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Old 06-14-2010, 10:23 PM
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Default BIMINI BIG GAME CLUB SAVED ... and transformed!


Passing into the entrance to Bimini Sound as a summer squall skates across the Straits of Florida to the west. All that blue water!


The Bimini Big Game Club has been an institution in Alice Town, Bimini in the Bahamas since 1936. It was a sad thing to see it closed a couple of years back. In the weak economy and with Bailey Town, Bimini Bay and South Bimini development going bonkers, it seemed unlikely that anyone would bailout this classic landmark. World famous artist, Guy Harvey did just that and in style from what news is coming across.





"Bimini Big Game Club Reopens as a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort & Marina

The Big Game Is On! Memorial Day, 2010 marked the reopening of the legendary Bimini Big Game Club as a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort. Fifty one rooms and cottages, seventy five slips, Historic Alice Town and Bimini outside the front gate. Fifty miles east of Miami, perched at the edge of the mighty Gulfstream. Under brilliant blue skies, with the dazzling “Bimini blue” water as a backdrop, the opening was a picture perfect start to the launch of the new Guy Harvey Outpost system."



Some photos from my last visit in 2007 a year before Big Game closed.


"The Guy Harvey Outpost system has been created for adventure travelers and water sport enthusiasts who share Guy’s vision of respecting the oceans, land and cultures that together create the fabric of our blue planet. Unfortunately, we’re all too aware that the popularity of water-sports activities has increasingly pressured all theaters of marine biodiversity. Fortunately, the sportsman’s passion for his pursuits has brought, in fact, deepening appreciation for the stewardship each of us has in protecting the marine environment for current and future generations. That is the core mission of Guy Harvey Outpost–to create a memorable vacation experience for the entire family, and ensure each guest goes home with a greater appreciation of marine education and conservation."





"This summer the Bimini Big Game Club, a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort & Marina takes center stage in the South Florida boating/fishing community, as it reopens after having been closed for two years. With the support of a private Los Angeles based investor, the property has been reconstructed and improved with new guestrooms, marina slips, the all new Bimini Big Game Bar & Grill (we call it the BGBG) and the stunning new Outfitter Shop, featuring Guy Harvey sportswear and a full complement of boating supplies and gear.





Always at the top of every diver’s Top-10 list, Bimini sits perched on a 2,000 ft. underwater cliff, just two miles from the docks. The Club’s full service dive shop will open in July, and the Club is excited to announce that scuba-dive legend Neal Watson has joined the Outpost team to ensure the best-in-class recreational diving service and programs."





"If you’re in or headed to South Florida or the Bahamas anytime soon, be sure to visit us. Mark the weekend of July 24th for our grand reopening party. Regardless, make a point to check in at the Bimini Big Game Club, and check us out. Help us write a new chapter in the history of Bimini that would make Hemingway proud. Become a character in our 2010 chapter and while your there, write some new history with old friends. The Big Game is On!





For reservations contact:

Bimini Big Game Club, Alice Town, North Bimini
Toll Free: (800) 867-4764
US Office: (954) 763-6025
On Island (242) 347-3391"


www.bigmarinefish.com
Dr. Guy Harvey is more than a successful artist, he is also a dedicated ichthyologist and conservationist. He is filming a marlin in deepwater in this photo. "Guy dedicates much of his talent, time and resources to programs that protect our oceans, fish population and reef systems. The Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University and The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation have taken on a leadership role in providing the scientific information necessary to understand and protect the world’s fish resources and biodiversity from continued decline."
http://www.guyharveyinc.com/Biography.php



A demo cut of some intriguing UW footage from Guy.


**More about the new operation in Bimini at:
http://guyharveysportswear.com/blog/...resort-marina/


"Bimini is among the closest of the Bahama Islands to reach from Florida. It’s about 50 miles by boat from Miami. “The Guy Harvey Outpost concept is to create an eco-destination attracting both fishing and diving enthusiasts while focusing on adventure travel,” said Chris Pollock, general manager." The second phase of renovations at the old Big Game Club include educational programs, including a Guy Harvey Theater, a guest lecture series and interactive sessions with the Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University."





I first remember staying at the Big Game just after High School. I skipped my graduation to run the family boat as dive and fishing tender to the 109 ft. El Presidente on charter to the Biminis. Stayed there a few years later do shoot the bluefin tuna migration underwater for a BBC documentary. We were even set up to tow a guy at trolling speed within an acrylic faring to shoot tuna hitting baits behind the sportsfisherman. As the wind had the tuna swimming hundreds of feet deep while we were there, spent an untoward time in the Big Game bar downing their famous rum punches prepared by Clayton Powell's girlfriend.. Much later on stopped by a couple of times for conch fritters and drinks after the Ft. Lauderdale to Bimini kitesurfing race. Still lots more trips to Alice Town over the years and the Big Game was always there. Good news, its back again, likely better for Guy Harvey's insight and concept for sustainable fishing and ecotourism.


The original Bimini Big Game Club on Kings Highway, Alice Town a stroll down the road towards Weeches and Chalks seaplane ramp. The Big Game Club has a rich history. Founded in 1936 and formerly owned by the Bacardi family, the club’s guests have included Ernest Hemingway, Dr. Martin Luther King, Sammy Davis Jr. and Rita Hayworth.
http://www.oldbahamas.com/id33.html



http://www.antiquefishingreels.com/




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transcribed by:
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Last edited by ricki; 06-15-2010 at 09:54 AM.
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