Discover
Our History
Some 300 years ago, Nassau and Freeport were pirate strongholds. Edward Teach (Blackbeard), Samuel (Black Sam) Bellamy, and Calico Jack Rackham (the alleged creator of the skull and crossbones flag), picked off Spanish galleons laden with South American gold and silver. These slow-moving vessels passed between the Bahamas and the Florida Straits and were easy targets for these ruthless looters.
What attracted them to the Bahamas was the number of cays. These small islands provided a hiding place for their fast moving ships. When word reached them of a forthcoming ship loaded with treasure, they raised the Jolly Roger and sprung into action. Most of the Bahamian harbors were relatively shallow, and the tides were only a few feet. British, French and Spanish Men O’ War couldn’t enter the skinny water, so law and order did not prevail.
From 1690-1720, the Gold Age of Piracy brought more than 2,000 pirates of varying degrees to Nassau. By 1718, Britain had as much as it could take. Woodes Rogers was appointed the First Royal Governor of New Providence and was tasked with one objective: clean up the streets.
Pirates progressively left the Bahamas, and all was quiet until 1984 when a scuba diver discovered the remains of Black Sam Bellamy’s Whydah Gally (pronounced wih-duh, like a woman who has lost her husband with an ‘A’). The 300-ton English slave ship had finished the second leg of its maiden voyage, and was loaded with gold. Bellamy, and his 28-gun raiding vessel, captured the Whydah and set sail for Wellfleet, Massachusetts. It seems as if he a bar maiden at the infamous Higgins Tavern that had stolen the pirate’s heart.
Along one of the parallel bars off the Wellfleet coast, the Whydah ran aground and sank. Barry Clifford would ultimately find the ship some two and a half centuries later. Indigo, ivory, gold, and between 4-5 tons of British sterling were discovered, along with more than 200,000 artifacts, from muskets to cutlasses to stem and tableware.
The Bahamas Today
Tourism is the number one reason visitors come to the Bahamas, and they come here because they like to smile. The weather is always warm, even in the winter. People dress comfortably, and there is an air of relaxation. The main towns are port towns, so they are tucked away in labyrinths of coves. There are all sorts of boats tied up in the dock finger slips. Some are offshore fishing machines, with tandem outboards and polished decks. Others are center console work boats, with spiny lobster cages and buckets on board. The sexy and solitary flats skiffs area ready to speed you through 8 inches of water and sneak you up to casting range of a pod of tailing bones. Yeah, you’re in the right place.
The buildings in the Bahamas resemble a combination of Mardi Gras and an Easter parade. They’re brightly colored and represent nearly every hue found in a rainbow that follows a tropical storm. Yellow, fuchsia, mango, coral, lemon and lime, sunrise, sea-foam green, and pink. Music plays around these building and in the squares, and the smell of coconut suntan lotion wafts through the open spaces.
Everyone and everything is relaxed, including the shrubs and the tropical flowers. From the majestic palm trees with their sharp leaves and coconuts - to the beauty of the soft, bright flowers of the coarse hibiscus shrubs, they’re all here. The Seicl tree is tall with yellow plumage at the top, and seems like a natural lighthouse of sorts. Don’t miss the Royal Poncia tree. The hotter the temperature, the more it blooms. It is worth it to see them in the full bloom of the summer; with the constant breeze it’s always pleasant, and if you get too warm there are hundreds of miles of water in which you can cool down. Bougainvilleas are special, too. They are all color, a pretty pinkish and purple. Other times they are red or orange. But they are 100% of the time colorful.
Club History
Grand Bahama got its name from the original Spanish settlers who named the island “gran bajamar” or “great shallows.” During its 300 years, the island was virtually uninhabited, save for a few thousand pirates. Then in 1958, lightning struck.
Gil Drake and A.J. McClane, an avid angler, author, and editor of Field and Stream, set out exploring the Islands of the Bahamas. While searching for a private island with access to prime bonefishing flats, they came upon a small cay with big potential. Deep Water Cay soon became the destination of choice for people who shared the founders' quest for sport and leisure activities, in a private Caribbean setting.
Since that time, a veritable who’s who of the fly-fishing world has visited Deep Water Cay. They found a place where time and tide march for no man, and a place where old world charm and natural beauty still exists. They found unparalleled inshore and offshore fishing, diverse activities, and comfortable services. They found a place where they can see the sun rise and the sun set, with no tall buildings to interrupt their views. They found a natural setting that needs no modification because it’s perfect just as it is.
Deep Water Cay. You’ll come back for more.
