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| Mr Mac anchored in what should be a basin surrounded by homes. Note the sunken barge beyond us. |
If you want a great anchorage with a creepy vibe (okay, I’m
weird that way) in Great Bahama, try the Grand Lucayan Waterway. We’ve anchored there
twice now when bad weather was forecast for the area. It’s convenient—just a
few miles from Port Lucaya, where we checked in to the Bahamas. It’s secure—360˚
protection, adequate water depth, and good holding white mud/sand. It’s quiet—this
is where the creepy comes in. The Grand Lucayan Waterway was originally built in
the 60’s as a tremendous development, with canals running from the south side
of the island to the north (it’s relatively narrow here, about five miles).
Then something happened (we had heard that, for a while, the Bahamas forbade
non-residents to own property, but I haven’t been able to track down the exact
story), and it was pretty much abandoned. We dinghyed the entire length of the
waterway and saw maybe a dozen houses amidst hundreds of empty lots overgrown
with scrub and Australian pines. Then there’s the abandoned hotel… Vultures
soared around it and perched on the balconies, and empty doorways led into the
dark, unseeable rooms. Yeah, creepy. Great setting for a book!
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| Boat thrown ashore |
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| Miles and miles of empty home lots, overgrown with scrub |
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| Hey, a house! |
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| Yes, those are vultures circling this abandoned hotel |
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| Some of the seawalls aren't faring so well anymore |
Outside the jetties leading to the Grand Lucayan Waterway
are several reefs. Chris snorkeled on one our first day and came back with a
lionfish (lunch) and a lobster (dinner). We both went out and snorkeled another
reef and had a great time. To add a little more creepy to the area (see
previous blog), as we headed back to the dinghy, we encountered a distinct
change in the water, from clear to a rather distorted condition. Not murky, mind you, just...distorted. Merely tidal outflow from the waterway, we figured, and headed in.
It was freezing! I screeched into my
snorkel and kicked as I hard as I could, nearly levitating into the dinghy. We
were so ready for hot coffee and tea
after that swim! 
