Destinations | Florida Coastal Airlines

Bahamian Flights and Accomodations:

Cat Island

About 130 miles southeast of Nassau and Paradise Island near the Tropic of Cancer lies Cat Island. Explore uninhabited cays and hidden coves, attend a regatta, go on a shark dive or hike a nature trail. Cat Island provides a year-round tropical beach vacation adventure.

Eleuthera

More than 300 years ago, English Adventurers in search of religious freedom founded the western world’s first true seat of democracy and named it Eleuthera, the Greek word for freedom. Its settlers, fleeing persecution in Bermuda and England, called themselves “The Eleutheran Adventurers” and time and circumstances would prove that tag more accurate than they ever expected. Led by Captain William Sayle, the 70-member band of adventurers first went ashore near Governor’s Harbour. Disputes arose among the group and Sayle and his faction headed off toward the northern part of the island by boat. Their boat floundered on the treacherous reefs and their supplies were lost. Many of them nearly starved, but they made do, living and worshipping in a cavern that is now known as Preacher’s Cave.

Harbour Island

Harbour Island was a noted shipyard and sugar refinement center in the late 1800s, and the resourceful residents have also made their way in the world as skilled shipbuilders and farmers. The island itself has little fertile soil, but residents were given land to farm on the “mainland” (Eleuthera) in 1783, and much of that original grant is still being tilled by Brilanders today.

Shipbuilding and farming of citrus, pineapples and tomatoes made Harbour Island fairly prosperous until World War I. The first regular tourist business, which provides the bulk of the island’s livelihood today, began in 1941 with weekly flights on Bahamasair’s predecessor, Bahamas Airways.

Spanish Wells

Spanish Wells was first inhabited in 1649 when the Spanish Conquistadors sunk a well there to provide their ships with potable water. The island was designated the final landing point for their galleons before attempting the arduous journey back to their homeland, loaded down with the riches of the New World.

In 1776 the island was settled by some of the Loyalists who came from the Carolinas and many of today’s residents proudly claim that their heritage goes back to those early pioneers. The residents are very industrious and for centuries they have been making their living from the bounty in the miles of deep blue sea around the island. In fact, this small community provides 75% of all the crawfish caught in The Bahamas during the season. They also make excellent fishing guides and diving instructors. Those who are not employed in the fishing industry are involved in farming.

Bimini

Bimini Island is the true Island in the Stream, perched at the edge of a sheer underwater cliff that falls thousands of feet into the blue abyss. The Gulf Stream rushes north, washing past Bimini Island, feeding and warming its coral reefs and serving as a watery highway for everything from marlin to mantas, dolphin to sea turtles. Its unique location coupled with a roguish history makes Bimini the Out Islands’ favorite diving and fishing frontier outpost. South Andros

Haiti:

Cap-Haitien

Cap-Haitien – Port-Au-Prince

The city of Port-au-Prince is on the Gulf of Mexico: the bay on which the city lies, which acts as a natural harbor, has sustained economic activity since the civilizations of the Arawaks. It was first incorporated under the colonial rule of the French, in 1749, and has been Haiti’s largest metropolis since then. The city’s layout is similar to that of an amphitheatre; commercial districts are near the water, while residential neighborhoods are located on the hills above. Its population is difficult to ascertain due to the rapid growth of slums in the hillsides above the city; however, recent estimates place the metropolitan area’s population at between 2.5 and 3 million people

Cap-Haïtien’s distance from Haïti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, combined with the dire condition of Haïti’s transportation infrastructure, has often made Cap-Haïtien an incubator for revolutionary or Anti-Government figures. On February 5-29, 2004, the city was taken over by militants who opposed to the rule of Haïtian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, forcing him out from the country.

The central area of the city is located between the Bay of Cap-Haïtien to the east, and nearby mountainsides to the west, which are increasingly dominated by flimsy urban slums. The streets are generally narrow and arranged in grids. As a legacy of the U.S. occupation of Haïti from 1915–1934, Cap-Haïtien’s north-south streets were renamed as single letters (beginning with Rue A, a major avenue), and its east-west streets with numbers. This system breaks down outside of the central city, which is itself dominated by numerous markets, churches, and low-rise apartment buildings (3–4 floors each) constructed primarily before and during the U.S. occupation. Many such buildings have balconies on the upper floors which overlook the narrow streets below, creating an intimate communal atmosphere during the Haitian dinner hours.

Cuba:

Guantánamo Bay Naval Base is located on 45 square miles of land and water at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling (fueling) station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas U.S. Navy Base, and the only one in a country with which the United States does not have diplomatic relations.The Cuban government opposes the presence of the naval base, claiming that the lease is invalid under international law. The U.S. government claims that the lease is valid.