Little Harbour to Royal Island

Miss Daisy at anchor

We finally had the weather window we had been waiting for while in Little Harbour,  so we headed out March 31st. We crossed Northwest Providence Channel without issue. The swells were about 8 feet but well separated and with little chop. There is something unsettling about being in water that is 13,000 feet deep. It puts you a little more on edge than a usual passage.

We pulled into Royal Island about 6pm. We found the anchorage to be fairly empty with only 3 other boats in a large area. We anchored in a spot just off a small sandy beach to walk the dogs easily and settled in for the evening. 

The next day, Steve and I took the dogs in and went exploring. We could see the rooftops of some old buildings and there was an old road to follow so we headed that way. What we found was remarkable! What we later found through research was that we had stumbled upon a great estate from the 1930's that a prominent doctor from Florida used as his "fishing getaway" or his get-away-from-the-wife house. There were several buildings, all connected by old paths with rock walls still intact in places. The great hall with its enormous fireplace, had beautiful tile and an arched ceiling, with a balcony off of one end. The separate, large, bar area, still had the concrete bar, complete with conch shells placed there by fellow travelers. The main house, 2 stories at one time, was now missing most of the second floor but the first floor still had what appeared to be bedrooms, one with a fireplace and a bathroom that also had a fireplace with water pipes running through it to heat the water for the concrete tub. We followed the wide, large steps that lead down to the water and walked on what was left of the concrete dock. Still standing was a rusty flag pole which would have stood alongside the massive steps leading up to what was once a magnificent island estate. There were several smaller buildings, one looked to be a kitchen, one maybe the helps' rooms and more for storage. Beautiful tile is still visible in most of the main rooms, with built in shelving and fixtures, along with trees and roots pushing their way through, in an effort to reclaim what was once theirs. We spent a long time there, daydreaming about what it would have been like there, belly up to the bar, telling fishing stories from the days adventure on the crystal blue Bahamian waters. Picking a ripe mango from one of the many mango trees scattered around the estate. It was simply amazing.

Separate bar area overlooking the harbour

The Great Hall

Just one of the beautiful tile floors still visible

After returning to the boat, we did some research on the island and found the information about Dr. W.P. Stewart and the island's history. We also learned that in the early 2000's, the island was bought by Roger Staubach and Jack Nicklaus in order to develop this beautiful island. They sold lots for houses, planned on building a championship golf course, large marina, resort and more. Then 2008 came, the economy sank and everything stopped. Luckily, no houses were built and other than a couple of piers and a couple ultra expensive huts on the other side of the island, the old estate and east side of the island remains untouched. You can still see some of the remnants that remain from this effort in old rusting equipment, abandoned building planner trailers and even a lot for sale sign along the crumbling old road. I do hope the island manages to stay untouched, letting nature take back its control and the natural beauty return. I'm just glad we were able to get a glimpse before it's too late.

Steps from Dock to estate

What's left of the concrete dock

Later that day, Steve took the kids to see the ruins. Dani took one of our Easter conchs to add to the collection on the old bar. Since we marked them with our email address, maybe we'll hear from someone who was lucky to visit the grand old fishing estate while it's still there.

Easter Conch #1

25°30.893'N

076°50.695'W

Day 3 we headed out to Spanish Wells for a top up of fuel, food, and medications.