StiltsVille

Have you ever been or maybe drempt of going to the Maldives for some tropical R&R?? Maybe you've seen the rooms just above the crystal clear, turquoise water or had visions of snorkeling and swimming the water just off your room on stilts? Without the volumptuous cost or kazillion-hour flight, you can go just south of crowded South Beach to Key Biscayne whose homes rival those of Port Royal, Naples, (think: Scarface house or Miami Vice house). You must obviously be on the water via boat, and can head towards the Bahamas and see these homes just above the water on stilts, called Stiltsville.

Presently Stiltsville is comprised of seven remaining houses standing on pilings in shallow water in Biscayne National Park, that is located in between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Before hurricane Andrew in 1993, there were over 20 structures that dotted the seascape. With sustained winds in excess of 190 mph., and much higher gusts of wind, many of the structures simply did not stand a chance against the power of nature. Although many of the structures have been through a dozen hurricanes over the years, it became one of our finer laws that the owners of the properties (or the leases) could not make any repairs to the structures, so, they would simply fall into disrepair. Some of the structures are in fantastic shape and make a wonderful place to gather with friends and family to enjoy nature from an entirely different perspective. The laws that have allowed Stiltsville to become such as mess instead of being treated as the National treasure that it is. There is no other place on the face of the earth like stiltsville. There is a grassroots movement to save Stiltsville that has taken some traction and hopefully we will be able to pass this treasure and this history on to our children.

Originally Stiltsville was built or imagined during the days of prohibition and Al Capone and rampant gambling.The law was that gambling was allowed provided that it was located a mile offshore. [Stiltsville is located just over a mile offshore.] Many structures were built, in fact, a very large boat was purposefully run aground at high tide at full speed and then more permanently secured to the ocean floor during low tide when the ground was no longer under the water but was now exposed and above the water level. It was a fine and exquisite gambling establishment and clients were ferried to stiltsville. The law was soon changed to 3 miles offshore. The gambling boats located at Bayside in Miami will be very happy to take you 3 miles offshore so that you can gamble legally. During the 1980's when Miami was in the Miami Vice days, the stiltsville area was used for seaplane dropoffs of contraband where speedboats would take off with the cargo. Film shoots have been shot there and plenty of wild parties and photo shoots for minimal clothing magazines have featured the houses of stiltsville.

Check it out!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiltsville

How long has it been since you have savored a moving tricolored sunset? Maybe yesterday? Last year on vacation? While viewing, did you enjoy your favorite Sancerre or Champagne, or just gaze as it occurs everyday as it does in Naples on the beach? What did you think about, meditate on, when you saw the colors, the movement, and the waves that surround this sensational experience--so un-man made, so Godly-created?
It has been known that the best sunsets occur not just in remote, fancy, expensive locales, but in sometimes the most unexpected pastures in Oklahoma or the extreme desert of Arizona. Where is your gazepoint or in yogic terms, your dristi at this occasion? Is there really an extreme sunset in your eye view or is it somewhere that yearns for your dristi? I ask myself occasionally how we can move through life without noting or being thankful for the most subtle blessing like a beautiful sunset.

While at Sea, it has often occurred to me at the most distinct but random times, how often I fail to acknowledge the beauty that sits outside of our windowsill, just like a summer day that is so inviting, so tempting, but is undervalued and taken maybe for granted? It is in our scope of dristi, but we humanely ignore the beauty.

So, alas, pictures of the sunset I viewed tonight just by chance after returning from Key Largo. These pictures were not clicked in Key Largo, however, but just steps from my pad in Naples.....go figure....Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero – "Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.", and the ode says that the future is unknowable, and that instead one should scale back one's hopes to a brief future, and drink one's wine....not a terrible idea!

Cat Cay, A Private Island

I returned today from beautiful Cat Cay, Bahamas, an infamous playground for the uber-wealthy to misbehave, and found a little slice of heaven in an incredibly small island with rich history. The Cat Cays are actually two islands, North Cat Cay and South Cat Cay, just 10 miles south of Bimini, and just 4 hours from Miami or Key Biscayne if you're running at about 10-13 knots. North Cat Cay is a privately owned island and is run as a private members club by the Cat Cay Yacht Club while South Cat Cay is uninhabited.

North Cat Cay is named after the cat line of a sailing vessel which it resembles, and was once the stronghold of notorious pirates like Henry Morgan and Blackbeard. The island may have played a significant role in the American Civil War, serving as an important base for the Confederate blockade runners. Queen Victoria granted the original deed for Cat Cay to Captain William Henry Stuart, as a reward for his services as keeper of the Lighthouses.

Later, Captain Haigh, of a distinguished English family, became the owner of Cat Cay. Captain Haigh established the island custom of dressing formally for dinner. His original home burned, but the cookhouse remained intact. Its huge oven fireplace is part of the rebuilt cottage named Haigh House in his honor.

Milo Strong and his wife bought the island in 1915. They built and lived in the Manor House, which still exists today. They spent nine months out of the year on Cat Cay. The 1929 hurricane blew the roof off. Although this was repaired, when Milo died two years later and another storm damaged the Manor House, Mrs. Strong decided to sell.

Friends of the Strongs, Louis and Rae Wasey purchased the island for $400,000 in 1931. Wasey, an advertising tycoon, intended the island to be a winter home for himself and his wife and as a place to entertain clients and friends. He enlarged Manor House and built a number of English styled “cottages” for his guests.

During the Great Depression, Wasey turned the island development over to Mike Smith, an architect friend. Smith loved the Bahamian and old English architecture and used both in making the island buildings. He employed Bahamians, sent a schooner to Cuba for handmade tiles from deserted churches and had men search the Florida swamps for angled pieces of wood needed for his Tudor-style buildings.

In 1935, Wasey converted the island to a private club and sold building lots to his friends. He had about 200 members paying annual dues of $500.00. Mrs. Wasey, who loved antiques, built the Cat Cay English Shoppe, where the island boutique now stands.

There were many fishing tournaments back then as the waters around Cat Cay were well stocked with fish and the deep water fishing lay just a mile off shore. The structure known as the tuna tower was invented on Cat Cay and first used by a skipper in the 1952 Cat Cay Tuna Tournament. While the first tower was rudimentary at best, its usefulness was quickly noted.
In World War II, Cat Cay was a base for PT boats of the Allied Forces. General Hap Arnold, in charge of the Air Force, spent several months recuperating from a heart attack at Lou Wasey’s Cat Cay home. An Air Force officer stationed there, Monk Forster, fell in love with the island and returned after the war to manage the club. He bought High Tide, built by Wasey’s partner O.B. Winters. TRW owner, Fred Crawford, purchased High Tide.

Lou Wasey had built a nine hole golf course that the Duke of Windsor, while Governor of the Bahamas, enjoyed playing. The course was named Windsor Downs in his honor. During one of his visits the Duke mentioned that it might be fun to have a little casino on the island for guests, Wasey readily agreed and the Duke issued a license in Lou Wasey’s name personally.
Upon Wasey’s death in 1963, the island's casino license expired. Wasey left the island to his daughter Jane, a New York sculptress, who returned for two years, but in 1965 Hurricane Betsy did enormous damage and the island was closed.

A few years later, Al Rockwell, the head of Rockwell International, put together a small group and bought the island. It became a private club owned by members.

What is there now? A pristine, untouched beach, many amazing beach compounds, a 107-slip marina, and the Cat Cay Yacht Club consisting of a boutique filled with designer clothing from France, a restaurant and bar, and the nine hole golf course built by Wasey. There are no police, no cars, and really no rules for the members and the lucky friends of the members that are invited. You either arrive by private plane on a small airstrip at the tip of the marina or by yacht. Tiger Woods' boat was there (met his staff), and he was to arrive the day I left by plane to meet his boat for his next golf tournament.

Fishing in Cat Cay is still great. Tuna are less common now, but mahi mahi, Blue and White Marlin, Snapper and Grouper are available. During the colder seasons of the year Cat Cay offers a Wahoo run and spearfishing...and of course, lots of wild parties on yachts!http://www.catcayyachtclub.com

Cat Lady of Harbour Island

While running around the Harbour Island shops and restaurants, Deon and I were followed by a team of cats, and no, we were not hallucinating or grossly intoxicated. The cats and dogs, as well as chickens, are basically running stray on the island, and poorly cared for by the locals. They lurk around restaurants in every little corner looking for you to drop a french fry or chunk of meat, and their little bones are almost transparent, so obviously, you know where this is going. At first I was buying cans of tuna at the Piggly Wiggly market and pouring them over dry Purina cat chow, but they got used to the dry chow and I would leave little piles all over town for them. The only mistake on this was leaving the bag of cat chow in the back of the golf cart overnight to find little paw prints all over the seat and the bag of chow gone the next morning. So, my cat chow (yes, and dog chow too) went with us all over Briland, and I quickly was referred to as Cat Lady which I guess is a bit more lovely than Dog Lady. Upon leaving Briland, I entrusted an older toothless Bahamian lady with the food to continue to care for the dogs and cats. I think my justification for going back to Harbour Island each year will include the care of these precious little furry animals.

Harbour Island, Bahamas

Harbour Island, although less traveled and far less touristy than its neighboring Nassau/Paradise Island, is quite the quaint, friendly, upscale Bahamian island. The island is fondly referred to as "Briland" which if you say Harbour Island fast three times maybe after a few Kalik beers, you'll get Briland. Briland is 3.5 miles by 1.5 miles with no cars on the island, so you'll need to rent a golf cart to get around which will run you about 50 bucks per day. And while there are no cars, there are no parking meters or traffic cops, so driving with a beer is encouraged freely by the locals as long as you remember to drive on the left hand side of the road. The famous beach always ranked in the top ten in the world is here in Harbour Island and called the Pink Sand Beach with sand resembling pink powdered sugar. You would obviously enjoy Harbour Island if you loathe cruise ship tourists and souvenir shops as there are none here. You can grab a cocktail at sunset at the Landing, snorkel some of the best water in the world, lay on the beach as if you are the only one there, and maybe dance to local Bahamian tunes until about 11pm when everything shuts down. As for time out of the galley, the best food can be found at Coral Sands hotel with succulent lobster (lobster season started on August 1st), Sip Sip for the lobster quesadillas and fried grouper sandwich, and the Landing known for their Aussie fare but more for their spicy crab capellini and goat cheese ravioli. What did Deon & I leave with? Of course, a tender but spicy conch salad from the famous Queen Conch, a bit more bronzed skin, and the warmest thoughts of the most personable Bahamian island where we will most definitely return.

By the way, Harbour Island is ridiculously easy to access with just a short flight from Miami/Nassau into North Eleuthera where you take a 10 dollar taxi to a ferry, and a 5 dollar per person ferry into Harbour Island. So easy and so worth it! More to come on Harbour Island soon......