Exploring "The Clubhouse"
Great Harbour Cay boasts seven continuous miles of magnificent beaches and one of the best protected harbors in The Bahamas. It once was a major golf resort for the rich and famous. It was told to me that there are more millionaires per square inch on The Berry Islands than most places on earth. Here's Yinsanity anchored near Sugar Beach, one of the largest beaches in the island.
Great Harbour Cay is the largest of The Berry Islands at 7.5 miles long by 2.5 miles wide and the most developed. The island is a quiet, simple paradise, with rolling hills, seven continuous miles of beautiful beaches, great fishing and shelling, and one of the best protected harbors in The Bahamas.
This is Yinsanity in the cove next to our sweet friend's boat Seaquel. We got to explore Great Harbour Cay with Gail and Eddie.
The original development of Great Harbour Cay began in the mid 1960’s with a $38 million investment and the dream of creating a hideaway for a very privileged few. 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. There was a magnificent multi-story clubhouse that offered sweeping panoramic views of the island from its wooded hillside. I found a picture of the clubhouse back in the day. I can just imagine the Rat Pack hanging out and having cocktails by the pool.
Other famous visitors over the years included Brigitte Bardot, Ingrid Bergman, Earl Blackwell, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Dame Margot Fonteyn, Cary Grant, Curt Jurgens, Jack Nicklaus, Hugh O'Brian and the Rockefellers. The clubhouse has since been burned in a fire and had succumbed to nature. It is just one of the many ruins on this beautiful island.
The story around the marina is that the Clubhouse was intended to be a casino. Great Harbour Cay and Freeport were both building up the islands for tourism. It was said that the Bahamas government required that there be hotels built. Great Harbour Cay had these cute bungalows for guest housing, but Freeport had actual hotels so they won the license.
I think that now the Clubhouse seems to be a local hangout because we saw newly built wood tables, and a bar area.
We wondered around the ruins of this once beautiful entertainment venue and thought it now seemed very much like something out of "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" action movie.
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