ASA Flotilla #1- April 20-27th

Our ASA Flotillas have officially come and gone. These first couple of photos will show you some of the treats I was busy preparing for the trips on this end. I was very pleased with the menus we had for these trips. Hopefully everyone out on the water enjoyed them as well.

I like to do as much as I can to help Dallas before he heads out because when the hungry campers start gathering around the camping stove and make-shift kitchen, I'm sure thing can get pretty stressful for the cook. Especially when you're talking about cooking for 14-18 people. YIKES, I get a knot in my stomach just thinking about it, but Dallas pulled it off and I for one am very proud of him (and Andrew & Ryan)!

Some of the homemade items I sent out to compliment the meals included items like Banana Nut Bread, Bahamian style macaroni and cheese, Fruit & Veggie Dips, Chicken & Veggie Braids (like below), and the sweet-tooth treats like key lime pies, chocolate macaroon pizza (first photo), sugar cookies (above), lemon squares & chocolate toffee delights...I'm getting hungry just talking about them!

Of course we don't expect our sailors to survive off of a few baked goods and sweets all week, and for this trip the dinners were something like this: Chicken & Veggie Fajitas, Fresh Fish (with Dallas' awesome marinade) with veggies and rice, BBQ Chicken (another awesome marinade of Dallas') with Baked Macaroni and veggies, Steak & Veggie Kabobs, Fresh Fish with potatoes and veggie stir fry and then of course the final group dinner at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club.

Joss & Emit were momma's little helpers and did really well for me with all the 'crazy' going on around them. Thank you to all of you who were patient and interacted with out little dudes! They love meeting new people and got very excited when they were about to see everyone. If only you all could have come home to play trains with them, they would have been on cloud nine :)

Most of you probably aren't too interested in the baking and food stuff, so I'll get to the good stuff now!

The Sea Pearls turned out beautifully and I am so proud of all of Dallas' hard work that went in to them.

The fun part about big groups like this is meeting people from all over. It builds character when you step out of your comfort zone and have to co-exist with a large number of people for a week at a time, while camping! Everyone has their own unique 'flavor' to add to the pot. Can you see my Army brat upbringing coming out here?? Sure, it can be challenging at times if it isn't a setting you are comfortable in, but as the old Beaches song goes, "You've got to give a little, take a little..."

Our first flotilla with ASA this year had 10 guests (plus Dallas & Andrew, the guides) from locations all over the place. We had folks from New York, Florida, New Jersey, California, Georgia and Virginia.

Werner, Dana & Jack

Travis, Brent & Roger

Just a side note about these guys above in Lucayan...You guys were some crazy dudes (so I heard)!! :) Dallas was telling me all about how these guys emptied the ballast tanks, which are generally used to stabilize the boat, in order to gain speed and add the extra little tilt you see here. They were also known to toss a snorkeler overboard, with a tow line, while underway to view the scenery from below as they cruised the turquoise waters. Sounds like something I would have fun doing!

Rick & Mary

Mary was part of the entertainment around the campfires at night. She brought her guitar along with her, which is a first for us. I'm told that the Beach Boys "Sloop John B" was quite the hit and had the group dancing around the fire one night. And the remainder of the trip folks were singing "I feel so broke up, but I don't wanna go home! :)

John & Brenda

 Two nights on the trip were planned for fresh fish. This first group had a lot of wind for sure. This meant they made really good time sailing up the cays, but it also meant that it was too rough to do much trolling on the ocean side for fish that first night. Spearing is always an option, and one many folks prefer to deep sea fishing. The only down side I would see is that it usually will take more fish spearing than line fishing to feed 12 people. For instance, the ones that wanted to give spearing a shot spent 4 hours in the water spearing groupers, hogfish, turbot and snapper to catch dinner for that night.

Whereas, 30 minutes of deep sea fishing at the end of the trip resulted in two good sized Mahi, Mahi (dolphin...not the flipper kind) that fed the group. Dallas feels that the Fish dinners were by far the favorite on both trips. How could it not be?? Grilling fresh fish on a campfire that you had a hand in catching with Dallas' awesome marinade....trust me, if you haven't had it, it is worth a trip to come see us to enjoy this treat :)

Dallas & Andrew (trip guides)

The final stretch of sailing for this first group from Compass Cay back down to Staniel Cay was a bit of a challenge. We even lost one and a half lee boards on the sailboats to that wind. Sailing for almost 5 hours upwind is enough to drain the most seasoned sailors, much less if you've been in the sun and camping all week. Way to go gang! I know you all slept well that night in Staniel Cay.

The tow back day is the final hurdle for these trips. As the guest flew back from Staniel Cay in the charter planes (and buzzing by the boat on the way), Dallas and Andrew towed all the Sea Pearls and gear back to Great Exuma. It takes them about 4 hours if all goes well with the weather and tow lines and boats. And on this particular trip, there wasn't much time to unwind when they got back.

DING DING DING, ROUND 2
In 3 days!
Time to cleanup all the gear, fix the things that got broken, repack the gear, buy and bake more food, and whatever you do...don't leave any guests hanging at the airport when they land. I think we actually made it through both of these trips without this happening... which considering for about 2 weeks we had about 28 folks all together coming and going at all different times with flights delayed and cancelled and changed without anyone getting stranded...I'd say that's pretty good :) 

Stay tuned for photos from the second ASA Flotilla!!

Reaching Out

Over the last couple weeks I have barely had time to sleep (some nights I haven't even been able to do that), let alone blog with all the work that has gone into our trips lately. I want to mention this before I get in to the fun stuff that has happened on our ASA trips. April 27th brought some heart-breaking and life-changing storms through my Sweet Home, Alabama. Hundreds of lives were lost, thousands have been left without a roof over their heads, running water, electricity, and so much more. I won't sit here and pretend to know how any of these people are feeling back home. From the ones that lost everything including loved ones in the storms to the ones that were left feeling guilty that they weathered the storms without so much as a scratch. I don't try to fully comprehend the emotions and environment around there, because I can't. I see the photos and hear some stories. Honestly, I can't read all of the stories or watch all of the footage because it is just too sad. My prayers are going out to the sweet southerners that I cherish so deeply in my heart, but I know there are physical and financial needs that can be supported as well. If you are at all willing or feel led to help the victims of these horrible storms here are a few locations that I have friends and family working with: Kids4AL, First Baptist Church of Williams (the community my parents live in), and Samaritans Purse. Of course, these are just a couple... there are many more organizations and ways to help. Please consider the needs and reach out!

"For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands."- 2 Corinthians 5:1

Bachelor Party

A couple of weeks ago we had some guys fly in for an overnight Bachelor Party. I thought it was a pretty cool idea, and I knew I wanted to do a post for these guys. However, why not hear from them instead of me...

Amazing Kayaking Trip in the Exumas

Amazing scenery? Check.
Fantastic camaraderie? Check.
Impeccable equipment? Check.
Great food? Check.

Although our kayaking trip was shorter (two days, one night) than most we absolutely got our fill of great times.

We didn't know what to expect when we signed up for our kayaking trip with Dallas and Tamara. None of our group had been to the Bahamas before and only had a vague idea of what the Exumas had to offer.

We came away extremely impressed by the equipment and service provided by the Out-Island team. The kayaks were top-notch and the sleeping bags/pads and tents better than our equipment back home.

During our trip we were lucky enough to have great weather which afforded us the chance to go snorkeling, try our hand at spearfishing, sleep outside under the stars and even do some improvised kayak-surfing.

This trip was an amazing part of a fantastic bachelor party and a great complement to the night out in Nassau. We would highly recommend this trip to everyone and anyone. If anything two days did not really do the Exumas justice. Some of us are already planning a return trip next year.

Allan

Thanks guys, for the photos and the post. And of course, best wishes to the Bride & Groom-to-be!

ASA/Regatta Time Again!!

 Our National Family Island Regatta is coming up at the end of April. With that big event for our island, comes a big event for our company. Last year we ran our first ASA (American Sailing Association) Sailing Expedition. We had a great turnout, and ASA signed up for another trip this year. We set the dates and the first trip filled up so quickly that we were able to add a second trip. So, we have our first trip leaving next week (start sailing on the 21st) and the second one sets sail on May 1st!

 We are very excited about these two trips, but we have been working our tails off preparing for them. These are the largest trips we have run so far (14 on the first trip and 18 on the second), and Dallas will be using all 5 sail boats. Remember how we started the makeover process back in the Fall??

Well, here we are..days away from the big event and Dallas and Tanai are working hard to get them finished in time. And when I say working hard... I mean it! Hot days in the sun are spent sanding, stripping, fiberglassing, priming, painting, staining, then "wash, rinse, repeat" and do it all over again on the next boat. They are doing a GREAT job on these boats. I think some folks around our house probably think we've started a new boat painting business. There's been a few guys around the island going up to Dallas saying, "I hear you can paint boats??" :)

 The logos are all looking great too (if I can say that without sounding too proud)! They add that nice little finishing touch to these beauties. 

 LUCAYAN!!!!

As for my job(s) right now... I've been trying to make sure everyone is prepared for the trip (as well as the folks we have coming and going while Dallas is out on these trips). This entails the hotel reservations, packing lists, food allergies and preferences, planning the menu, baking things for the trip (remember...when you sign up for a guided trip we take care of all your food and drinks while you're out on the water), answering any questions folks may have before they head this way, and lots more little things.

 It's GREAT to be busy, we aren't complaining about that at all... I just get a little overwhelmed and stressed when there's so much going on. I'm sure many of you reading this have much more going on on a daily basis. For me this bible verse has helped keep me grounded. Maybe it will bring you a little peace as well:

Philippians 4:6-"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

 Ta-dah!! OVERDRAFT Finally got her logo :)

 At the end of a long work week... we enjoyed taking some time on the water to have a little fun too :) This is what it is all about anyway!!!!

Straight from the horse's mouth!

 Not that I'm calling Irmi & Barry 'horses' by any means :) 

We have had the hardest time getting listed on Trip Advisor. If anyone is looking for us you'll notice we still aren't on there. There are all kinds of rules for who can and can't be listed on there. Apparently since we run overnight trips and don't have specific times listed on our website for trip departures, and a few other things like that we don't meet the requirements. I've emailed, called and tried time and time again to get on there... so if anyone knows the secret loop hole... please, I'm all ears!

 All that being said, we're trying to get our guest's experiences available to folks that are considering doing our trips in the future, so I asked Irmi & Barry (our guests on the most recent guided trip, Best of Both Worlds) to do a GUEST FEATURE here on the blog and write a little something about their time with us. In the future I'll just title it, "Guest Feature: insert name here" so you don't have to hear all that again :) The photos provided on this post were from Irmi & Barry, and this is what they had to say:

When we first started planning our trip we always had an adventure trip in mind and this is what led us to the Exumas and to Out-Island Explorers. We originally planned a kayaking trip, but once we got in touch with Dallas & Tamara they indicated that the Best of Both worlds trip would be an excellent choice for us. We were a little reluctant as we had never sailed before. Once we got to Georgetown, Exuma (a couple of days before our trip with O.I.E. started) Dallas, Tamara and the boys welcomed us and took us to Stocking Island.  Dallas gave us some sailing lessons in Elizabeth Harbour on the Arawak, a 21’ Sea Pearl sailboat.

 

Our actual adventure trip started at the docks in Georgetown as we were packing up our gear onto the support boat “Overdraft” and towing the sailboat to Boysie Cay, where the boat was rigged and we started our sailing trip. The weather was excellent, the wind just enough to get the boat going good, but not too fierce that we would run into too much trouble. We made good time on our first day to Lignumvitae Cay where we set up camp. Our next couple of days were filled with camp life and a whole bunch of outings. We broke camp three times and camped on different cays for 2 nights each. Our days were filled with outings in kayaks, deep sea fishing, snorkeling the reefs (unfortunately we didn’t have an underwater camera with us) and we explored the surroundings with the support boat. 

At some point the “boys” all went fishing and I decided to stay behind, I had the whole island to myself! Queen for a day on my own island! We went to visit caves, Iguanas, a remote local settlement and a sandbank. Dallas had a menu planned for the whole week and when fish was on the menu he and Tanai ( yeah, Tanai finally got the big one) always delivered. We were amazed how deep they dove as they spear fished, coming back with grouper, jackfish or lobster. We also had a shark visit us at the side of the boat.  Nothing could be better than sitting around the open fire after an amazing day in the cays, watching the fresh fish and lobster cook, with the sunset in the background. Truly “mudda-sick” as the Bahamian would say, or totally awesome! (Barry’s take on things)

Thanks so much for a truly amazing time I would highly recommend this type of trip to anyone, who loves the great outdoors, camping, fishing and enjoying nature “untouched”.

Barry & Irmi Critcher, Northern BC, Canada  

 

Barry & Irmi-- thank you for sharing this with us, and thank you for choosing us and our little island for your adventure! It was an honor to meet you guys. I'm already thinking of the trips we'll take when it is 'our turn to really travel' :)

Best of Both Worlds and More!

In case you missed the announcement on our Facebook page this is the newly improved ARAWAK Sea Pearl. David G., if you're reading... this was your boat on last year's ASA trip :) No more holes!!!

To start this trip, we headed out for a day in Elizabeth Harbour to do sailing lessons with our Best of Both Worlds guests, Barry & Irmi. They were beginner sailors, and really took to it very quickly! I really, truly, honestly, LOVE our work!! We get to meet some of the sweetest and coolest people from all over the world. Barry and Irmi are grain farmers from a small town way up in Canada, and we have very much enjoyed getting to know them.

The weather was great for them the beginning of the week, so the trip actually launched from some docks in GeorgeTown. Dallas, Tanai (second guide), Barry & Irmi loaded up in Overdraft and towed the Sea Pearl behind them about 22 miles along the eastern side of the mainland around to Boysie Cay. Once they got to Boysie they rigged the Sea Pearl, and Barry & Irmi began their sailing journey.

Dallas was very impressed with how well they caught on to the sailing and navigating. He was trying hard to keep up with him that first day. He was pretty excited about how fast Arawak was coasting through the water too :)

I believe we owe a nice THANK YOU to Barry for saving the paint job on this boat on one instance. The wind and the cut and everything just kind of got crazy at one point and he jumped overboard to keep her from smashing into some rocks. May have even busted up a few ribs in the process...that's a true Captain for ya :)

The Best of Both Worlds trip is our combo trip that offers sailing and kayaking. Usually you sail in the morning and paddle in the afternoon from your next camp. Unfortunately, these are all the photos I have from their trip right now.. our camera's battery died way too soon so I'll post more when I get my hands on some from Irmi :)

Just because the trip was officially over on Saturday didn't mean the fun had to stop! This is when staying a few extra days will pay off! Yesterday, we had some GORGEOUS weather, after a really windy front moved through, that made for a perfect Deep Sea fishing afternoon with the whole crew (even the boys and I got to tag along) as well as some friends that were meeting Irmi & Barry down here for some fun in the sun!

Remember how I said earlier that the weather started off really great...well, it was blowing quite a bit (around 25 mph) by the end of the trip which meant that they didn't get a chance to do much deep sea fishing while they were out there. Dallas still managed to spear some fresh fish for dinner (that-a-baby!!), but he really wanted to get them out for some trolling action.

We went out on the other side of Stocking Island and fish were jumping everywhere you looked. It was pretty exciting! By time they got the lines set and we were in line with the fish, we were reeling some in. I was so excited and trying to snap pictures of everyone that I about fell in a time or two :) The ladies were very sweet to take care of the boys during this crazy time.

Tanai finally caught the biggest fish!! It's about time, I think, after all the talk everyone had heard :) Way to go Tanai, I know you were working hard for that fish.

Here comes the first one...Beautiful and Delicious, Mahi Mahi!!

LOL, this photo above about got me knocked out when Dallas "jooked" (Bahamian word for stab or stick) the fish and pulled it in the boat.

Joss was mighty proud of his Daddy! And Emit kept asking where the "Pish" was after we put them in the well.

GOTCHA!!!!

Moments after Dallas and Tanai reeled their fish in, Barry was up and working hard! It was moving so fast on the boat I didn't even have time to get a good angle out there.

Not too shabby for about an hour of water time! Of course we had the group up for dinner to grill their catch, and with Dallas' famous marinade it was an evening to remember!

Joss couldn't get over all the people that came over just to play trains with him :)

PS-- Barry, Irmi....you guys haven't even left Exuma yet and we're already missing you! Thanks for a great trip and new friendship!!