Norman’s Cay was once the centre of a huge drug smuggling operation run by drug baron Carlos Lehder because it is in a perfect position to smuggle cocaine into the US using its tiny airstrip. In its heyday it was a place where anything went and was finally closed down by the Bahamian authorities in 1982 in response to pressure from the US.But we went for the food! It’s now known for a small restaurant called McDuff’s Bar and Grill which serves great burgers – cheeseburgers in Paradise.
We left Long Cay in quite a wind – too much for us to anchor near the great snorkelling spot we’d discovered the day before because of adverse tide and current. It was only a 6 mile run but we decided to hoist the sails to take advantage of the wind and when we turned east to start navigating the sand banks, we very niftily pulled the sails down most professionally and anchored just off the beach.
The kids were almost instantly in the water, checking out the coral heads we could see from the boat and had avoided while anchoring.
But we were here for lunch. We all went ashore, ate a great lunch and explored the little hotel and the island’s diminutive runway.
