Thursday, March 12, 2009

Norman's Cay















Norman's Cay is also a privately owned island (many down here seem to be) with no facilities other than a restaurant open to the public. However, we really enjoyed the anchorage and the beautiful scenery. This Cay is famous (or infamous) for its previous owner, Carlos Lehder. Lehder, a Columbian of German ancestry, purchased much of the island, including the airstrip and resort, and used it as a base for drug smuggling in the 70-80's. According to Wikipedia, the character Diego Delgado in the movie "Blow" was based on Lehder. A surveillance was set up on nearby Shroud Cay and a raid occurred in 1979. Lehder was caught but released that time. He was eventually caught in Columbia and extradited to the US, where he was sentenced to life plus 135 years. Just prior to the raid, a new plane intended to be added to the operation crashed in the shallow water just off the Cay. It's just a rusting hulk now, but sure adds a little spice to the scenery!

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