Unbelievable Scenery

Great Harbour Cay  

I'm usually awake at first light and enjoy watching the sunrise from the pilothouse. At our slip in the marina, that means watching the reflection of the sun appear on the townhouses across the basin. Today broke bright and clear and I was excited to make my way to the beach. The boys all elected to stay at the marina and work on various projects. Judy and I headed out on what I told her would be a "long walk." We found the marina's beach access path and took it across the dune to reach the beach. Vibrant green succulents caught my eye as they were set against the brilliant blue water and light sand. We headed south as the tide went out and exposed expansive sandbars that beckoned exploration.

Here's a wider view of where we were standing. The photo does not do the scene justice and in no way captures the amazing beauty of this spot.

The sandbar at the tip of the island is called Shelling Beach. We discovered many great specimens including sea urchins, fan coral, sand dollars, sea biscuits, and shells. The star of the show, however, was the crystal-clear water that would have been practically invisible if not for the wind ripples on the surface.

As we made the turn to head home, we called the boys and asked if they wanted to meet us at The Beach Club for lunch. We soaked up the scenery as we retraced or steps, arrived within minutes of each other, and enjoyed another excellent meal.

All five of us walked back to the marina together, making one more stop at the ruins of the Great Harbour Cay Clubhouse. Now 40 years past its heyday, the extravagance of the structure can still be seen. We climbed the stairs to what is left of the second floor then walked the pool deck before getting back on our way. Back onboard, I polished some of our stainless steel in the late afternoon before finding a nice spot for reading on the flybridge. I had no takers for joining me on a walk to Top of the Rock to watch the sunset. They missed a great light show and the opportunity to meet Mark, the property owner. He gave me some history of the site -- previously a restaurant that was destroyed by fire -- and told me of his plans to rebuild. We shared photos from our phones of our favorite sunsets as tonight's turned out pretty well.

I was excited to see that I had walked over 12 miles today (but somewhat disappointed that I didn't hit the magical 13.1 mark). It felt really good to get in a nice, long walk.