Month: August 2022

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Gulf Stream Crossing to Bimini Bahamas

Earlier this month, I made my first gulf stream crossing from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini in the Bahamas. I am the event planner for my new company, OneWater Yacht Group and we took eleven yachts to the Bahamas. The trip took eight days, visiting five islands and traveling almost 500 nautical miles.

We left Roscioli Yachting Center (where I work) around 5:30am on a Sunseeker 74 Sport Yacht. This will be our mode of transportation for the rest of the journey. The trip down the New River took us about an hour and it was a very cool experience. I didn’t realize how long this portion of the trip actually was.

By the time we arrive at the inlet, dawn was starting to break. Our captain hit the throttle and we were now headed due east for Bimini, about 45 nm.

Watching the sunrise while you are at sea, is such an incredible experience. I’ve been told that the gulf stream can be flat as glass. It’s not unusual for small runabouts to make the trek. On this day, we had winds around 10knots and the seas were 1-2′ high. It was a very pleasant trip.

Arriving to Fisherman’s Village on Bimini

It’s a little eerie losing sight of land in all directions. Fortunately. for this crossing you are only out of sight for less an an hour. I think I was more excited to be in the Bahamas than I was seeing land. The color of the water was so incredible and this was no match to what I would encounter in the Exumas.

The water is also very shallow and you cruise in about 10′ to 18′ of water most of the time. As you arrive into Bimini, you will follow a channel to Resort World. They actually dug a channel out of the coral to allow boats to pass thru here.

We stayed just one night at Fisherman’s Village in Resort World Bimini. The marina was nice and offered the usual facilities ranging from wi-fi, laundry, showers and a few small shops. Our captain checked us all in at Customs and Immigration and the entire process took us about 15 minutes. Only the captain actually slept on the yacht. The rest of us checked into accommodations on each island, which did make the trip a bit more difficult as the week wore on. I stayed in VRBO as the Hilton was sold out. I didn’t bother to do a video or photo shoot of it as it wasn’t that great.

OneWater Yacht Group was hosting a cocktail party for our guests at a private estate on Rockwell Island on the beach. It was a beautiful setting and a great ending for the day.

Off to Chub Cay

The following morning our crew headed to Chub Cay, 84nm from Bimini. The Sunseeker 74 Sport Yacht was very comfortable. Sometimes it got a bit warm, so I would have to go into the salon to cool off. Oh the luxuries of traveling by yacht!

The trip to Chub Cay took us just under three hours. We hailed the dockmaster on the VHF radio and he instructed us where to go.

As we arrived to our slip, the staff was waiting to assist us. Chub Cay Resort and Marina is very new and beautiful. A few words of caution would be, that the marina office is part of the hotel and it’s a very long walk. Had I known, I would have taken my bags with me so I didn’t have to make two trips.

The marina does have a fuel dock, but customers were saying it was very very slow. One yacht only took on 300 gallons and it took almost 2 hours!

Chub Cay Resort

This was one of the most beautiful resorts I have stayed at. My room was nicely appointed and overlooked the pool and the ocean. The staff was fantastic and I wish I would have had more time to spend here. At this point, the Bahamas did not disappoint.

That evening some of the crew had dinner at the bar. I had the mushroom ravioli and it was amazing!

Time to head to Staniel Cay

Our trip on Chub Cay in the Bahamas was far too short. This is a place I would love to come back for a long weekend with Scott and just unwind. The following morning our crew headed to Staniel Cay, which was about 121nm journey. Unfortunately, I also threw my back out that evening, so trying to get back to the boat was a major chore. Along the way, I couldn’t help but add our sticker to the “sticker board”.

Be sure to tune in next week, as I take you to Staniel Cay. The Exumas were stunning and I don’t know how I can possibly describe them. As always, thank you for following our journey. Subscribe to our boating blog at YouTube Channel (link below) for future updates and trips. You can also follow us on social media @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

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Yellow Green Farmer’s Market

Scott and I checked out the infamous Yellow Green Farmer’s Market in Hollywood, FL last month and it was amazing!

This market was packed with food vendors, fruit & vegetable stands and local crafts & clothing vendors. If you are looking for fresh fruit and veggies, this is the place. There are vendors, both indoor and outdoor. Be prepared however, that the indoor space is not air conditioned, so it can be toasty.

Exotic Fruits

Scott and I want to do a YouTube episode trying different fruits (so stay tuned). The Yellow Green Farmer’s Market had so many different fruits and we had never heard of half of them.

If you’re not from Florida, you might not know about “green avocados”. These are HUGE avocados that make fantastic guacamole. However, we’ve been told they are not very good by themselves.

Unique Finds

I couldn’t resist this fella, who was relaxing while his owner was spinning wool. (Wool in Florida? I guess it gets chilly sometime.)

As we came around another isle, we stumbled up the Trattoria Di Vakis booth (#126-128). They only serve food at the market and outside catering. Check out these handmade pastas!

They also make these amazing donuts with an injector of filling! I was amazed that Scott resisted.

The Yellow Green Farmer’s Market is only open on Saturdays and Sundays. You do have to pay for parking and it’s a bit tricky getting into the parking lot. We ended up going around the block to get in. Originally it started out as a flea market and then became home to local producers and artisans in the community. They also feature a variety of events including live music, art & dance lessons and yoga.

My photos of our visit, really don’t do it justice! You can check out our YouTube episode for a full tour, but the best tour is in person.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to subscribe to our blog and to our YouTube channel (link below). You can also follow us on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney. Next week we’ll take you to the Bahamas, as Ally made her first gulf stream crossing to Bimini! Cheers, Scott and Ally

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Snorkeling at Christ of the Abyss in Key Largo

In our last blog, Scott and I were in Key Largo for a long weekend and during that trip, we snorkeled at Christ of the Abyss. This was a bucket list of mine and I was excited to finally see this infamous statue.

We booked our trip through Sundiver Snorkel Tours. We didn’t realize when we booked the trip that our resort also offered excursions. Sundiver had us check-in an hour early. That seems early right? Well, it’s because the check-in location is not where you pick up the boat.

Sundiver Snorkel

The Sundiver store offers everything from snorkel gear, to underwater cameras, sunscreen, water, snacks and much more. Your excursion does include fins and a mask, but due to covid you do have to purchase your snorkel. Scott and I selected a boat that only held about 30 people. After checking in at the boat, we had about a 30 minute wait. Note: There’s only one unisex (and kind of gross) restroom, so be prepared. They also do not allow any kind of spray sunscreen and prefer your sunscreen be “reef safe”.

Check out this big boy, who was hanging out with us. Apparently, Iguanas are a major nuisance here in Florida and they are working on humanely euthanizing them.

The Trip to Christ of the Abyss

The trip starts with a short canal ride out to the inlet. Here you will find plenty of gorgeous homes and boats along the way.

The trip was nice and smooth as we headed about five miles offshore to the Christ of the Abyss statue. To learn more about the history of this statue, be sure to watch our YouTube episode where Scott shares the back story on the statue.

Once we arrived, we all jumped in and headed off to find the statue. There was a very large barracuda interested in our group, but he was harmless. There was quite a bit of Sargassum, a nuisance seaweed floating all around. However, the fish were also nibbling on this, which made for a cool experience.

Surprisingly, the statue is not that deep. As you approach it, there’s a strange feeling that comes over you as you get closer. It was probably one of the coolest things we’ve done this year.

After Snorkeling

The entire trip took about three hours (9am to 12p) and afterwards we went across the canal to Sharkeys for a quick bite. They serve your typical pub fare and it was delicious. Look for our boating journey sticker on the deck!

While having lunch, a site seeing boat passed by – the “African Queen”. LOL!

Relaxing at the Resort

The resort has plenty of beach chairs by the pool and on the beach. Scott and I spent the rest of the day, relaxing and soaking up the sun.

You can also rent kayaks, paddleboards and jet skis from the tiki hut. We took a kayak out for about an hour, but the current was making it hard work and Scott started to take on water.

We finished the day enjoying another great sunset at Sundowners next to the hotel.

As I mentioned in our last blog, the one thing we really miss from Seattle is the sunsets. They have always amazed us and Key Largo did not disappoint.

Our third day in Key Largo

I couldn’t go to Key Largo and not buy a souvenir and luckily for us there was a huge gift shop just down the road.

After shopping, Scott and I enjoyed an awesome massage at the resort’s spa! We were able to book it about a week before we arrived and they did not disappoint. Then we grabbed a quick snack next door at Senor Frijoles. Scott couldn’t resist getting a photo with Senor Frijoles himself.

As we were walking back from the restaurant, I noticed these trees in the resort’s parking lot. Low and behold they were avocado trees! Unfortunately, standing under them, I got eaten alive because I didn’t have any bug spray on. Note to self.

Winding down our trip

Just as we had been enjoying a beautiful day, the weather started to turn nasty. The winds clocked up to 30 knots and no one was laying by the pool. It certainly didn’t stop us from grabbing a few drinks at the pool bar before dinner.

Our last night we headed to Snooks Bayside as everyone told us to check it out. They had a small art display at the entrance and the restaurant had plenty of seating. The sunsets did not disappoint and the food was good. Unfortunately, we had another bout of bad service.

All in all, it was a fantastic three day weekend. We felt we had traveled far away even though we were only a few hours away. Snorkeling at Christ of the Abyss was definitely the highlight of the trip.

As always, thank you for following our journey. Please be sure to subscribe to our blog and our YouTube channel (video below). You can also follow us on social media @boatingjourney #boatingjourney. Tune in next week, as we had to Boca Inlet and watch boats heading out to sea.

Cheers, Scott and Ally