Where’s Pablo?

We spent five nights anchored off Highbourne Cay. This was our longest stretch in one place since arriving in the Bahamas and a much-needed breather.

The regularly scheduled programming at Highbourne included an influx of charter sailboats and mega yachts at about 4 p.m. each day. We watched crews set up picnic brunches on the beach for their guests. At night, the water was lit up with all the fancy underwater lights. Let’s just say, there were lots of white linen pants and sundresses…

Highbourne Cay Marina was a short dinghy ride from the anchorage and a great stop for some diesel and fresh foods. We picked up a few items like lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cucumbers, apples, potatoes, etc. Prices were pretty reasonable too.

As the next weekend approached, we were longing to find a secluded beach and a bit of space. On Friday, we picked up and moved a few miles south to Norman’s Cay.

You may have heard of the notorious Norman’s Cay. It was a hub for Carlos Lehder and Pablo Escabar to smuggle cocaine from Columbia into the U.S in the 70s and 80s. The Hollywood account of the story features Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz in the 2001 movie Blow. The airstrip and iconic sunken plane are about the only evidence left of the drug cartel’s regime on the island. The island is absolutely stunning!

Norman’s was also featured in the marketing materials of the failed Fyre Festival. If you haven’t caught the Netflix documentary about “the greatest party that never happened”, it’s certainly worth a watch.

For us, Norman’s was exactly what we needed. A secluded spot with a beautiful beach to explore and lots of great coral heads to dive. Tom even dusted off the wing foiling gear. Seems like it all came back to him pretty easily, like riding a bike. However, I did have to rescue him in the dinghy when the winds picked up.

Our next stop will be to Shroud Cay for the Young Cruisers Association (YCA) Floatchella. Rumor has it, we may get to take part in one of the largest raft-ups in YCA history. We can’t wait to join the fun and share the experience with some amazing cruisers!