Abacos and Eluthera

After weeks of being in Wal-Mart and getting the boat ready, it was time to leave and attack the Gulfstream! Randy had scared the crap out of me with his stories of what lay ahead, but with my new Lucky Bean in my pocket, and being in the priveledged group who carried them, I was assured by Jas I’d be ok!!



We sailed out of West Palm, Bahama bound and with no wind at all, there was nothing else to do but get boozed. Not a puff of wind in sight, the Gulfstream was nothing more than a mill pond. We motored through the night and came onto the banks in the morning, spending the day swimming, chasing turtles and dolphins, fishing and swimming with sharks!









And not a speck of land in sight! Standing up on a sand bar about 40 mile from land... impressive! Absolutely one of the best times ever…. Great people, amazing water and cold beer! That night Cant and Lost rafted up together and partied on!





We made it to Double Brested Cay the next day, and in true style we had a bit of an adventure getting stuck on a shallow sandbar… poor Richie Rich implanting his top lip in our boom, then stormed a local pub where Pablo and Jas dived into the fish tank in search of dinner…the massive cray that crawled around inside!







We made our way to Green Turtle Cay. It was a rough day sail, but we found some surf, and Jas and Pablo braved the double overhead waves and ventured out! where everything seemed to go wrong. The dingy transom broke when I tried to go too fast, Jas took the boat apart chasing water leaks, and then on our way out the motor overheated. One U-turn later, us and the Lost Boys were back at Green Turtle.



A few days later we left Green Turtle for Marsh Harbour to pick up PB, and in true kiwi style, she was welcomed on St Pats day by the Lost Boys....






We all went nuts in Marsh Harbour on the piss, and when the pub shut we had a dance party at the only set of traffic lights in town...
From Marsh Harbour we crossed to Eluthra and went to Royal Island where the boys went for a dive in a wreck and caught heaps of amberjack... yum yum! Our time in Eluthra was not as sunny and hot as PB was hoping, but we had some great times.



In Spanish Wells, Jas and Pete borrowed the island school bus and went for a midnight drive, Anthony got his Borat on in Governors Harbour and won the karioke competition with "im too Sexy" (check out the facebook pics!) and PB went for an unexpected swim on her way to the pub! all in all, a great time!





We headed off to the Exumas and Allans Cay for an Iguana Brekkie and crayfish for lunch. PB caught a Mahi Mahi on the way back to Nassau which we killed and ate straight away. The best fish ever!!







Arrived in Nassau for a crazy week, with PB and Anthony leaving, and Penny, Anne and Herby arriving.... Beware Bahamas!!! Jas and Herby are re-united!

Liz

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!!

The adventure begins...

SO.. after much "encouragement" and abuse.. here it is!!

Brief back ground

For the last year and a half I have been on a mission, saving all my pennies, working all sorts of crazy hours, living in peoples basements, sharing a room and bed with Jonboy.. doing everything I can to get to this point!! This point is where I have the cash and the time to buy a boat and go sailing.

Florida the start point for the original french tickler mission, the Double Bruyn legendary Atlantic mission which I had the pleasure to be a part of for the last 1400 miles in august (with Smarty and Capt Jon) and many other adventures like Dan's barely twisted / ultima noche is my chosen start point.. looking for a boat capable of sailing where my adventures take me. The short term mission to go to the Bahamas and into the Carribean. This short term plan can and will change along the way ... just like a "real" adventure... long term who knows.. there are a million crazy, amazing places I would love to check out.

Now all i need is a boat and a crew!!!!!!!!!!!!

So here goes......

The last few months in a few sentences....

Finished work in London 16 December and headed to Poland with for Paula B's Bday (without Paula.. long story see Jon and the Smarts blogs for details) then through Florida for 5 days boat hunting on the way to NZ.

Drove about 15 hundred miles and looked at about 10 boats with nothing outstanding.

Next stop, NZ for a family Xmas and a catch up with loads of mates.

Bailey and Ella ... literally tearing it up Xmas morning.... no sleeping in today!!

Off to the coromandel for a bitta camping and Perri promo (we were the weirdest and drunkest promo chicks you have ever seen, but we sold some booze... more than we drank.. .. I think.

Urapukapuka island in The bay of islands... DOC camp site... great back to basics camping,,,my parents, sister, kids and Anthony soaking up the awesome whether, loads of fish and cold Double Brown.. heaven!!

A little boating teaser and confirmation of Anthony's boating skills!! Obviously and crew member in the making.... Cabin boy #1/Borat impersonator

3 weeks soon turned into 4 of surfing, diving and camping all over Northland.. with a quick trip to Aus camping the Wollongong coast with Liz.

40 degrees, nice little waves, a fun catch up and an invitation to come sailing...... Galley scrubber #1!!

Back to NZ for a leaving Barby at Lisa's place and couple of days with mum and dad and of course the traditional Sunday Barby at the vandies.. walk on Bethells and delivery at the airport with a few beers!!

gotta love the Vandy clan.

Oh yeah!! seem to have pick a couple of extra salties along the way..Pete vandy, Jacob Simpson and one of their mates (James.. to become a beer drinking buddy I'm sure!!) are joining the madness, buying a boat and coming to play in the islands.. haha great stuff.

Back to Florida about 19 January to continue my boat hunt.

The adventure begins!!

Armed with a map showing all the boats i want to look at around Florida and a rental car and its off to work I go.

Day 1 I looked at 3 boats all looked promising.. things are looking good, more boats for sale.. and in my price range than in December.

Made my way to St Augustine where i found a boat i really liked and put a deposit on, did some boozing and a little investigation and decided to continue my quest. Great place, oldest town in USA and has a really cool live music scene and loads of crazy fun people!!

Next stop is Tampa... looking at boats of course but I ended up being roped into going to Celeine Dion concert... front row tickets were a steal at $400 USD each (of course i didn't pay!!) I think i was the only straight dude there!!

By this time I've looked at about 20 boats and nothing is really outstanding... time for a change of pace...... enter Jon Boy

We do the tradtional talk about boats all night in a bar with blaring music and not talk to another sole then go hedge jumping all the way home... "standard stuff"

Captain jon and I Crusie the coast looking for boats and generally playing about.... meet randy and emrald (cool freinds of jons)... looks like nothing on the radar for the weeks boat hunting... by this time I/we have seen a lot of boats. Paper work is all i have to show for it... and an emptying bank account.

A happy birthday call from Herbie and Ann along with a suggestion we check out a 41' Gulfstar (They found on ebay) on our way south changes things for the better!!

Enter Cabin boy and Galley scrubber number #2!!

At first glance, the boat is a very big, very white with soft decks but within 5 minutes Jonboy and I were trying to keep the smiles off our faces... the boat is in good shape... new sails, mint engine, amazingly large interior that is all new upholstery... and without all the facy stuff on it that needs to maintained.. in fact this boat has nothing on it at all.

Not the best looking boat in the marina and its a little bigger than i want but... it is really really a cool machine.

This looks like it could be the boat for me

Time to head to pub for a beer and a bit of business talk........ TBC