Karen Duquette and her Swedish friend
Monica Ekedahl, on the tender, ready to go ashore. |
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Below: Looking up at the
Norwegian Sky cruise ship from the tender. |
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Below: On the tender, leaving
the Norwegian Sky cruise ship behind. |
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Below: The tender approaching Great Stirrup Cay. Note: Be careful if you are
mobility impaired or have a stroller. The tender that went from the
Norwegian Sky cruise ship to the beach had two levels. There was a round
narrow staircase to get between the levels. The tender was definitely
rocking while Karen Duquette and Monica Ekedahl were going aboard. |
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 Great Stirrup Cay is a small island that is part of the Berry Islands in the Bahamas. Norwegian Cruise Line purchased the island from the Belcher Oil Company in 1977 and developed it into a private island for their cruise ship passengers. The northern part of the island has a sandy beach surrounded by rocks with snorkeling areas. This is the area that Karen and Monica were at on this 2015 cruise.
The southern part features a helicopter airfield (with a sign reading "Great Stirrup Cay International Airport"), a large area without vegetation, and numerous concrete blocks. These are all remnants of a previous U.S. military installation and satellite tracking station. The island's lighthouse was originally constructed in 1863 by the Imperial Lighthouse Service. (This is the area that Karen was at on a 2010 cruise, but those photos are not posted on this website. But they might be added later).
Great Stirrup Cay is adjacent to Little Stirrup Cay, Royal Caribbean Cruises' private island. Great Stirrup Cay has a tropical climate. The daytime average temperatures from December to April are around 75 degrees F (24 degrees C), while the average daily temperature is between 85-93 F(29-34 C) from May to November.
The average rainfall is 1 inch per month from November to April and 3.5 inches per month from May to October.
The average sea temperature from May to November is 81-9 F (27-30 C); it averages 77 F (25 C) from December to April.
July averages the most hours of sunshine, while September through February averages the least hours of sunshine, with 7 to 8 hours per day. |
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Below: A free BBQ lunch was served. |
Below: The shopping area. |
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Below: Footprints in the
sand, plus "Bring Beer" and "Follow Me" |
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Below: Karen Duquette enjoyed
cooling off in the colorful waters. |
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Below: Karen Duquette got
back on the tender and waved good-bye to Great Stirrup Cay.
The ramp on the tender automatically rinsed the sand off of her feet. |
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