RUM CAY

The so-called "Unspoilt Jewel of The Bahamas"

Rum Cay, a secluded island surrounded by deep blue ocean in the central Bahamas. Probably one of the hardest inhabited islands to visit unless you fly private, have your own boat or hop on the mailboat. Although, as of very recent, Southern Air is again making stops on this little rock.

I called this so-called “unspoilt jewel of The Bahamas” my home for over a decade, as I was holding down the fort at the much-disputed Sumner Point Marina. I have long pondered how to put some of these stories and memories into words and many friends have encouraged me to write it all down. Some events felt serious at the time but have since become almost humoring when looking in the back mirror. Other stories will live on in the whispers.

A good friend and longtime Rum Cay sports fishing enthusiast once described Rum Cay as the magical island with lots of bad Juju And this island has some wild stories, both recent as well as going way back before my time.

I loved living on Rum Cay. For the most part. The old estate house on the southeast corner overlooks the rolling green hills and has a 180-degree ocean view. I met travelers from all over the world. I learned to become an island girl much thanks to the living legend himself, Bobby Little, Rum Cay.

The Sumner Point marina wars have quieted down. The judges have read their rulings; the marina was illegally bulldozed even though there was a cease-and-desist order in place.

To make it all spicier, there were no journalists to witness what was going down.

It is the wild west out there.

For many decades now, this little piece of paradise has been carved up by land pirates and big families. Meanwhile, land disputes are being dragged out in court, and few seem willing to lay their axe down and come to the negotiation table. All the while the forty something remaining residents are stuck in a two-decade long recession.

The latest in the Rum Cay land war news is that the Bishop family quieted 3200 acres of Rum Cay. We shall see if the ruling gets appealed. Other long time Rum Cay (failed) land developers have apparently just come out of the woodworks with a 6200+ acres Bitcoin resort development including a new mega yacht marina down by Cottonfield Point, where another $700 million marina resort project came to a halt, not even two decades ago.

The stories go on and on and with it the plotting and scheming.

Millions of dollars changed hands in real estate sales across this 30 something square mile island, especially in the years leading up to 2007, when the island was booming. In some cases, lots that were sold were never registered and ended up going back on the market. And then there is all the disputed parcels of land that stem from the Effie Knowles Estate. More to come on that saga in future posts.

Rum Cay is not unique when it comes to marina wars and land disputes. Yet, everything seems to be a tad on the extreme side with all the action and drama surrounding it.

I have concluded that there are a lot of men out there who really just want to be “that island guy” who flies the plane, opens coconuts with the cutlas, catch the big tuna, shoot fish on the reefs, gone surfing and at the end of the day checks out all the girls at the bar in his VERY OWN MARINA. Men and their big egos.

There are truly so many good memories from Rum as well and the Rum Revisited series will be continued.

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