Friday, March 31, 2017
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Sunday, March 26, 2017
The Glass Window Bridge on Eleuthera. When Homer painted it, the natural arch was still there.
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GLASS WINDOW BRIDGE
Glass Window Bridge, originally the site of an extraordinary natural arch linking the Exuma Sound to the Atlantic, is one of the most impressive sights on Eleuthera. |
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| Winslow Homer's "Glass Window" |
Friday, March 24, 2017
Thursday, March 23, 2017
The Plane Wreck of Norman's Cay
There is a well known plane wreck at Norman's Cay. It's a popular spot to snorkel just off
of the south cut and there's a lot of speculation about the crash. It was a drug running plane
which crashed due to a heavy load, I've also heard that it was an appliance delivery company.
The real story may not be as exciting as some of the embellishments that have
been created over the years, but here's the story from the mouth
of Jack Reed, Carlos Lehder's first smuggling pilot and resident on Norman's Cay
during the late 1970's. This excerpt is taken from the book 'Buccaneer' by Jack Reed.
Another interesting event that occurred on the island evolved into a bit of an urban legend.
It involved the arrival one afternoon of an old World War II aircraft.
It was a C-46, a large twin-engine transport plane utilized to carry troops and cargo.
It turned out that the pilot was an English man referred to as "British Andy."
He had at one time done some flying for the organization.
He discovered this old relic in Florida and found out that it was for sale.
Thinking Morgan [Reed's nickname for Carlos Lehder] might be interested in buying it to
haul cargo, he talked the owner into letting him fly it to Norman's Cay. Morgan wasn't
interested, but invited Andy to spend a few days on the island.
Andy had a drinking problem, and had been known to take along a six-pack for company
on many of his flights. Being on a short vacation seemed like a reasonable excuse for
starting his favorite pastime first thing in the morning.
One mid-morning, he decided to drop by the airport, being a bit tipsy, to fire-up the old
sled and shoot some touch and goes, which is pilot language for practice take-offs
and landings. He asked an unsuspecting Colombian lad to join him in his venture and
off they went. As Andy made his approach for the first landing, he miscalculated the
beginning of the runway and touched down short. Realizing his error at the last
moment, he gave the old girl full throttle to execute a go-around.
To his great dismay, he clipped an earthen berm, tearing the left landing gear loose from its housing, leaving it dangling from the aircraft by cables and hoses.
The plane then dipped low enough for the propeller on the left engine to strike the
runway - bending it - and rendering it useless.
With the right engine roaring and straining to keep the plane airborne, a bit of altitude was
gained. It was only enough to clear the runway though, and make a slow settling arc to the
left, running out of flying speed and altitude about a block offshore of the marina in front
of the hotel.
The plane belly-flopped to a splashing spectacular halt in shallow water, about half of it
submerged.
Many of us witnessed this fiasco.
A boat at the marina made a quick trip to the site of the crash and rescued the two
survivors, neither of whom had a scratch. Morgan furnished transportation for the
embarrassed pilot back to the states.
The plane has sat in this location for decades, deteriorating, and being slightly
repositioned by passing hurricanes. Having become an iconic image of Norman's Cay
over the years, it has been visited by countless snorkelers, curious boaters and
relic collectors. Stories about its demise - the most popular tale being that the plane was
too overloaded with kilos to fly, with its pilots high on coke - were created by
the most vivid imaginations".
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Monday, March 20, 2017
Friday, March 17, 2017
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Friday, March 10, 2017
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
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