There was a magic about the sea. People were drawn to it. People wanted to love by it, swim in it, play in it, look at it. - Cecelia Ahern. After leaving Black Point we headed down to overnight at Rudder Cut Cay on our way to Georgetown to get a glimpse of the mermaid. Our research had us leaning toward snorkeling her first thing in the morning, but as the afternoon progressed the winds laid down so we decided to venture out during slack tide to see if the current would be too strong for us to snorkel and then allow us to leave earlier in the morning. Rudder Cut Cay is owned by David Copperfield and here is some history from the Bahamas Cruisers Guide
"Rudder Cut Cay was once owned by an insurance entrepreneur in Florida who lost the island to the Florida Insurance Commission when the company failed. A large house crowned a hill on the S end of the cay. There remains a large dredged boat basin with an inlet on the center of the cay on the W side. All the structures, docks, support buildings, houses were in ruins as of 2016. Visitors on land are discouraged and there are occasionally guard dogs that roam the island." There were tons of signs posted everywhere but we saw no one just cruisers who ventured in to hang out on the beach. Journey has such a shallow draft we were pretty much in the a small cove protected, so we thought....The storm during the night would challenge this anchorage choice. According to the Bahamas Cruisers Guide: "Musha and Rudder Cut Cays are two of several private cays in this area owned by world famous magician David Copperfield. Musha Cay is a private exclusive resort. Rudder Cut Cay is uninhabited and provides the private airstrip for guests at Musha Cay." According to the website Atlas Obscure: "A STRANGE SURPRISE WAITS BENEATH the waves for snorkelers splashing through the waters around magician David Copperfield’s private islands. Just off the coast of Rudder Cut Cay, swimmers will find a life-sized sculpture of a mermaid lounging atop the sandy ocean floor. The mermaid waits near the bench of a baby grand piano as if beckoning divers to sit down and play her a tune. The stainless steel sculpture is hidden about 12 to 15 feet below the surface and can be a bit difficult to spot when the current stirs up the sand and clouds the water. It makes discovering them on a clear day feel all the more magical. Snorkelers capable of holding their breath for a while like to swim down and pose atop the bench as if they, too, belong in this underwater world. Copperfield, who owns multiple private islands within the Bahamas, commissioned the artwork from Jason DeCaires Taylor and had it sunk as a quirky surprise for the few, exclusive guests who stay on the private island or those who take boat trips to snorkel off the shore." After snorkeling the sculpture we explored the island from Shelby including the dredged boat basin I shared earlier before heading back to Journey. We are so glad we made this decision to snorkel in the afternoon because before daybreak we would wake to a thunderstorm and winds swinging us toward the rock wall. As soon as day broke we pulled anchor and got out of there! We are Off to Georgetown tired and hopeful for a quiet spot in Crab Cay, otherwise known as Red Shanks near Georgetown, Exumas. We will be catching up with old friends and making some new ones.
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