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A Month on the Other Side: A Family's Bahamas Vacation
Paul and Debra Ghostine and their children, Joseph and Sarah, have enjoyed vacations the past three summers based out of Green Turtle Cay, Abaco. This year was the first time they made the crossing from Florida to West End and then the Green Turtle Club aboard their Express 370, Checked-Out. The Grady-White enabled them to go farther and longer through open water, sometimes in stormy less than optimal conditions.
“Knowing we have such a capable vessel underneath our feet gave me the confidence to explore farther with my family on board, ” explained Paul. “The SeaV2 hull is everything Grady says it is–very stable in a variety of sea conditions. Knowing how responsive the company themselves and my awesome dealer, Mariner Marine, have been post-sale, gave me the extra confidence to go where we hadn’t gone before.” They ended up logging close to 1200 nautical miles, and put 115 hours on their Yamaha triple 300 engines, including the many fishing, diving, and beach outings enjoyed during their July 5 – August 7 sojourn that also included visits to Little Harbour, Harbour Island and Lucaya.
As Paul wrote in the blog he published recounting the days, “The bigger the boat, the more that Mama packs…” Two kayaks, an inflatable dinghy with motor, 18 rods and reels, spears and dive/snorkel gear for four, a six-person life raft, eight cases of bottled water, eight clothing bags, spare parts plus personal supplies and toys made the trip. Two handheld VHFs, a satellite communicator, an EPIRB, a PLB and portable chart plotter/GPS were among the electronics.
Debra reports, “For the last three years, we have been so fortunate to travel by boat and spend a month in the Abacos. This year, the trip was so smooth and fast on the Grady. We were very comfortable, with plenty of room for us all to spread out around the helm. One of my favorite days was spent in the crystal clear blue waters at one of our secret and secluded spots. After dropping anchor, I could wade to shore with our picnic basket and spend the entire day with my beautiful family without seeing another soul.”
What are ten-year-old Joseph’s favorite memories of this adventure? “There is no way of telling what my favorite is, mainly because there are too many. I loved the whole trip. One was spending the entire day behind Green Turtle at the sand bar with my family, doing cannonballs off the Grady. I would jump off and yell, ‘woo hoo!’ One day I spent with my dad all by ourselves. We did everything in one day. We found conch and lobster. We snorkeled over sea fans. We caught grouper, yellowtails, and hogfish.”
Sarah, eight years old, adds, ”My favorite memories are, one, going to Tahiti beach on our boat with the music playing loud. We were all singing. The water was so calm we could go so fast. Second, our day trip to Little Harbour was a lot of fun. Spending a few hours at Pete's Pub and Gallery, then going to Pelican Reef to snorkel, was amazing. My dad and I jumped in together. I saw so many pretty fish, a baby stingray with her mom, a nurse shark you could hold in your hands, and so many yellowtails, grouper and triggerfish. But my favorite was this small neon blue fish.”
The Ghostines’ advice for someone who would like to make a voyage like theirs? Paul replies, ”Preparation and flexibility. I try to be prepared for just about anything. I make lists of what I need to bring so I don’t forget anything. Our schedule is always flexible. You never know what Mother Nature will throw at you.” On a family vacation there is no need for pressing it, Paul points out. “I leave those experiences for the guys‘ fishing trips!”
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