Myself, Jon and the Allan’s (boat owners) put an offer together and agreed to take the boat for a sea-trial the next day, then proceeded to do the old standard and go get wasted together.
The sea trial went very well, the boat seeming to sail well in light winds and all looks good.

Decided in staying an extra night being that it was wing night in cocoa and we were practically locals by this time. We were sitting in the bar with a bunch of our new found friends yarning about random stuff when the conversation went to hard case plays on words, I told everyone of a t-shirt that Rob and I saw in London that said DON’T BE A CAN’T kicking around the double meaning… it seemed to be a perfectly suited name for my new found boat….. How many times have we all be told “you can’t ………… haha so there we had it!! Out with morning glory (sorry Glory!!) and enter CAN’T.




Boat found and a birthday out of the way its time to let Jon Buoy head back to the real world and pick up Lizzy for the last inspections of the boat and to close the deal.



We motored to the same boat yard that the Double Bruyn was inspected and re
Paired a couple of years previously. All ship shape. Bottom was tapped; prop turned, chins rubbed and heads scratched.



Couple of days on the hard, lots of midnight hours worked the deal closed and its all go.



Back in the water for a boozy day sail to cocoa village.

Weeks of crazy hours worked, 1000’s of dollars spent and the boats raring to go.

Then Pete, James (to become the lost boys) and Pops arrive from NZ and its off to find boat number 2.. mixed up with some partyin.. A couple of days and basic boat surveys later the boys have secured themselves a great deal on a 30-foot Irwin that includes everything along microwave oven and blender. Bring on the Magarita’s.




The boys headed south to move onto their boat and get things organised and in walks Anthony (Boort)

After much help from our new best friends Randy and Emerald, the Allan’s and everybody else that had half a chance to help us we cast off with a farewell from the ground crew we set sail south to west Palm. Yeh hah the adventure begins!!



Randy followed us down the inter-coastal waterway throwing water bombs at us from every bridge (what a good bugger.. almost got arrested for our entertainment)

A few words on our friend Randy.
This a man who goes by many names due to a very very interesting Past in pirating, came to our circle when Jon and Paul meet him 2 years ago in Cape Canaveral, he sailed with them to west palm and shared in their many crazy adventures.
Jon introduced me and Rand and a pretty cool friendship developed with all of us!!
Randy is the originator of the lucky bean, which is now universally worn by our wider sailing team all over the world.
He has a heart of gold and incidentally one valve of titanium.
Randy and Emerald helped us by carting us all over Florida, scoring us free stuff for the boat, tricking me into realising that I really liked having binoculars on the boat and generally entertaining us.
Randy was involved in the boat mission from the day Jon and I arrived in cape Canaveral until a couple of hours before we cast the lines off for the Bahamas.
Great guy with a huge bionic heart “guess what”

Heading to west Palm
A couple of days and a very drunken rum night for the crew at the half way mark we arrived at west palm to meet up with the lost boys (boat name Lost) under full sail… what a great feeling.

Pops and I made quite a mess of this night on a random island but we weren’t the only ones!!

The building of a 2 boat flotilla, sailing party

We arrived about 5 minutes after Jake Simpson was brought in from the airport.. so in standard fashion we rafted the boats together and did the old standard Bethells style reunion.

A couple of days, a lot of beers and a few incidents including several contacts with police and the coast guard.. sleeping in hotel gardens, running naked of reserve islands and spring break beach parties and we are ready to cast off for the Bahamas (too many rules here!!)

What a great feeling, a year and a half saving, months looking at boats, weeks and weeks of working crazy hours to get the boat ready and thousands and thousands of dollars spend buying gear, safety food and about 130 dozen beers and we are ready to go… yeh hah!! Good Bye Wal-Mart!






A final trip to the fuel dock and grocery store for fresh food and of course more beer and its out into the ocean heading for the horizon!!