2017 June Bahamas Gathering
 

Ok, here is the next edition of the CSC West End Grand Bahama Trip (Includes extension trip to the Abacos). No polls, just a mid June trip and a 2 week extension trip, island hopping to Hope Town and back to FL.. I think KMoose will be ready with that new bracket by then.

I am calling you out:

Bushwacker, and Too have a bullseye on that trip as well. Terry & Marsha, Don & Deb, Connor & Karen, GFS, TomParis and family, Jim, Casey & family, Doug, bumpdraft, Michael, Skip and Carla, Ken and Mel, NoBones, CaptChuck, IslandTrader, Briguy, RickG, doodlebug, captterry, Blueheron, Uncleboo, Martin, Ed, bobbert, keyscruz, parkeryacht, flexpat, Riley-RE, Rusty, Mark(FL&Colorado), Trayder, OttoC, Old'sCool, Pigsticker, CaptLloyd, and of course.........Spider Crab.

If you were left off the list, then you may want to start living up to your potential as an addicted SeaCraft enthusiast. There is only one ANTIQUE SLACKER, stop trying to compete with GFS!:eek:.

Talk amongst yourselves.........

You have completely come "Unhinged" Snookerd? You can't take even a SeaCraft into the Devil's Triangle. It's swallered up ships and planes, fur Gosh sakes.
If RickG takes the 18, I'm in with the Saw-zalled Bowrider!!!!
Don't call our bluff, Bro'.

Crazy like a fox, my hospitable gathering brethren! Even if Davey Jones comes a Callin', send him to voicemail cause we've got places to go....

Hmmm... How much trouble would I be in if I skipped my daughters wedding and flew to the Bahamas then hitched a ride into the heart of the triangle instead???:eek:

I'm sure you will make the right choice ....we will have cigars and DonV's secret stash waiting! :eek:

Denny is keyed in for Green Turtle and I can love that.
He is a restless traveler indeed.

I always enjoy some of our elders.
Hole in the wall???

Really fun talking with Conner and Karen.

Do the marinas in the Bahamas keep parts on hand for my 28 year old Yamaha?? LOL! or is this finally the time to upgrade to a 300 Zuki like all my Sceptre friends have already done...hmmmmm.

This would be awesome! Hope life's curveballs allow.

Twenty eight year old Yami? Now I don't feel so bad about my twelve year old one, even if its partially held together with j b weld. Wife wants to be half way to Alaska in mid June, so I guess I don't have to worry.

Jimbo, If you get the Zuke, have them just lay the 'ol "carb" Yamaha back inside the Scepter and take it to the Bahamas. The Bahamians love them and pay top dollar for 'em. They weld the gear cases in "Forward", remove the trigger switches, so they'll start and run them for another 20 years, occasionally changing the O2 sensors. They can be rebuild under a thatched hut for $1800 in parts, very low tech, very reliable. I think they figure "Gas is expensive in the Bahamas, but Mechanics are priceless".

We will have the embossed 300 Zuke wallet ID card ready for you..........LOL.

You guys need to pack a few of these !!:D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lG-snJZIV8

I like it!! Not being a diver and knowing that much how fish are bothered by divers, looks to me like these are some pretty dumb fish to just sit there and take one in the head!! :)

Fish Smarts
 

Don, those Lion fish on a scale of 1 to 10 on smarts are a minus 2! They are cocky little bastards that bristle when you come near their habitat. I saw lots of them at Sabastian last year in every crack and crevasse. I've seen them off of Sarasota in 70' and Bayport in 55'. They are pretty think in the Middle Grounds. They run off every other species trying to make a home where they are and lay half a million eggs.
The next up the scale of stupidity are the Hogfish. Every male has ten females he services, so the big males sometimes come charging up to you asking "What the heck are you doing with all my girls on your stringer?". Ask RickG about that.
Mangos are curious, but are always "on the move" and big ones are very shy. It's a "skeet shoot" with them and they are usually up in the water column. The Groupers are curious, but they don't get big without being smart. 24" is a big fish underwater. Like sharks, they don't get big without being cautious. Red groupers are really dumb and will follow you around, Scamps are a little less goofy, then the Carbos, then the Gags. Gags are a little like Turkey hunting. You do better if you don't swim around like a predator, or look directly at them. I think they talk amongst themselves. They hear the engine and at the first site of divers, ease off - especially if they have been hunted before. Cobias are good for one "fly by", then they are headed off to either Key West or Mobile. If you don't get a good shot on one, they are happy to take you with them.
So, if you want to put fish in the boat, use a hook and line. I've dove on places the "had a good bite going" after it tapered off. It was "cleaned out" - just lizard fish and and grunts. Divers are like Quale Hunters - we scare off more stuff than we get. However, it's always different down there and even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. You go find some little rock on the bottom in 17' or 170' and it is just teaming with life. 3/5 of Spaceship Earth has a lot going on. Most of God's children only see 2/5's of it in one elevation vertically.
See what Kenny, Conner, Tiny, RickG or others have to say about the Lion Fish.

They eat real good. The way they scarf up the small fish, some are getting big enough to be worth filleting. Maybe I need a Glock. No need to hassle with getting them off my spear.

On a worse subject. I first saw lionfish in the Bahamas around 6 or 7 years ago, just one. Now they are almost everywhere, hundreds of the little buggers. Interesting that the places with the most big preditors usually have far fewer lion fish.

Thanks Capt Chuck. I'm getting hungry for lion fish!

Doesn't look good for the Bahamas..... If it takes the hit I think it will it will be a while before any affordable lodging will be available. Very sad day across the Caribbean.

Not good at all for our Bahamas brothers.......

What's the verdict here?? Reviving this a bit..... I have my Chinese slanted bullets ready ;)

The idea is still floating out there, just like a boat anchored off hole in the wall!

I see what ya did there.......

Did the destination survive Mathew or if not, did they or are reconstructing??

Grand Bahama was hit pretty hard. Abacos were spared mostly. Plenty of time for things to going next Summer!

So , how many miles are we talking round trip... Just trying to figure out how many banks I need to rob on my way down to west palm to pay for this trip of a lifetime... Seriously..though.. how many you think??

If the trip is to the Abaco Cays, Walkers, Grand Cays, etc it will be maybe 100 miles less than my trip last year, which showed 600 miles on the chart plotter. Add the Green Turtle area and it might be a bit farther. Do a lot of running around/diving/fishing and the total could rise a bunch. Right now, fuel is just over $5.00/gal.

It's about 165 NM from Palm Beach (Lake Worth) Inlet to Green Turtle via Walkers Cay. May be a little shorter via West End, but clearing customs was always more of a hassle at West End. Made that trip 6 times, and typically burned about 60 gallons with my old 1975 115 Evinrude, which averaged about 2.8 mpg on those trips. I'd expect the E-TEC to get at least 4 mpg. How much you burn while over there depends how much running around you do; reefs are close in, but we always made at least 1 run down to Man O'War and Hopetown/Elbow Cay area and that's another 20-25 NM. Gas is expensive, yes, but you'll probably spend more on booze, meals and lodging unless you can stay on your boat like Connor does!

Walkers
 

Denny or others-
Is there still customs at Walkers Cay? I recently heard from a friend that Walkers had been pretty much destroyed by a past hurricane & there had been virtually no rebuilding there.

Is this trip still gonna happen??
 

I'm Planning a trip in June to West End with my Seacraft20 cc and would like to meet some other Seacraft Owners has anyone suggested Dates? I'm from Missouri so it takes a little more planning on my part to get down to Florida, Also where are you all leaving from? and any Suggestions on where I could leave my truck and trailer. Thanks

Palm Beach/Lake Worth Inlet is the closest distance to West End, which bears due E, about 60 NM. However if you leave from other inlets further south, you'll get a lift from the Gulf Stream instead of having to head S of due E to compensate for a 2-3 kt current.

Early morning crossings are best (like leave the inlet at dawn.)

If wind is out of any northern quadrant, stay the hell out of the Gulf Stream! A 5-10 kt wind from NW, N, NE is much worse than a 15 kt SE, S or SW wind.

Mid-July is statistically the least wind and also lower chances of rain than June. August is getting too close to hurricane season.

Lake Park Marina is a decent place to leave boat.

Considering the expense & amount of prep work required just for a crossing to West End, you might as well press on another 40 NM to the Abaco's, which have much better diving and fishing! Although Walkers is essentially abandoned (although I think Snookerd said they had customs guys there?), gas and other limited supplies are usually available at Grand Cay.

Beware of having a schedule, the most dangerous thing you can have on a boat! Most folks get into trouble or have rough crossings because they don't have the flexibility to wait for good crossing weather!

Thanks for the advice, I will look into July. I've been across the stream several times mostly doing it by sailboat or larger cuddy cabin boats. It will be a first for the 20cc. But have spent several weeks fishing Palm Beach and Boynton and the boat performs great. I have been thinking of heading back to Green Turtle but I have some timeshare points about to expire and the only place in the Bahamas I could use them up is in West End or Nassau. Is the fishing and spearfishing that much better in the Abacos My Schedule Is pretty flexible for the crossing and return trip. My hardest part is getting away from my job in Missouri. I have to start rescheduling my clients now or I'd never be able to get away. I'm planning on about three weeks off and will spend some time fishing in Florida if I'm waiting for weather. I

The only spearfishing you can do is free diving with pole spears or slings, so unless you can free dive to 65-80' like Connor, that eliminates the West End area, as I don't know of any shallow reefs around Grand Bahama. Lots of nice 20-30' reefs in the Abacos, although I understand they're pretty fished out compared to 30-35 years ago when I was last over there.

As for hook & line fishing, I'm no authority, but it should be good in the deep water off Grand Bahama, but it's hard to beat Matanilla reef off Walkers.

Deny is dead right on July for a 20. June has too high a probability of enough east/southeast wind to make a 20 crossing a very unpleasent endurance contest.

If you are not experienced with a sling, take a pole gun, minimun 7 ft. The sling has a lot better range, if you tie your own elastic, and is easier to carry around, but takes a whole lot more skill and practice to use effectively.

I've been thinking and talking about making this trip for a few years now. Its time to stop dreaming and start living. Keep me posted on dates please. I'll be in the Keys from 7/10 to 8/20. Beginning of July on works for me. The only issue I have is truck/trailer storage at or near the starting line.

Update on dates
 

It looks like I will be crossing over on 6/17, clearing in Grand/Spanish Cay and crossing back around 6/30.

Details please sir

So, I am in my typical pattern of should I stay or should I go.........! Lubbers, Man O War, Treasure? Rent a place for 10 days with the family. I was thinking of staying overnight in West End/Grand and then making the trek East to the final destination. We could create a mini gathering in West End or Grand Cay for the 1st or 2nd weekend 17th or 30th/1st. We could head over together or head back together and do what we all want separately in between/around those dates.

Went to a seminar on Bahama trips at Trawlerfest up in Stuart a couple weeks ago and Capt. Chris said they still had no power at the docks at West End; if they don't have power, they may not have fuel either! He's giving that seminar again at PB Boat Show so may get an update on that on Friday. There are usually some folks from Bahamas there who may also have an update on that situation.

Looking forward to that update "in person" Friday!:D Any other CSC'er who are in the area should meet us there!

Jupiter to Grand Cay on 6/17, anyone? I am pulling the trigger very soon. Around 100 miles.

If I thought rebuild would be complete by then I would be in but it's looking like mid June now. Not sure I want to make the trip without a few good shakedown runs.

I need more vacation to even think about something like this! Retire plan is 4-1/2 away