed laughing and meeting some new friends.  

Next, finally we were able to find our friend, Scott’s brother, Chris , and his Canadian friends on a beautiful powercat, Fruition, .  We enjoyed sundowners and our new Canadian friend would act as Club commodore and plan our first Red Shanks Yacht and Tennis Club gathering on the beach because the tide is right.   This anchorage is best described in The Thornless Path by Bruce Van Sant so check out this book for sure if cruising is in your future.  I shared the description in the video above.

At the evening sundown gathering of the Red Shanks Yacht and Tennis Club we met Val and Menno aboard S/V Eyra from Wilmington, NC and they invited us to hike and explore Crab Cay.

First on Crab Cay is exploring the Walker Home Ruins described below from the Vacation Soup website above.  

"Back in the late 1700s the Walker family needed to leave their home in Eastern North America because they had supported the British, the losers in the American war of independence. The family, along with their slaves, sailed to set up home on the land provided to them by the King of England, on The Exumas, a group of islands in the central Bahamas.  The Walkers  set up home on the island of Crab Cay inside Elizabeth Harbour.  Their properties were built using local stone.  As was the custom, the kitchen was a separate building from the living quarters. This was the practice due to the risk of kitchens burning down due to the presence of open fires, plus the need to keep the heat of cooking away from the living area. They tried to develop their land by growing cotton but after some years they gave up and moved on.  The ruins of their home still exist to this day."

This is a good time to recommend Winds from the Carolinas by Robert Wilder.  This fiction novel follows the Cameron family as they move to the Exumas from the Carolinas after the British lose the American Revolution.  Many around Georgetown believe this novel is based on the Walker family and their ruins left on Crab Cay.  I enjoyed learning so much about the history of the Bahamas.

Remains of a Luxury Resort...... (Vacation Soup Website)

The first sign we were getting near what is left of the resort and start to  develop Crab Cay is the canal.  A place we would snorkel in several times while in Georgetown just to swim with the turtles who find this a place to eat and hide among the rock walls created when this canal was dredged. Again Vacation Soup updated my knowledge of this area.

"After the end of World War II, the story goes that a group of very wealthy individuals decided that they wanted to invest their funds in land. Not just any land, but in tropical islands. So they chose a trusted member of the group and he spent some years traveling the globe and buying tropical hotspots. After their targets were met the purchaser was rewarded by the group by allowing him to choose two islands as a reward for his diligence.  He chose Crab Cay and Elizabeth Cay, both islands in Elizabeth Harbour In the Exumas.  Fast forward 40+ years and the tourism industry is booming. Wealthy investors led by Michael Jordan descend on Exuma with a view to buy and develop Crab Cay.  Word reaches the press that the asking price is ten million.  The investors decided to walk away, but the government heard the rumors and informed the island's owner that according to their records he had not paid the property tax which had accumulated, a figure reaching millions of dollars. The Crab Cay owners was therefore forced to put the property on the market.  Eventually the island sold to the Murphy family. One of, if not the largest pig farming enterprises in the US. The Murphys put together a consortium with CN Luxury and drew up plans for Crab Cay.  By 2007 they intended to build a world class development, with a hotel, and Italian style hub with luxury restaurants, spa sports facilities and high end shop with high end multi-million dollar homes spread along the shoreline. Then, of course there was to be a major marina, capable of taking the world's mega yachts. The whole project was planned to be "the pre-eminent island destination in The Caribbean". The plans were eventually passed and work began on the dredging for the marina.  Work progressed for some time then came to a halt and the project stopped.  All that remains is a beautiful bridge, built in the Italian style, which joins Crab Cay to the mainland of Great Exuma. Known locally as "the bridge to nowhere”."