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Walker's Cay a fishing destination again

Tue, Oct 25th 2022, 08:10 AM
Finance Nassau Guardian Stories

The historical Walker's Cay property is undergoing a multi-million-dollar transformation, after being struck by two devastating hurricanes and left neglected for more than a decade. A once legendary fishing resort known to anglers worldwide as the premier deep-sea fishing location in The Bahamas, the quaint little island, just off North Abaco, had lost much of its tranquil attraction.

The cay was first developed in the 1930s by Buzz Shonnard, a Palm Beach businessman, who negotiated a 99-year lease with the Bahamian government and built a small hotel to attract anglers and tourists. A 75-slip marina and an airstrip for light aircraft were later added.
In 1968, Robert Abplanalp, an American inventor, bought the lease on a dozen small islands, including Walker’s Cay, and continued to develop it as a sport fishing destination. A conservationist, he also encouraged “tag and release” fishing in the 1970s. In 2002, the marine area around the cay was made a national park.
Abplanalp died in 2003, and hurricanes Frances and Jeanne hit in 2004, destroying the hotel and leaving the marina badly damaged.
But Walker’s Cay was not destined to languish, because Texas businessman Carl Allen had his eyes on the 100-acre property since coming to The Bahamas for the first time in 1976 at age 12.
Allen saw his dream of restoring Walker’s Cay take the first step toward reality when he and his wife, Gigi, purchased the lease from Abplanalp’s widow in April 2018, and began a multi-million-dollar restoration process.
However, the work has slowed or come to a halt at times in recent years.
Island Manager Jason Albury said, “Since the Allens bought Walker’s Cay, a lot of work has been ongoing.”
But he explained that they hadn’t finished the restoration when Hurricane Dorian hit, and while it resulted in little or no damage to Walker’s Cay, the damage caused to Abaco and Grand Bahama meant a delay in getting materials.
“And then COVID came, and we experienced further setbacks because of lockdowns and protocols,” Albury added.
Crews were able to get back to work in early 2021 and he said, “We now have the marina that can hold anywhere up to 85 sport fishing boats, where owners live onboard their vessels.”
Unfortunately, at present, center console vessels cannot be accommodated at the cay because all of the amenities are not in place to ensure the sailors’ comfort.
“Right now, we only have amenities like food, ice and little necessities,” Albury explained. “But overnight accommodations are not available as yet.”
He is hopeful that guests will be provided with rentals by the end of the year.
The first phase of guests’ housing will be the installation of 16 cottages and duplex-style villas.
“The units will be brought over from Florida, hopefully, by the end of December,” Albury said. “We are also constructing a new utility building – a powerhouse, laundry services, offices and more. We will also have sewage treatment plants, water treatment plants and all those services.”
Albury would not reveal an exact dollar amount for the project but said the Allens are investing “well into the millions” to restore the island and its facilities.
“They are outfitting it with all the infrastructure to make it a premier game fishing resort, including adding two liquified natural gas (LNG) megawatt turbine engines that can produce power,” he said.
“We are moving away from the diesel generators that were on the property for years. We also expect to add a restaurant and bar, and a bar-house by spring 2023.”
Albury explained that the bar-house will be a facility where center console boat owners can shower and use laundry services until a unit is available.
“A lot of work has been completed, but there is much more to be done,” he continued. “Eighty-five percent of the work, to date, has been finished by Bahamian contractors – a mixture of workers from Freeport, Grand Cay and Abaco.
“We intend to keep it that way until the entire project is complete. The future looks very bright for Walker’s Cay and the Allens are passionate about not only seeing Walker’s Cay succeed, but the country as a whole.”

The cay was first developed in the 1930s by Buzz Shonnard, a Palm Beach businessman, who negotiated a 99-year lease with the Bahamian government and built a small hotel to attract anglers and tourists. A 75-slip marina and an airstrip for light aircraft were later added.

In 1968, Robert Abplanalp, an American inventor, bought the lease on a dozen small islands, including Walker’s Cay, and continued to develop it as a sport fishing destination. A conservationist, he also encouraged “tag and release” fishing in the 1970s. In 2002, the marine area around the cay was made a national park.

Abplanalp died in 2003, and hurricanes Frances and Jeanne hit in 2004, destroying the hotel and leaving the marina badly damaged.

But Walker’s Cay was not destined to languish, because Texas businessman Carl Allen had his eyes on the 100-acre property since coming to The Bahamas for the first time in 1976 at age 12.

Allen saw his dream of restoring Walker’s Cay take the first step toward reality when he and his wife, Gigi, purchased the lease from Abplanalp’s widow in April 2018, and began a multi-million-dollar restoration process.

However, the work has slowed or come to a halt at times in recent years.

Island Manager Jason Albury said, “Since the Allens bought Walker’s Cay, a lot of work has been ongoing.”

But he explained that they hadn’t finished the restoration when Hurricane Dorian hit, and while it resulted in little or no damage to Walker’s Cay, the damage caused to Abaco and Grand Bahama meant a delay in getting materials.

“And then COVID came, and we experienced further setbacks because of lockdowns and protocols,” Albury added.

Crews were able to get back to work in early 2021 and he said, “We now have the marina that can hold anywhere up to 85 sport fishing boats, where owners live onboard their vessels.”

Unfortunately, at present, center console vessels cannot be accommodated at the cay because all of the amenities are not in place to ensure the sailors’ comfort.

“Right now, we only have amenities like food, ice and little necessities,” Albury explained. “But overnight accommodations are not available as yet.”

He is hopeful that guests will be provided with rentals by the end of the year.

The first phase of guests’ housing will be the installation of 16 cottages and duplex-style villas.

“The units will be brought over from Florida, hopefully, by the end of December,” Albury said. “We are also constructing a new utility building – a powerhouse, laundry services, offices and more. We will also have sewage treatment plants, water treatment plants and all those services.”

Albury would not reveal an exact dollar amount for the project but said the Allens are investing “well into the millions” to restore the island and its facilities.

“They are outfitting it with all the infrastructure to make it a premier game fishing resort, including adding two liquified natural gas (LNG) megawatt turbine engines that can produce power,” he said.

“We are moving away from the diesel generators that were on the property for years. We also expect to add a restaurant and bar, and a bar-house by spring 2023.”

Albury explained that the bar-house will be a facility where center console boat owners can shower and use laundry services until a unit is available.

“A lot of work has been completed, but there is much more to be done,” he continued. “Eighty-five percent of the work, to date, has been finished by Bahamian contractors – a mixture of workers from Freeport, Grand Cay and Abaco.

“We intend to keep it that way until the entire project is complete. The future looks very bright for Walker’s Cay and the Allens are passionate about not only seeing Walker’s Cay succeed, but the country as a whole.”

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