FYRE On The Water: Is Tom Brady Involved In Another A-List Fiasco In The Bahamas?
It’s 1pm on Super Bowl Sunday and Tom Brady is rallying his 5.5 million Instagram followers with a barrage of posts accompanied by the resounding battle cry "Still here, never left.” Meanwhile on the remote Bahamian island of Guana Cay- where Tom and his wife supermodel Gisele Bundchen own a home, nearly 1,000 Bahamians are posting similar messages with a more somber tone. Bakers Bay Golf and Ocean Club- where Tom and Gisele often rub elbows with neighbors like Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Cindy Crawford, is just one of many exclusive properties in Casamigos Tequila partner (and Clooney pal) Mike Meldman’s Discovery Land Company's portfolio. For a decade, employees of the luxury resort- many of whom work in proletarian roles and live on the mainland of Abaco, have enjoyed a 20 minute commute from a protected harbour known as Red Bay via Albury’s Ferry Service, the local ferry that’s been serving the Abaco islands for decades. Last week, to the detriment of thousands of Abaconians, Baker’s Bay illegally severed their contract with the family-owned ferry service in favor of a “fast ferry” out of Nassau; one with absolutely no familiarity with Abaco’s waterways, docks or dredging lanes and whose largest shareholder just happens to be the Minister of Investments and Immigration. Against a direct order issued by Bahamas Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis, on February 1st Bahamas Ferries Ltd. began their operations from the public Union Jack dock in Marsh Harbor into Baker’s Bay. Dr. Minnis’ directive stated that under no circumstances was this “fast ferry” to operate from the public dock, whose purpose is intended for locals and tourists to access the mainland from their boats. Observers of this colossal ferry attempting to maneuver around small boats in the harbour was likened the scene to a 737 trying to a navigate a drive-through window. Not only is public safety a major concern, but the irreparable damage these vessels could cause to the fragile reefs and eco-systems would be devastating to our marine life, not to mention the local economy; Abaco is second only to Nassau in attracting tourism dollars. Baker’s Bay and Bahamas Ferries Ltd. displayed gross arrogance by violating Dr. Minnis’ directive; they also displayed gross ignorance when their vessel did in fact run aground- causing damage not only to the boat itself but also to the sea bottom, which makes for challenging and unsafe conditions for other boaters and divers. Yet instead of acknowledging this egregious error, they doubled down on it: While the first ferry was in repair, employees of Bakers Bay were shuttled back and forth to work on another of Bahamas Ferries Ltd. vessels- a freight boat loaded with open shipping containers outfitted with makeshift seats. This “new and improved fast ferry” has added an average of 2.5 hours to the daily commute in each direction, and many Bahamians have been threatened with the loss of their jobs if they speak out. How can we as a society stand by and allow these hardworking citizens to be treated like livestock in their own country just so their foreign employers can take advantage of duty exemptions and VAT privileges? These predatory self-entitled corporations like Discovery Land Company and fBahamas Ferry Ltd. prey on small communities like Abaco, where they can steamroll a government that is younger than the Super Bowl and strong arm the mom and pop outfits like Albury's Ferry Service with no ramifications or consequences for their actions. Why does this keep happening to the Bahamas and its undeserving people? Today, with a shiny new Super Bowl ring to add to his other five, Tom Brady is thanking his 5.5 million followers for their resounding support, but who’s rallying in support for the hardworking Bahamians who clean his pool, or care for his home or prune his trees? Who’s running interference for them? They are the ones, who hours after their work day has ended are stranded there- waiting on a “fast ferry” and posting to their families, "still here, never left.”
Thousands of Bahamians being are being herded into a shipping container on a freight boat to get to work at the Celebrity Enclave Bakers Bay Golf and Ocean Club, owned by Casamigos Tequila Partner Mike Meldman.
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