In 1999 Jody & I had our very first Flotilla Sail event. Little did we know that we would be starting a “Thing.” Flotilla Charters.
Now, some 24 years later Jody & I were participants in another Flotilla Charter, this one in The Abaco’s in the Bahamas.
I have to admit, flotilla charters have come a long way since that first one in July of 1999. This event was with Navigare Charters, where we spent out first evening at the Conch Inn, where the docks were located that we’d be sailing out of. We had 7 Catamarans lined up, with about 50 people.
The evening before our departure we had a great time at Snappas, the restaurant & bar on the premises. As people arrived the party got into full swing, and by 10PM (an hour AFTER sailors Midnight!) we all turned in getting ready for the start of our voyage. We spent the night on the boats and took off in the morning.
Our crew consisted of our Skipper, Tommy Brownell and his wife Sharon (who we sailed with in Maine just a few weeks earlier), along with Jeff & Johana, who we had just made a deal with to get their 1979 San Juan 28, in exchange for passage on this trip. Wayne Anselmo, a pilot with Southwest Airlines made up the final member of our crew. He had sailed with us a few times including once in Tahiti.
We headed over to hope Town, but being Sunday many shops were closed. We rented a couple golf carts, and the crew from our boat explored the island, and ended up on Tahiti Beach for a leisurely swim. After a great meal at the Abaco Inn, where we had lunch about 11 years earlier when we were here on our previous Flotilla Charter, we returned the Carts and made our way back out to the boat for the night.
In the morning we headed top a small uninhabited sand beach. It was a beach with sand so white it looked like sugar!
After a leisurely swim we headed to where there was to be a party at Grabbers on Great Guana Cay.
That night we experienced one of the best buffet we had in a long time. The first couple drinks were part of the event, as was the meal, and it was phenomenal!
After dinner their disc jockey started the music and people dance on the beach, our lounged on the chairs at the waters edge. It was a magical night.
After a swim in the morning we headed out again, and this time we were sailing to a small uninhabited sandbar that Walt Disney had been setting up for their cruise ships, but it didn’t “work” so now it is a beautiful deserted white sand bar, surrounded by the bluest waters you’ve ever seen.
Then it was time to head to Green Turtle Cay, where we’d arranged for a couple golf carts in the morning to tour the island.
That night, right after we arrived and set anchor, Marquise, who was the local Captain on one of the boats, stopped at a “secret stash” he knew of, and the group got 24 lobsters. That night we had an amazing meal of lobster and London Broil on the barbecue. The boat had one of those round barbecues that clamped onto a rail, and when we dropped the steak on it, the mounting slipped and we almost lost it all overboard, except for the fast work of Wayne, who grabbed it with a towel before it went overboard.
As we went ashore the next day we had some rain, which, in the tropics is pretty expected, but it only lasted a few hours, and we had our golf carts and drove all over the island.
We were told to look for a sign that said “Dis way Da Beach” and when we found it we followed a dirt road about a mile, only to find out the hurricane they had a few years ago kinda devastated it.
So we looked for a place to “hang for a bit” and ended up in a liquor store, where they also had a kitchen. It was most kewl sitting in a liquor store enjoying Conch-Burgers and fries.
Then it was time to start heading back toward the base, so we turned in the Golf Carts and headed back to the boat.
The next day the winds were going to turn, and we’d be heading into it, so we decided to make way while it was relatively calm.
We sailed South to Scotland Cay and found the most beautiful white sand beach we’d seen. Entering was “rather shallow” over crystal clear water and sugar-white sand. We had to get out and drag the dinghy over the sand, in order to get to the beach.
After a great day swimming we headed back to check in, and we were all soon up at Snappa’s downing vast quantities of Conch fritters and assorted cocktails. Our last night there was spent on the boats, and most of the boats had food left-over, so there was a kind of “dock party” as people walked the docks “helping” devour the left over food. It could not all be eaten, so the locals had a landfall of goodies when we checked out the next morning.
Overall we had seven catamarans the explored the Abaco’s, and everyone had a great time. So now we’re thinkin’, where next?
