Jill Bobrow
10/01/2007
A private jet makes commuting to a yacht a breeze. But even then
you’re limited to flying into the airport nearest the boat, which can mean
hassles if your boat isn’t close by the airport. "November-Six-Four-Papa-Tango"
is not a jet, but for adventurers and romantics there is no better aircraft to
accompany a sailing yacht charter in the more remote regions of the Bahamas. The
N64PT is a Cessna Caravan, the largest single-engine floatplane currently made.
Easily configured for either passengers or cargo, this plane can land on the
water next to a yacht or on the bumpiest airstrip in the Bahamas. When you
charter the 115-foot (35-meter) sailing yacht Tenacious, you have the
option of including "Papa Tango" in your week’s itinerary. When you add the
plane, you get the services of veteran pilot Marcus Mitchell, who grew up in the
Bahamas and lives on sleepy Sampson Cay, in the Exumas. To say Marcus knows his
way around the region is an understatement. His vast knowledge of the Bahamas
deeply enhanced our charter experience.
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We joined Marcus and "Papa Tango" in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Without fanfare or the annoyance of commercial transfers and the dreaded general
airport drama, he flew photographer Dana Jinkins, her daughter Quincy, my
daughter Sabrina and me directly to Chub Cay in the Berry Islands where we
cleared customs into the Bahamas. From Chub we carried on another hour to Big
Sampson Cay at the northern end of the Exumas. The view below the wings was
breathtaking, a palette of pure turquoise, aqua and cerulean as far as the
eye could see. Upon our arrival, the charter crew was waiting to ferry us to
Tenacious. (Click image to enlarge)Tenacious, designed by Ted Hood, is a beautifully maintained sloop. She accommodates eight guests and has a terrific crew of five. Captain David Evans, a native of Cornwall, England, trained with the Royal Navy and studied oceanography and mechanical engineering. His Irish wife, Fiona, also an oceanographer, a PADI dive master and a photographer, is the chef on board—and a fine one at that. Anticipating that we’d be famished after our flight, Fiona greeted us with a starter snack of scallops on toasts with crème fraîche, sweet chilies and chicken satay. To earn our supper, we were encouraged to take a dinghy ride over to Compass Cay to swim with the sharks. First mate Dean, who hails from South Africa and is also a captain in his own right, brought along his professional video equipment to capture the moment.
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The sharks in question were nurse sharks, which are fairly docile, but scary-looking nonetheless. Swarms of them hovered close to the docks with an obvious hankering for the hot dogs tossed into the water by well-meaning tourists. When we finally got up the nerve to swim with them, I couldn’t resist the urge to feel sharkskin under my fingers. Sabrina and Quincy soon overcame their squeamishness and got into the water with them as well. Dana and I were gratified that our teenage daughters were enthusiastically "here" rather than on "Facebook" or plugged into their iPods. On the way back, Sabrina, who has yet to get her driver’s license, took great pleasure in hot-rodding the tender back to the boat.
A nightly tradition aboard Tenacious is the observance of striking the colors at sundown. That night, the billowing cannon smoke was accompanied by puff pastry tartlets with sun-dried tomatoes and mascarpone, avocado and prosciutto garnished with arugula, balsamic basil oil and Parmesan. Catriona, our delightful Scottish stewardess, served the well-presented dinner. The main course was fresh snapper served on potato wedges with an anchovy, tomato and olive sauce, with carrots and green beans on the side. For dessert, we had summer pudding stacks smothered with fresh berries and drizzled with blackberry coulis.
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Local color in George Town. (Click image to enlarge)The next day was what captain David called our "wildlife extravaganza." We ate breakfast under way in the cockpit as we moved over the banks to Big Major’s Cay, anchoring close to shore. For some odd reason, this cay has been populated with pigs (there was some murmuring that concern for the Iraq War and a potential lack of food led someone to place them there). However they got there, it was amusing to see them being friendly and looking for food. They see a dinghy coming and will actually swim out to greet you. We went ashore with our compost bucket and were stormed by snouts. Quincy and Sabrina gleefully fed them.
From Big Major’s we proceeded to Staniel Cay. The sleepy spirit of the place has not changed in 30 years. We strolled around amused by the heart-shaped roundabout and the airport departure lounge, which looked more like a local bus stop. We ended up at the Happy People Bar, the kind of place that attracts round-the-world cruising folk and unpublished writers. Before returning to the boat, our tender anchored off Thunderball Grotto, which served as a location for the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. We held our breath, dove under the water and found ourselves in a cave replete with coral and a brilliant array of fish. Personally, the Bahamas far surpasses the Caribbean for reefs and fish. Back on Tenacious, we had lunch before setting sail westward for Harvey Cay and tacking into the harbor at Bitter Guana Cay.
We tendered ashore to see the iguanas that populate the island. Prehistoric-looking creatures, they seemed fond of tomatoes and fingertips. We had a full day and were ready for dinner. Rather than pig, iguana or fish, we dined on tapenade-encrusted lamb and ratatouille followed by bananas tatin and homemade rum raisin ice cream. Anchored peacefully under the stars and miles from the nearest nightlife, we acquiesced to the girls’ desire to cozy up in the den and watch a DVD from the well-stocked library.
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On day three we had breakfast under way. Captain David and first mate Dean set the fishing lines as we went through Lumber Cay Cut and headed south in the Exuma Sound. Israeli deckhand Ofer, always game, engaged the girls with nautical knot tying. We heard the whir of the line and, sure enough, in short order we caught a Spanish mackerel. There are few things more satisfying than fresh-caught fish, a perk you expect while on charter, but one that the sea gods do not always provide. Fiona made sure we sampled the mackerel three ways: au naturel as sashimi, marinated in lime juice and peppers as ceviche, and grilled to perfection with lemon and olive oil. Absolutely succulent, it was perfectly complemented by char-grilled vegetables and roasted portobello mushrooms with Gorgonzola and pancetta and a light green salad.
We navigated what seemed like an impossible cut and anchored in a strong current off Big Farmer’s Cay. Exposed sandbars made me a little nervous, but with a cool captain and a bow watch, navigating them was not a problem for Tenacious. Ever the one for going fast, Sabrina enjoyed the dragon biscuit toy attached to the tender that yanked and jerked her around at high speed.
When we left Farmer’s Cay, we motored through Adderley Cut to get to Norman’s Pond Cay. The anchorage was pristine. A private little beach provided the perfect platform for shelling and diving for sand dollars. We were amazed at how many we found. They are so beautiful, yet so ephemeral and hard to collect without breaking. We managed to preserve some in a plastic container for the trip home.
That night we were treated to a lunar eclipse. It also happened to be first mate Dean’s birthday. We invited him and the whole crew to have a celebration on the foredeck. The temperature and lack of wind made for a lovely night dining on the main deck.
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The next morning we summoned "Papa Tango" to meet us at our anchorage. It was thrilling to see the plane land effortlessly next to the boat and anchor just a few feet away. With a picnic hamper and snorkeling gear, we hopped in the plane in our bathing suits and flew south, gliding just 500 feet above the water. We stopped at the southern tip of the Exumas by Hog Cay, where we disembarked and waded over to an isolated sandbar, a dreamy place of pure, creamy, fine white sand. With the plane anchored, we played in the water. It was uncanny how many starfish and conch were there for the picking.
One can hardly claim this region as uncharted territory, but without a seaplane you wouldn’t find this stretch of heaven. After collecting piles of conch and stashing them in the pontoon locker, we took off and flew low over George Town, spotting more nurse sharks and manta rays. We chose a beautiful beach at Pigeon Cay to once again anchor the plane. We went ashore for a deluxe picnic packed by Fiona. Later we flew back to the boat over Norman’s Pond Cay and its old salt works. Marcus gave Ofer and captain David a lesson in extracting conch from the shell, which is no easy task. With strong winds predicted, Tenacious transited to a protected anchorage in Elizabeth Harbor off George Town. Once again Fiona prepared our fresh-caught conch every which way: in a panko batter, a tempura-style cracked conch; as a limey, peppery conch martini; and, of course, as conch fritters.
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As Tenacious lies at anchor off Big Farmer’s Cay,
her masthead provides a bird’s-eye view of fun in the donut. (Click image to enlarge)We left our idyll of boat life and went ashore to the metropolis of George Town. The pink-painted Peace and Plenty hotel is a central meeting place. We investigated elaborate plans for a marina development on Crab Cay, and then we went to check out the new villa and marina development at February Point. George Town is about to boom as more and more people discover the Exumas.
After our shore foray, we went for an afternoon sail, picking our way through some tight gaps in the reefs, Sabrina at the helm. Once anchored, we planned a trip to see the ruins at Man-O-War Cay, but were driven back by a rainsquall. This gave us the opportunity to eat in the formal dining room below. Until now we had always eaten on deck, so it made for an interesting change of scenery. Roasted quail wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with mushrooms on a bed of collard greens was a dressy meal for a formal last supper.
FACT FILE
For more charter info, contact Anita Dodds, charter fleet manager at Fraser Yachts Worldwide tel: 954-712-7118 e-mail: anita.dodds@fraseryachts.com www.fraseryachts.com
WINTER 2007/2008 OPERATING
Area: Bahamas, Caribbean
Rate details: Options for booking
the yacht and/or the yacht and seaplane.
Option 1—Yacht only. $55,000 per
week, plus expenses.
Option 2—Yacht and seaplane
transfers. $58,000 per week,
plus expenses. Includes travel to and from the
yacht in the seaplane
(for example: travel from Fort Lauderdale to the
Exumas, Bahamas).
Option 3—Yacht, seaplane transfer and
seaplane excursion during the charter. $62,000 per week, plus expenses.
Includes travel to and from the boat in the seaplane (for example: travel
from Fort Lauderdale to the Exumas, Bahamas) and use of the seaplane for one day’s excursion (sightseeing over the Bahamas, stop for a picnic
lunch, swimming and snorkeling before flying back to the boat;
approximately four hours of flying).
| Yacht Name: | Tenacious |
| Yacht Year: | 1995 |
| Yacht Type: | Sail Yacht |
| Builder: | Trident Shipworks |
| Interior Design: | David Easton |
| Draft Up: | 7' 9" (2.36m) |
| Draft Down: | 20' (6.10m) |
| LOA (Actual length): | 114' 9" (34.98m) |
| Beam: | 27' 11" (8.51m) |
| Architecture: | Ted Hood |
| Hull Material: | GRP |
| Exterior Design: | Andrew Winch |
| Rigging: | Sloop |
| Number of Staterooms: | 6 (1 king, 1 double, 1 cabin with twins, 1 cabin with upper/lower berths) |
| Air conditioning: | Yes |