As the abacos and grand bahama continue to recover from the battering Hurricane Dorian unleashed in early September, harbor masters and marina operators from Nassau south throughout the Exumas want charter clients to know things in those Bahamian regions are absolutely pristine for the winter charter season.
“It’s not hard to believe if you look at the geography of the Bahamas: It stretches for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of miles,” says Harry Lee, the harbor master at Albany Marina on New Providence. “Basically what happened on New Providence were some pretty heavy bands of rain coming through. There was some ground flooding, but nothing unusual. It happens all the time here. Our island is entirely undamaged and open for business.”
Albany can accommodate 71 yachts up to 300 feet length overall, and Lee says he expects every slip to be filled straight through the end of April. Anyone who visits and wants to contribute toward relief efforts in the damaged islands can donate to the One Bahamas Fund, which opened with $6 million in contributions from Albany along with the Royal Bank of Canada, the Nexus Luxury Collection, and Bahamas fans Justin Timberlake and Tiger Woods. The goal is to get the fund up to $12 million, with future donations being matched dollar for dollar.
That type of financial generosity, along with tourism income in untouched locations, will help the whole of the Bahamas, Lee says.
“Most of the islands, even the ones with limited damage, are back and 100 percent in business,” he says. “We want people to come and visit and spend money here to help the hard-hit parts of the Bahamas recover. We have two islands out of 700 that will take time to recover, but come down and have a great time. The tourism really helps.”
One More Toy
Nicole Evelyn
Balista
Atlantis on Paradise Island reports no damage from Hurricane Dorian and full-on readiness for this winter.
Bimini Big Game Club was completely spared as well.
Staniel Cay Yacht Club in the Exumas is good to go and selling Dorian relief T-shirts, with proceeds being donated to relief efforts.
Compass Cay Marina is totally fine and encouraging early bookings this winter, with charter yachts that typically visit the Abacos heading to the Exumas instead.
