Abacos liveaboard spearfishing trip.

[stevemc1]

I am planning to go to the Western Abacos around early May. The whole summer as usual. 45' Californian Long Range Cruiser. I have done a bunch of upgrades this winter. Bottom job, swapped props, body work and primed the topsides of the hull, and did spray two final coats. Plan to replace the carpet, and spray the cabin and flybridge. Did maintainance on everything. .New stereos, and new XM satellite receivers. We will be going back and forth every 2-3 weeks or so, to fuel up and stock up. I have been contacted to bring groups over, so let me know if you have groups of 3-4 that want to go over and spearfish. We can work something out. Should be much lower than past years if diesel keeps going down. Doing cost sharing. I know the area as good or better than the natives. Let me know if you want to go. Going early May till early August. Can pick up Stuart, Ft Pierce, West Palm. We will talk. I have spots for big hogs, big muttons, big grouper, and pelagics. I am a good chef/cook and very experienced in big boats, and the Bahamas. We will talk.

[Reeffreak]

PM sent

[stevemc1]

I have had a few contacts about these trips. Fuel/food/customs cruising permit cost sharing trip. Should be less than $1500 (total for the whole group/trip, round trip)from Stuart/Ft Pierce to Walkers for customs check in, then farther East to spear in great waters. Fuel here has gone down at least a dollar per gallon. A week of diving, do some bluewater on the way back, then back to East Florida. The trip across the Gulf stream and bank and back eats up a lot of fuel. So 3-4 people max, besides me and Lynn. Boat is 42' hull 45' overall. Twin diesel engines. Tender is a 13'6" Boston Whaler Sport with a 40 Tohatsu. I do recommend getting your Customs and Border Patrol Boater Options card. Definetly, a lot less hassel coming back. You bring all your gear, what you will drink, beer, wine, mixers, waters. And any snacks. We have a 3 burner stove, gas grill, microwave, coffee maker, blender, food processor, and all pans, plates forks etc. A fish cleaning station and 2 seal a meal so you can process and freeze fillets. We have a fridge / freezer and a seperate freezer. Generator runs at night for the A/C, during the day we dont run it, we have solar to run fridge and freezer. Flybridge with seating for a whole bunch. Table and seating inside, and table and chairs on the rear raised deck. Very comfortable. One thing I will mention is there are sharks, I can garanty you will have them up and personal. You must jab and poke them hard to get them off you. Do not feed a shark your fish unless that is the only way out. No fish is worth being bit or blacking out. I wont be diving to reef in much over 50'. If the whole group is OK to 70' regularly, than that could happen. Bluewater areas are deeper of course. Experience is wonderful of course. But if someone is not extremely experienced, do let me know, I can work with that. I have had people in the past, say they were very experienced and they were very new to everything. Any questions , ask away. Plan would be 1-2 week trips. I would like to meet all applicants if possible to interview.

[stevemc1]

Putting up pictures of the tender and Our Island. First Picture of Our Island is from 6 years ago, many upgrades since. I pulled the boat when we got back from Bahamas last year and painted the hull, gelcoat was too oxidized. One is prior to primer and other is after first coat of final coats. Still working on appearance things. Then will bottom paint and have it put back in the water.

[stevemc1]

More pics Interior and outside areas. Last pic is boston whaler with name decals for Tender. Big boat is getting new ones.

[stevemc1]

Some fish porn from past trips

[stevemc1]

More

[Ryfish]

Our island is looking good Steve! Can't wait to get over there again this summer and do some diving and rum drinks. Also Inna wants to really go this summer. Talk to you soon.


Guys if you have ever dreamed about a kick ass affordable trip to the Bahamas this is the wAy to go. Plus Steve is one of the most knowledgable captains for the Abacos area of the Bahamas that you will meet. Also the after diving drinks on the boat at sunset with Steve telling jokes can't be missed. Lol. Do your self a favor and go on one of the best trips you ever do!

[stevemc1]

Thanks Ry, I will call you this weekend. I just remembered I have to get my scale re certified again. Lots of things to do!

[stevemc1]

I forgot, must have current passport, and a Customs and Border Patrol, Boaters Option Card. Go to CBP.org and find boaters option, and print out and fill forms, and take that with you passport to local airport or ports, customs office. Makes getting you back in with no hassle.

[stevemc1]

I have had quite a few inquires about trips. What I have done in the past is, 1 to 2 week trips taking off from Central East Florida, Stuart, Ft Pierce, West Palm. Go to Customs to check in and start diving and going farther from civilization to places that have not been fished hard at all. Very fishy and lots of nice big fish. Spearfish and conching, then go to a quiet cove or lee shore of an uninhabited island, and clean and cook fish and conch. Dinner, then Have some beers, wine or cocktails. Sleep well. Daily. Or what ever you want to do. We do troll through schools of tuna when we see the white terns flying over them. Then when time is about up, head back, diving along the way, and hitting some either deep reef or blue water, then cross to home. This is cost sharing, fuel being the major cost, food, customs permit, and you all bring what you will drink and your snacks. Trip totals should be around $1500 per group, so if 3 go, its $500 per person, 2 people, its $750 per person, 4 would be somewhere around $375 per person. Fuel has gone down so total price could be less. Max persons in visiting group would be 4, preferably 3. But 4 will work. PM me and I will get back to you. I have single guys who want to be in a group, so if there is 1 or 2 of you, we can fill that with 1 or 2 others. This is not a charter, it is cost sharing. In comfort. Like a big boat charter, but without the cost. I am doing it anyway, so I thought I would share the experience. Also we have 2 nice Nikon cameras, with lots of different lenses-fisheye, wide angle, telephoto, etc, Several UW cameras and video cameras, one TV production type UW video camera and a GoPro 3 Black. a 32" LCD TV and Blue Ray player. Can hook up cameras to TV.

[kylo1597]

Hey Steve,

I have a small group (4 of us) very interested in joining you on a future trip, sent you a PM

thanks!

[stevemc1]

Kyle got your PM will get back to you. I dont have satellite internet. The Batelco cell phone, Bahamas Telephone Company, has internet, as ours here does, but it is slower, way slower. That might be the only problem.

[kylo1597]

sounds great, thanks steve!

[stevemc1]

Still here, dunking boat next week, then heading over. I have had many inquiries about trips, so I will air them to answer any questions. Can I bring my girlfriend? Would she like it? Yes, my girlfriend, Lynn, dives and spearfishes and is on the boat for the duration. She likes the girl on the boat. I will make sure if she is scared of sharks, we dont spear while she is in the water. Lynn is good with sharks and pokes them hard. Where do we pick up and drop off. Ft Pierce most likely. Round trip. Cost for group might be 1500 for a week long, round trip. Total for group. If group is 3 that is 500 each. No satellite TV or internet. You bring what you will drink-water, beer, wine, liquor and soft drinks, and snacks. Cost of trip covers fuel, customs cruising permit, and food and spices etc. We have an ice maker. Fridge /freezer and a freezer. Gas grill and a gas stove and microwave and coffee maker.