Bahamas, Things You Don't Need...

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Multiple years cruising in the Bahamas aren't needed for any intelligent person to understand the problem with development is that it can't be undone so you can just go ahead unpat yourself on the back smart guy.

Stuff doesn't just grow back or fill itself in once roads are scraped into the ground and marinas are dredged. Especially not in a delicate environment like the Exumas.

The only bigger eyesores than the failed developments are the billionaire build-outs on the private islands and they keep on being built one after another. Some of these build outs are terribly out of scale and unfortunately visible for miles. Overyonder Cay comes to mind as one example.

Not that the Aga Kahn cares, he dredged a marina for his megayacht on Bell Island without permits or approvals from the Bahamian government. He'd would rather just pays the fines. That's what you do when you are a billionaire, whatever you want.

Meanwhile up at Norman's did I mention the runway has been extended to 5,000' and can accommodate jet airplanes with ranges of more than 7,000 miles? Look at the photo of the marina being dredged. It's easily five time the size of the marina at Highbourne Cay.

French film director Luc Besson is building a private village on nearby Little Norman's/Boot Cay. McDuffs has been rehabbed. Houses are being built out on the Whales Tail. Lobster Cay to the north has been sold to some other billionaire. Saddleback Cay is for sale. Wax Cay is for sale.

All this just an hours sail from Shroud Cay.

Wish I had your optimism that these developments will fail and will just become another visual blight gouged into the landscape and then forgotten but I am not that optimistic.

My point about failed developments in the Bahamas was to calm the fears about:

Originally Posted by Delancey

If you wait until you are 55 or whatever, you will not find an amazing beach all to yourself at the end of the tidal creeks at Shroud Cay. You will find a bunch of noisy jet skis breaking park rules and an anchorage even more overrun with mega yachts than it already is.]

Chances are the noisy jet skis will never show up!

If you want to preserve Norman's Cay, buy it! I can't afford it, but I certainly won't begrudge the person who does buy it, nor will I try to influence how they use it, that's up to the Bahamians. I'll find another place to drop my anchor, a place I can afford, free! You should try the Jumentos and Raggeds!

I guess I'm not so melodramatic about development in the Bahamas. There are so many places to find pristine beaches, it'll be 100s of years before there are none left. Isn't finding them why you bought a boat???

[contrail]

Originally Posted by Sandero

You do need a windlass and chain...

and to get to the bahamas you need radar, ais and a bunch of things you don't need...

I don't NEED anything on my mooring in Northport... no mast, no sails, no anchor... no engine...

What a stupid post if I must say so.,

Why do you need AIS?

[Hhew]

You don't need a sweater, most of the time. But sail the Bahamas in the winter and it can get surprisingly nippy. A sweater is nice to have. And you don't need a little chart to identify reef fish, but if you eat the wrong grouper you might spend a few days on the cabin sole with the ciguatera.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Wish I had your optimism that these developments will fail and will just become another visual blight gouged into the landscape and then forgotten but I am not that optimistic.

Hurricanes often don't realize it is a billionaire's property they are destroying!