I wanted to add a personal note to the release below. It describes the fact that the Bimini Big Game Club and Guy Harvey Outpost have mutually decided to end their licensing agreement. As one who has spent his lifetime involved with various sportfishing activities and businesses, the importance of reopening the Bimini Big Game Club was easy to understand. The club’s involvement in the history of saltwater fishing was too important for it to remain shut down, as it was before our Guy Harvey Outpost team became involved. The entire Guy Harvey Outpost partnership (Guy Harvey, Mark Ellert, Charlie Forman and me) are all proud of the role our team played in reopening this iconic resort. Reopening the Bimini Big game Club would not have been so successfully accomplished without the leadership and brand strength of Guy Harvey, the vision and hospitality expertise of Mark Ellert, and the legal and business judgment of Charlie Forman. This ending of Guy Harvey Outpost’s involvement at the Bimini Big Game Club leaves behind a win-win situation. The Club is now open to the fishing and diving public, its owner has the opportunity to build on the success we helped to create, and value of the Guy Harvey Outpost brand in the resort world has been proven.
—Bill Shedd
Bimini Big Game Club and Guy Harvey Outpost end licensing agreement
ALICE TOWN, BIMINI (May 9, 2012) – Owners of the historic Big Game Club and Guy Harvey Outpost, LTD have mutually agreed to end the licensing agreement for the 51-room resort and marina, which re-opened two years ago as a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort & Marina.
Eric Jarvis, spokesman for the Southern California-based Hankey Group of Companies, owner of the Big Game Club, said the relationship using the branding power of world celebrated marine wildlife artist and scientist Guy Harvey coupled with the financial backing and support of the Hankey Group put the iconic fishing resort back in play as a popular family destination, adding scuba diving and backcountry fishing as available pursuits.
“We will continue to develop the property and make capital improvements, including the addition of a floating dock facility this summer, which will facilitate direct seaplane service,” Jarvis added.
“We’re glad to have written this chapter in the history of Bimini and the Big Game Club,” noted Mark Ellert, president of Guy Harvey Outpost, LTD based in Fort Lauderdale. “Our redevelopment of the property and revitalization of guest services restored the Club’s reputation for top-of-class water sports recreation and popularity as an out-island resort destination. Given this success and our comfort that an experienced management team is now in place, as the Club enters its third summer season we believe the time is right for the property to reclaim its independence and storied reputation as simply the Bimini Big Game Club.”
“The current hotel management in place has grown and improved sales and marketing and based on their performance and solid bookings through the summer, we felt we could move ahead on our own at this point,” said Jarvis.
Closed for two years, the Big Game Club, which was founded as a dinner club in 1936, was re-opened in 2010 following completion of a $3.5 million renovation that included all guest rooms, the new Bimini Big Game Bar & Grill, Hemingway Rum Bar and Social Lounge and the Outfitter Shop.
Just over 50 miles from Miami, Bimini has long been a favorite destination for angling and diving enthusiasts. With more than 200-record-setting catches in the waters around the tiny out-island, Bimini has earned its title as Sport Fishing Capital of the World. The diversity of diving experiences also makes Bimini one of the top dive destinations among recreational divers.
The Hankey Group of Companies is a privately held financial services, real estate and insurance organization based in Los Angeles, California. For more information on the Hankey Group, visit www.hankeygroup.com.
For a complete list of our other featured blog posts and to see the full line of Guy Harvey Sportswear, please visit:www.guyharveysportswear.com
Second Location for Guy Harvey Outpost Properties Program
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts LTD today announced plans to open its second boutique resort property on Rum Cay in the Southern Bahamas. The popular Sumner Point Marina & Villas property is undergoing renovation and reopens this spring as the Guy Harvey Outpost Club & Marina, Rum Cay.
“Rum is the southern gateway in and out of the Bahamas, just like Bimini is to the north, so this is a great complement to our system and certainly will be a welcome Outpost for any of our customers spending time further down the island chain, “notes company President, Mark Ellert. The Rum Cay project follows the reopening of the Bimini Big Game Club last year as a Guy Harvey Outpost. Rum Cay is an out-island destination known for its rugged and unspoiled beauty, and daily life on Rum is little changed over the past hundred years.
“Every serious angler or diver has the Southern Bahamas on his or her bucket list, every mariner knows it’s where you put in for fuel and shore leave and with a lack of crowds or development, Rum Cay enthusiasts consider it their own private island retreat,” adds Ellert, who oversees location selection for the firm. “For all these adventure travelers, we intend the Outpost Club & Marina to be the destination of choice in the Southern Bahamas.”
The island has approximately 60 permanent residents and is roughly 50 miles southeast of Georgetown in the Exumas. Conception Island, which is part of the Bahamas National Land and Sea Park sanctuary, figures prominently in the company’s interest.
“Conception is just 10 miles from Rum,” said the company¹s chairman, Dr. Guy Harvey, who holds a Ph.D in marine fisheries management.” In addition to the fantastic diving there, we intend to work with government in expanding the coral and shark research work of the Guy Harvey Research Institute which is a cornerstone of our Outpost program in the Bahamas.”
Named Santa Maria de La Concepcion by Columbus who visited the island on his first voyage to the New World, Rum Cay is believed to have acquired its modern name from a shipwrecked cargo of rum. The island’s most famous shipwreck is that of the 101-gun HMS Conqueror which sank off Sumner Point in 1861, and is now preserved and protected as the Bahamas Underwater Museum.
Widely recognized for its outstanding diving and fishing, Rum Cay is also popular with surfing and kite-boarding enthusiasts, and sky diving over the island is quickly gaining in popularity. This December the resort hosts its second “Jump Boogie”, a weeklong skydiving and kite-surfing event.
“Rum Cay has always interested us because of its unquestionable natural beauty and its top-of-class sporting activities, including extreme sports that appeal to a new generation of Guy Harvey friends and fans,” emphasizes Ned Stone, who leads the company’s “Outpost Pursuits” program. “Surf, kite and paddle boards are the new beach sports, and we intend to bring our top-of-class DNA to these as we’ve done for fishing and diving.”
The Sumner Point Marina is situated on the southeast tip of Rum Cay. The marina and adjoining club facilities have been owned and operated by the Little family since 1960. Known for its protected marina, picturesque beachside cottages and gourmet dining, the property exudes the bohemian flair of its owner and artist-in-residence, Bobby Little.
“It’s time for our family to take this incredible property to the next level”, remarked Bobby Little in announcing the conversion of his boutique resort. “I was raised on Rum, as has my son. With our renovations and the support of the Guy Harvey Outpost brand and management, I expect our property to become a beacon for sustainable tourism in the Southern Bahamas. I can’t think of a better legacy for our family, for the Bahamas or for anyone who has come to call us their island home.”
About Guy Harvey Outpost Club and Marina, Rum Cay
First settled by the Lucayan and Arawak Indians, Rum Cay was the second island Columbus visited on his famous 1492 voyage. The island remained deserted until the late 1700’s when American loyalists set up plantations on the island to farm cotton and salt. Of the island’s original settlements, only Port Nelson remains, situated approximately 2 miles west of Sumner Point.
In 1965 Robert Little, Sr. sailed into Rum Cay in search of a world class beach diving destination, and quickly decided to purchase approximately 100 acres comprising the oceanfront lands of Sumner Point. In the ensuing years, heir to the Thom McCann shoe fortune, David Melville, organized the Rum Cay Dive Club, putting the island on the map of international dive destinations. With operations limited by a grass runway, no island electricity and no marina, Melville abandoned the club in 1989. In 1990, Robert Little Jr. and his brother Billy, began construction of a marina and shortly thereafter the Out of the Blue restaurant opened, forming the core of Sumner Point Marina and Villas, today the islands only resort.
With a newly completed 5000 ft. runway and upgraded electric and telephone service, the Bahamas has invested heavily in Rum Cay’s hospitality infrastructure. In converting to the Guy Harvey Outpost Club and Marina, immediate plans include rebuilding the marina and fuel dock, adding a dive shop, refurnishing existing beachfront cottages and redeveloping the club’s popular Out of The Blue restaurant. These improvements are scheduled for completion by the start of the summer boating season. In the fall work will begin on adding new marina and beachfront suites, a small spa and a freshwater pool complete with terraced patios and pool/beach bar.
Location: Sumner Point (Rum Cay’s Southeastern Tip)
Marina Facilities: 28 Slips
Cottages: 4 Beachfront units, capable of accommodating 6
Kalik House: 2 Bedroom Beachfront Home, capable of accommodating 6
When we get the opportunity to combine work with our passions, we are indeed blessed. Last week at the Bimini Big Game Club was just such an opportunity, as I met with my Guy Harvey Outpost Resort Partners (Guy, Mark Ellerd and Charlie Forman), all together for the first time at Bimini. I worked on a photo shoot for the www.guyharveysportswear.com site and AFTCO catalog, and experienced some great fishing, diving and stand up paddle boarding.
As the licensee and manufacturer/distributor for all Guy Harvey clothing and footwear, one of our tasks at AFTCO is to put together a photo shoot of new product. This year, we were not only fortunate to do so at the beautiful Bimini Big Game Club, the first Guy Harvey Outpost Resort, but also to have both Guy and his son Alex Harvey there to be the featured models. For the Guy Harvey photo shoots, we always hire a professional photographer, but use regular folks, not professional models. The people wearing the Guy Harvey clothing you see in our photos for ads, catalog, and online website are all family and friends of Guy Harvey and AFTCO. During the Bimini shoot we took over 1000 photos. We were able to recruit several of the female students and interns at Dr. Gruber’s Bimini shark lab, so not only did we get some great photos for the Guy Harvey men’s and young men’s lines, but for juniors as well. Photos from the Bimini shoot will be on line at www.guyharveysportswear.com by October 1, when new products are released.
Photos from the Bimini Photo Shoot
Bill heads to flats
Skipper on Bimini flats
Friends from the Shark Lab
Guy Harvey Deck Shoes at sunset
Guy and Alex with heavy tackle
Guy in his Florida Lighthouse shirt
Diving with some friendly reef sharks
Alex in tank top and board shorts
Guy checking out his art with Bill Boyce and skipper
While some of the shoot was located on land, much of it took place while fishing and diving. One of the things that makes the Guy Harvey sportswear line so unique is the authenticity of Guy Harvey and his brand. Taking pictures of Guy, Alex and others doing what they do on, in, or around the ocean world is the natural way to show Guy Harvey clothing. Guy, Alex and I joined our good friend Bill Boyce as guests on his IGFA Salt Water Adventures TV fishing show for World Fishing Network (WFN) where he captured on camera the excellent fishing and diving that Bimini has to offer. We went offshore and caught a blue marlin that cooperated with some awesome jumps that are sure to make for great TV. We enjoyed some great drift, wreck and shark dives, made all the better with 100 foot visibility and post card perfect weather. We also fit in some bone fishing on the flats and stand up paddle boarding— a great way to see Bimini’s abundant marine life right next to the resort.
During this same week, the first Bimini Big Game Club Billfish Invitational Tournament was held, so the awesome days on or in the water were topped off with evening and nighttime activities with many friends from the fishing world. Photos, fishing, diving and friends in Bimini—a great week to remember combining work and fun.
— Bill
For a complete list of our other featured blog posts and to see the full line of Guy Harvey Sportswear, please visit:www.guyharveysportswear.com
Guests relaxing in the pool after a day on the water
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.
It wasn’t much later than 7:30 a.m. on opening morning, when the club received word that one of its guests had caught a 350 pound Blue Marlin just offshore. Certainly a good omen for the future of the Bimini Big Game Club! Before the weekend was over, there was a lot of fish dancing going on up and down the docks.
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.
From the Oceans Comes Life. The motto behind the Guy Harvey Outpost system tells the story, simply. While Ernest Hemingway may have beaten a path to Bimini before us, it inspired him to write, the now famous magazine stories and the award wining, “Islands in the Stream”. The Guy Harvey Outpost Bimini stands poised to write some new dispatches from the epicenter of sportfishing, from the very site where the first conversations about forming the IGFA were had between Hemingway and legendary angler, Michael Lerner.
Friends sharing stories and a cool one on the deck
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.
This fall brings even more improvements, including a new spa/fitness center, new lobby and arrival experience, a lounge devoted to Hemingway and the history of Alice Town, and a Guy Harvey Theater, for enjoying the viewing of your HD videos and photographs, while also serving as a venue for guest appearances and seminars.
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
For a complete list of our other featured blog posts and to see the full line of Guy Harvey Sportswear, please visit: www.guyharveysportswear.com
I would like to welcome you to the Guy Harvey Sportswear web site. Here we will feature my blog where I will report on expeditions, adventures, and various marine conservation efforts. We will also include various guest bloggers, videos and photos that I believe you will find interesting, whether you are a serious fishing or diving enthusiast, or simply someone who cares about the marine resource, loves living the coastal lifestyle, or just wants to learn more about Guy Harvey sportswear.
I would like to welcome you to the Guy Harvey Sportswear web site. Here we will feature my blog where I will report on expeditions, adventures, and various marine conservation efforts. We will also include various guest bloggers, videos and photos that I believe you will find interesting, whether you are a serious fishing or diving enthusiast, or simply someone who cares about the marine resource, loves living the coastal lifestyle, or just wants to learn more about Guy Harvey sportswear.
