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diver_dave

diver_dave

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"The Crusaders (it is a cr

"The Crusaders (it is a crusader thread!) took 5 of us to the very East end of Grand Bahama Island for 9 days. The day before we left, the starboard alternator was squealing, but a rebuild shop fixed it in 3 hours, including a new stator, diode set and bearings. It was an original Motorola, 1975 vintage. The first 80 nmiles to Freeport was smooth, gulf stream temp running 84 degrees. The boat was very heavy, with 190 gal of fuel, food for a week, 10' avon, 15hp outboard, fuel drum and a supply of dive gear for 3 people. Including a 5cfm/4500psi air compressor, 3 oxygen bottles and 8 scuba tanks. We had preprinted customs forms and were in and out of customs in just 30 minutes, took on 97 gals of gas, fresh made conch salad and headed east for 2 more hours. We hit sweetings cay inlet at high tide, and barely got it with some sand dusting in 3' of water. A couple of us did some underwater cave surveying to 2000' of penetration distance and did quite a bit of line work, with distance markers, arrows, etc. Most of the cave was about 100' deep, we pumped 32% nitrox in the field, and ran about 90 to 100 minute dives. We returned yesterday, after a 120 nmile run in a messy 3' sea, hitting the local inlet at 10pm. We hadn't seen a newspaper or a auto in 8 days.
Anyway, that's what its all about for me, and can't wait to go back next year. Oh, and my two young daughters loved the place out there. They caught all kinds of marine life, including a sea hare and saw a couple of lionfish under the dock
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"Great Dave, Glad it came tog

"Great Dave, Glad it came together so nicely. I never realized that lionfish were in that area. I had some 30 years ago in my aquarium. Small and beautiful but as you know ..dangerous.

I love those areas of the Bahamas. I had lived in So. Miami in the late 1960's and 70's and my cousins lived there forever. We would make those runs to the Bahamas to fish and hang out on the keys and cays through the area, They are better than any prozac !"
 
glad you had an enjoyable trip

glad you had an enjoyable trip.

did that "problem gear" give you anymore grief?
 
"It was great to not have to a

"It was great to not have to add any oil, coolant, ATF, fluids of any kind to either engine. For the first time in the 11 years I've owned the boat, the running gear is leak free. About 270 nautical miles total for the week; the worn velvet drive behaved just fine also. Its a very challenging environment out there, having to run across a barrier reef in 6 feet of water, then the sand flats in 3 to 3 1/2', all at absolutely high tide. No channel markers, no lights, no nothing! BUT, some fabulously clear water allowing us to see the bottom clearly to 50 feet. We actually docked the Cary for 7 days and only used the 10' Avon. Then, the really shallow water operation! Sometimes, even pulling the boat behind us, since the little 15hp merc still needed 12" or so."
 
"Dave:

Got to admit that I

"Dave:

Got to admit that I read your opening post with severe apprehension. Good news piled upon good news, but...I kept waiting for the other boot to come crashing down....but it didn't!

Congrats.

Jeff"
 
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