With the busy boating season swinging into high gear, the distance between Nassau and Exuma just got shorter in the minds of mariners, accounting in part for the almost instant success of the Marina at Palm Cay, the first marina directly en route to what is considered the yachtsman’s paradise of the Western Hemisphere.
“We have enjoyed amazing success,” says dockmaster Brooks Russell, Palm Cay Marina & Beach Club. “At times, we have been full to our capacity, but the most interesting thing about the increase in traffic is not the numbers but what people are telling us – that they feel like they are in Exuma before they actually get to Exuma. It’s like adding days to their Exuma experience.”
The 194-slip full-service marina is the first facility to cater to transient boaters in the southeastern New Providence area. For power or sailboaters heading to Exuma, it cuts some seven or eight miles off the route from the middle of Nassau where most of the local marinas are located and about half of Palm Cay’s business is those moving through New Providence on their way elsewhere, now being able to fuel up on the way and enjoy the amenities, including the newly-opened Billfish Grill.
Opened less than a year ago, but recently completed with gas and diesel, wi-fi, electricity and washdown services available, plus access to amenities including pool, 1,200 foot white sand beach, restaurant and extensive grounds, the marina that can handle boats with up to an 8-foot draft got a boost from prime display space at the Miami Boat Show in February.
“That presence along with incentives we have been offering to introduce Palm Cay to the boating public has really made a difference, giving us an initial boost,” said Russell. “Once people have gotten here and experienced what we have to offer, the news has spread by word of mouth and ActiveCaptain reviews (www.activecaptain.com), the equivalent of TripAdvisor for boaters.
I think it’s fair to say that Palm Cay has become the favourite stop-off point for Exuma-bound or returning vessels.” Active Captain reviews from yachts hailing from as far as Oregon and Connecticut reported that Palm Cay Marina was a find “off the beaten path,” a facility that had “class without the cost.” One vessel spent an extra 26 days in Nassau because owners enjoyed Palm Cay.
The marina also serves as the first outpost for BASRA on the southeast coast of New Providence. Future plans call for a second restaurant, a more casual eatery to be called Chives Dockside, to open adjacent to the dockmaster’s office.
Sprawled across nearly 70 acres, Palm Cay includes single family residences, garden and beachfront townhomes and its newest offering, one and two –story condominiums in The Anchorage.
The development which has built its business plan on the creation of community made history when it won the first Developer of the Year Award from the Bahamas Contractors Association (BCA) in 2013. BCA introduced a new category in order to present a community rather than an individual the top honour.
