Leaving for the Bahahas today

[OceanEd]

We are leaving on our boat for the Bahanas today for 4 or 5 months and plan to spend most of our time in the lightly populated and uninhabited areas in the south and east of the country. You can go to Google Earth and look at places such as the Exumas, Jumentos Cays, Acklins & Crooked Islands, and Mayaguana.

I am taking a lot of new pole spears to try while down there and can't wait. They include:

Arron Crist 8' pole with a 4' extension for blue water hunting. This spear is extremely well made and I would compare it to a Manny Puig, Henley, or Cockerham. It is one to add the to "shock & awe" category and will be one of two primary poles for blue water hunting.

Gat-Ku 10' pole. Fast and light. I want to really give it a work out on the reefs.

Lance Ohara 8" pole. Another pole I have never tried and looks like it will be great on the reefs.

Two Peter Riedel 9' poles from California.

Three Cockerham pole spears:
9' with 3' extension for blue water hunting
9' weighted pole for extra mass
11' weighted pole for extra mass and big fish

Foldspear & a short 3' "putter" for getting into cracks and crevices for second shots at grouper that have holed up.

I am also taking two floatlines, 3 floats, 2 flashers, and assorted equipment to test and use in different circumstances.

We also added a new crew member this year, a 10 week old yellow labrador puppy we have named Charlie. He is half mole and half bever right now because if he is not digging holes to bury his Nylabones he is chewing on something. I can't wait to get him on the beaches and in the water.

We put WiFi on the boat this year so we might be able to find hot spots to be able to get on the internet. If so, I will send some reports of what is going on.

Please dive safely. I would hate to come home to news that we have lost anyone else.

[jfjf]

Have fun!

[cmfish]

Have a good trip. Dive safe.

[fishspearit]

Enjoy Stephen! Looking forward to the updates.

[mjphawk]

Enjoy Steve and be safe. When you get back in town we will have to get out on the water again. Still haven't dove with you since I got my new gun.

[Johnoly]

Safe travels and smooth crossings, my friend!!

[isibrigade]

Go GET EM!
-Dustin

[Flying Bajan]

Go to Highbourne Cay in the Exumas. Decent little marina to get fuel, ice and other necessities, but very little else on the island when I was there 2 years ago for the Mahi migration in may. BEST fishing I've ever seen. Didn't dive, but saw others from other boats diving the cut between the islands just outside the marina. Actually caught an nice grouper on a moldcraft softhead that wsa skillping behind the boat as we brought in the lines. He came up and hit it like a bass on a topwater bait from 40ft of water :-)

[SpearMax]

Have a great trip Stephen and please try to stay in touch with WiFi. Tony

[JLittle44]

That is the largest arsenal of polespears I've ever heard of!

Definitely keep the updates comming.

[SnpperWhisperer]

ha ha ha ha ha yep lovely cache of weaponry Stephen! I'd love to try them all. You know what will happen, though - you'll be 'schooled' by your own options - you'll be using one and then you'll want another, you'll swap, and then want the first one, and then again, and again. I struggle to decide between my 3 spears sometimes. Poor you - a nice problem to have to deal with.

[Mobile Diver]

Have a great time & I am looking forward to your reports!!

[OceanEd]

Finally have the WiFi up and running on the boat. We are still waiting for decent weather to be able to cross the gulf stream. As usual when we get the boat up and running after we have not been cruising for 8 months, there were some systems that needed some tender loving care. We are now swapping out the heat exchanger and all the hoses on our 8 KW generator in Ft. Lauderdale and then all the systems will be up and running once again. All we need now is a weather window to cross to the Bahamas.

[SpearMax]

Originally Posted by OceanEd

Finally have the WiFi up and running on the boat. We are still waiting for decent weather to be able to cross the gulf stream. As usual when we get the boat up and running after we have not been cruising for 8 months, there were some systems that needed some tender loving care. We are now swapping out the heat exchanger and all the hoses on our 8 KW generator in Ft. Lauderdale and then all the systems will be up and running once again. All we need now is a weather window to cross to the Bahamas.

Hey Stephen, glad to hear the WiFi is working. Test complete. Message received. Now we can hopefully get some trip reports from the Islands if you can borrow some bandwith from some passing yachts. Good luck! Tony

[settingsteel]

Wow thats great seems like an awesome trip in the making!!!! Be safe and safe crossing...can't wait to hear some reports, oh and lots of pictures too