The Unique History of Big Whale Cay
The Berry Islands are made up of many little cays each including their own unique stories and notable features.
Like Chub Cay , one of the more popular cays in the Berries is known as the Billfish capital of The Bahamas, Hoffman’s cay is known for its 20ft cliffs and Little Harbour Cay is known for its very small population which has only one person living there, Mr. Chester Darville.
Amongst all these cays Big Whale Cay stood out to me the most. Big Whale Cay certainly has a history that would lead you down a never ending rabbit hole.
Big Whale Cay was one of the first inhabited settlements in The Berry Islands and became extremely popular when Marion “Joe” Carstairs self exiled there.
Marion Joe Carstairs was a London born heir to the Standard Oil fortune and a professional speedboat racer, she was once called “the fastest woman on water”. After moving to Whale Cay from London she set out to completely transform the 9x4 mile island.
On arrival, she found that a Depression had descended upon the islands and there was much work to be done. The lighthouse was rebuilt , a power plant ,radio station ,a small hospital, a food store, a cannery and a schoolhouse was also built
Roads were paved and roundabouts were built that are still in tact today. Big Whale Cay quickly became a bustling community that strived for self reliance.
Her trophy room that was built in the 1940’s was one of the more interesting structures on the cay. This building has a rotunda style architecture which still stands today and held exotic animal skins and other artifacts.
Carstairs was a rebel and this often got her in trouble with the White Bahamian community. She started initiatives on Whale Cay such as
the Coloured League of Youth. It was an “organisation to bring Prosperity to the Coloured People of the Bahamas.” She was regarded as a liberal defender of black rights.
CYL was short lived as the Bay Street Boys demanded she stop it a year later in 1940. She issued a new manifesto that stated “the movement does not seek to create animosity between the 2 races but merely tries to help the coloured race to advance economically and socially”.
She also started an army called “The 87th Bahamas” , they never saw much action but was instrumental in a rescue in 1942 of the American ship “Potlach” that was torpedoed near Acklins .
They rescued 47 sailors and got them safely to Nassau. The soldiers drifted near Inagua and were technically saved by donkeys that they followed to a waterhole.
Carstairs also loved to host the rich and famous at her mansion, she was visited by the Duke and Duchess In 1941. When the Duke of Windsor visited the Cay he said “Damn it, why can’t all the out islands make roads like these”
In that same year Whale Cay started to export vegetables grown on the island to a cannery that made canned food for soldiers.
Marion Barbara “Joe” Carstairs led a very interesting life with her grand parties, unapologetic sexuality and speed boat titles but the most interesting by far was the portion of life she lived in The Bahamas for 40 years. Carstairs died in 1993 at the age of 93.
