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biologist and inventor Allan Charlesworth, after
he visited the island on his yacht, fell in love
with its beauty, and bought the property where
the Club now exists. One building already there
at the time was a boathouse that Charlesworth
turned into a bar. Today, it’s a famous Club land-
mark that still feels like you’re stepping into
a boathouse when you go in to order a drink
– though its walls are covered in signed dollar
bills, and the ceiling is festooned with burgees.
(More about that, read on…)
In 2004, Adam Lockhart Showell, Sr. purchased
the Green Turtle Club from Charlesworth’s
family. Showell’s daughter, Sarah Ann, is now VP
of Development, and shares the ins and outs of
this fabulous Abacos resort: “It’s an interesting
story. My father had been to Green Turtle Cay
before; he was out on the water one stormy
GREEN TURTLE CLUB RESORT & MARINA
November night in 1994, managed to get his
vessel ashore, and walked into the Tipsy Turtle
Bar, where he ordered a rum punch from Miss
Debbie –who’s still our bartender there, today.
Ten years later, dad flew down and bought the
property from the second-generation owners.”
Adam Showell, Sr. is a second-generation
hotelier, himself, in Ocean City, Maryland. Sarah
Ann notes, “We have two properties there, the
main one is Castle in the Sand. Hospitality has
always been our family business, but we’ve
never been out of Ocean City. So, this was re-
ally a purchase of passion for my dad. I handle
everything here, since he still lives in Maryland.
When he comes to the Club, he’s on vacation!”
The Green Turtle Club offers an eclectic
collection of 34 rooms for rent – all villas, all
gorgeous – spread out across the property.