Norman’s Cay is one of the islands in the northern Exuma chain. It has a slightly notorious history, however, thanks to a friendly Colombian fellow named Carlos. But we won’t get into that story now. Suffice it to say that Carlos lived in a small house on the island before he went on to the Big House. You can read about it in a book called Turning the Tide or watch the movie Blow, if you want more info.


But that’s not what this post is about.


One of the things the author talks about in Turning is the existence of large schools of Hammerhead sharks that apparently populated the waters around the island. In the book, the author actually dives with such a school, without losing life or limb. However, I’ve spoken to several residents of the island about this, and they claim never to have seen such a thing as long as they’ve been there.


But that’s not what this post is about.


Other nearby islands in the Northern Exumas include Saddleback Cay, Wax Cay, and Highbourne Cay. And, yes, all are still pronounced “Key,” thank you very much all members of the The Bassbarn forum. You know who you are. A couple friends of ours had taken the boat out earlier in the morning and managed to land nine dolphin (no, not “Flipper.” The dolphin fish.) They were engaged in a little contest with two other friends who were staying on Norman’s at the time, and who told me that they trolled through schools of tuna all morning long without so much as a hit.


But that’s not what this post is about.


With nine dolphin in a cooler, we took the boat up to Highbourne to clean them (to be completely accurate, we watched Chris clean them), see some friends who were docked at the marina, and generally have an enjoyable day round and about on the boat. The filleting table is at the end of the Highbourne Cay dock. This is also where the nurse sharks congregate to suck up the scraps of fish left over from the cleaning. This picture of said sharks was taken from the dock into the water.


But that’s not what this post is about either.


The point of this post is to encourage visitors to take some time and travel to islands other than New Providence (ie-Nassau). Get out there and see it. It’s worth it.

We're supposed to be off to Norman's Cay in the Exuma Islands on Wednesday, but we may be delayed by the weather.


Funny thing about weather on a small island in the Caribbean: it can disrupt your plans - in a big way.


Here in Nassau, it usually only takes a brief ditty of a sunshower to halt all movement on the roads, cause massive island-wide disruption in electrical services, and force normally sensible, law-abiding citizens to sign formal agreements that they haven't read. It has that effect on this place.


But living where days of sunshine and warm balmy breezes are the norm, and days of "precipitation" (all the TV weathermen--oops, I mean "weather-persons"--use that term) are the exception, is not at all bad.
It's certainly better than a poke in the eye with a dull stick, or living in Gary, Indiana, which must be just about as painful.


But even if we have to wait another day to get to Norman's Cay (which we may not have to, anyway), we still won't have to undergo the now-accepted-as-normal-because-it's-conducted-in-the-name-of-a-good-cause indignities of modern traveling life:


1) We won't have to undergo intensive internal electronic and (if we're unlucky) physical scrutiny of our personal anatomy, at 62 airport security checkpoints;

2) We won't have to arrive at the airport 72 hours before the wheels of the plane actually leave the ground;
3) We won't have to endure air safety lectures by stewardesses (or is it "stewardi"?) no older than your socks;

4) We won't have to suffer ridiculous proclamations made in the name of airline safety by friendly airline personnel ("I'm very sorry, sir, but you cannot close your eyes during takeoff because it's against FAA regulations.")
If your Easter holiday consists of any of these things, you have my deepest sympathies.

I'll be relaxing at Macduff's on Norman's Cay, desperately considering how to secure another beer from a cooler several yards away without having to get out of my hammock.


I knew there was a reason we had kids!