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As many of you know, we at Angling Destinations LOVE liveaboards. The reason is simple! It is a huge advantage to have your "lodge" anchored where you fish! There is no travel time to get to the fishing each day and if the weather changes or the fishing deteriorates, all you have to do is pull up anchor and move! Over the years we have touted "live-aboard" adventures in the Bahamas, Belize, French Polynesia and the Seychelles, just to name a few. We are convinced that mothership fishing is the best way to get the most "bang" for your angling buck.
But, with escalating fuel costs and a weak dollar, some of our favorite mothership programs have become very expensive. For example, our expeditions to Providence Atoll in the Seychelles are going to cost over $9,000 per person for 2009. While the fishing on Provo is outstanding, paying that amount of money doesn't work for most traveling anglers. That is why we are so excited about our new mothership opportunity aboard the "Sea Hunter".
Owned and operated by a Floridian family, the yacht's purpose has been to travel from its Florida base to the Bahamas during the summer months. Over the years, the family has explored most of the Bahamian archipelago. Luckily for us and our clients, the family has agreed to allow Angling Destinations to book the Sea Hunter for a few months each fall and spring. This will help pay for the upkeep of the yacht while still allowing the family to use the yacht during the summer months. This is a concept that didn't take long for us to go for!!
The Sea Hunter is a fabulous boat. At 84-feet, this steel-hulled ship is built of 5/8th inch hardened steel and feels as if it was built in one monolithic slab. The Sea Hunter has two complete reverse osmosis water making systems that can create 80 gallons of "bottled water quality" drinking water every hour (making a long hot shower at the end the day no problem). She is cooled by dual AC units and propelled by two 450 horsepower CAT diesel engines. Amazingly, she carries an average load of 16,000 gallons of diesel allowing her to sit steady in the water and have a global range. This massive load combined with her considerable displacement buffers almost any sea motion while the Sea Hunter is at anchor. You name it, the Sea Hunter has it and most likely a spare to boot. Captain Zyndall McKinney is completely certified to maintain all of the ship's systems having cut his nautical teeth piloting oil tankers in and out of Freeport and Nassau Harbors. There is no better-qualified captain running a ship in the Bahamas today.
Spacious and fully air-conditioned, the Sea Hunter can comfortably accommodate many more than the six anglers we will book each week during the season. The stern's four cabins have two complete bathrooms outfitted with sinks, full shower facilities and regular flush toilets... a very nice touch aboard a mothership. The master suite is quite large with a queen-sized bed and it also has its own well-appointed bathroom, again complete with shower, sink and full flush toilet. The main salon is huge and has a brand new 52-inch flat screen TV complete with a DVD player, VCR and stereo system. One side of the main salon is devoted to a commercial kitchen where the ship's chef prepares all of the meals while chatting and taking custom orders. Meals are generally eaten under a canopy on Sea Hunter's massive aft deck. Sporting an impressive 30-foot beam she is wonderfully spacious and stable. In fact, the stern area is so inviting that it looks like it was built specifically for the traditional "Kalik-sipping', lie-swapping'" session held each day at dusk. While her exterior lines are that of a "working vessel" (and not the sleek, svelte lines of a boat built for aesthetic beauty), the Sea Hunter's interior is impressive and richly appointed. We can't imagine a better vessel from which to base a fishing adventure!
That being said, we are offering a multi-pronged fishing program that will base small groups of anglers from the Sea Hunter with the goal of optimizing their angling experience. Ultimately, we will position the yacht at many destinations we know and love in the Bahamas. For our first season, we will position the boat at the southern terminus of South Andros Island at famed Jackfish Channel. Far enough away from land-based lodges, our efforts will focus on the creeks to the north and west, as well as the outside flats that surround Jackfish Channel that hold huge numbers of bonefish. The ship will tow not only two shallow draft skiffs, but also the 34-foot Sweet Jessie which is a perfectly built and maintained sportfisher that is tethered invitingly at the Sea Hunter's stern. Our intention is to offer up an eclectic stew of angling options. From our anchorage, we will have easy access to some of the best wade fishing in the Bahamas, as well as the pristine reef edges that run for miles just south of our mooring. And of course, it's within a day's shot to the "big blue" that lies just to the east where the legendary Tongue of the Ocean begins. This is where the Sweet Jessie will come in handy and offer some unique opportunities uncommon on a "bonefishing" trip!
To us at AD, the Sea Hunter will offer a truly uncommon experience in the Bahamas. Although this is primarily a bonefishing trip, anglers can spend one day of their week trolling the bluewater for tuna, wahoo and marlin. Anglers can choose traditional tackle or drag a hookless teaser and try a bit of "bait and switch" with a fly rod. Additional bluewater days are available for an added fee. Most days will be spent on the huge bonefish flats for which South Andros is so well known. Then, as the tide ebbs and the weather permits, they can hit the patch reefs with fast sinking lines, a bit of chum and a big Clouser minnow which may take care of dinner for that night. Then it's back to the Sea Hunter for some of that Kalik sippin' we mentioned earlier!
The bonefishing will be semi-guided meaning that each skiff will take three anglers to the flats for wade fishing. The two guides will shuttle anglers and help them explore as much backcountry as they can each day. As such, this is a program for experienced anglers who love to wade, but it may also be appropriate for less experienced anglers who love to explore virgin areas and are willing to forego traditionally guided days. The Sea Hunter will be stationed in South Andros for four weeks in the fall and then again for ten weeks from March through May in the spring. We will take 5-6 anglers each week. The cost is only $2995.00 per person, per week for a party of six and $3600.00 per person with a party of five which is simply incredible for a liveaboard adventure of this quality.
So the Sea Hunter will offer the means to comfortably and safely visit some of the most remote areas in the Bahamas. All of us at Angling Destinations are very excited about the opportunities this beautiful yacht can provide. South Andros is just the beginning as we hope to explore many remote areas aboard this yacht. If this adventure interests you, please call us for more information soon as we expect these initial weeks to fill up quickly!
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