More New Friends, A New Roof, and Conch Fritters!!!!!

Last month's Bahamas Habitat Fly In & Help Out Event was another huge success.   Most folks met up at Orlando Executive Airport (KORL) for lunch and then the mass departure for the Bahamas began!  Over 30 pilots and passengers in 8+ planes made the trip to serve the great people of Eleuthera, Bahamas.  The itinerary was the same as it had been for previous events.

This time I had two friends from church join me.  Both of them had never been in a small plane before, but that didn't damper their excitement.  A little over 2 hours after leaving Orlando, we were the first plane to touch down in Governor's Harbour (MYEM), Eleuthera.  We had loaded up the plane with various supplies that had been waiting to be delivered to the camp which almost turned into a little bit of an ordeal.  The customs officer, freshly transferred from Nassau, was very keen to ALL the boxes we had brought with us.  Luckily you are allowed a $100 exemption per person from import duties so we managed to write up an agreed upon manifest and kept it below that mark!

Odyssey Aviation, the local FBO at the airport, was gracious enough to meet all the pilots and crews with catered finger foods, drinks and gift bags for everyone upon arrival.  They also were generous to donate $3500 to the Zion's Children's Home on Current Island; a project hugely supported by the Bahamas Habitat.  So if you find yourself in the Bahamas and in need of FBO services, please give your patronage to Odyssey Aviation to show your thanks for their support of their communities.

This trip, we worked in the settlement of South Palmetto Point.  We served a nice older gentleman and his aunt as we repaid her roof, demolished the crumbling half of his house, and finished putting on a new roof on the remaining front half of his home.  We did this over two days and it's amazing what can be accomplished by so many in just a short time.

After working the 2nd day, a group of us headed for the airport for a little island hopping.  I let John and Doug take turns flying the plane and they did very well.  After a quick turn at North Eleuthera to load the fuel we needed to get home, we flew towards the Exuma Islands chain and stopped at Staniel Cay and walked to the yacht club for lunch.  Unlike last February, the power was on!  So we enjoyed a fabulous lunch and of course the obligatory conch fritters!

Sunday's flight home was none eventful.  The weather was perfect, clearing customs in Ft Pierce was painless as usual, and we were home in Jacksonville by early afternoon.  It was an amazing four days and I truly enjoyed see some familiar faces, making new friends, and sharing this experience with Doug and John.  The main conversation we had when we got home was,"When are we going back?"  Soon I hope!  The next event will be February 20- 23, 2014.  Mark you calendars and join us!

Here is a slide show of our photos.  It also includes some GoPro video while flying low along the beautiful islands of Exuma.

Staniel Cay, Bahamas - Almost Time!

Well over a year ago I promised my dad a guys beach vacation to the Bahamas; just him and I. Next week I get to make good on that promise. Next Thursday we head for Staniel Cay, Bahamas located in the Exumas. Our whole family fell in love with the Bahamas during our Spring Break trip to Treasure Cay last year, so my daughter Abby was not too happy to find out she was not going. I promised her that as soon as the State Department sends us her baby sister's first passport, we'll look to go back as a family. That's a promise I have every intention of keeping!

The Flight Plan:

We are looking to depart Craig Field, Jacksonville (KCRG) by 8:00am and fly to North Eleuthera (MYEH). I am planning to submit an IACO IFR flight plan with a route basically from Jacksonville direct to Melbourne, then out over the Atlantic Ocean direct to Freeport, then direct to North Eleuthera. I plan to fly this route at 7000 feet. At MYEH we will clear Bahamian Customs and Immigration as well as fuel up. MYEH has an FBO on the field, White Crown Aviation, that is reported to reliably have 100LL AvGas.



As I dreamed about this trip, I had originally planned to clear into the Bahamas in North Andros, but it looks like from all reports that the airports on Andros currently do not have AvGas. No worries. This new route may only be a few minutes longer, but it promises to be a more scenic one. Flight time to North Eleuthera should be just over 3 hours.

After we clear Customs and get fuel, we will continue our flight on to Staniel Cay (MYES). This last leg is only 80 miles and should only take about 40 minutes. I may choose to fly lower and slower to enjoy the views from above, but either way it will be great and I look forward to sharing the pictures!

Accommodations:

Once we arrive at MYES, we’ll be staying at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. I've had this place happily stored in my Internet favorites ever since we got the plane and started looking at traveling to the Bahamas. We will be staying in the Orange Cottage. We are choosing to do the "all inclusive" plan. You get 3 bar meals a day, which I understand are quite good, as well as the use of a few recreational toys like bikes, kayaks, snorkel gear, and more. The highlight of the package deal is the daily use of a 13' Boston Whaler boat with gas to explore all the area has to offer.

We're headed to the Bahamas baby so stay tuned for a full report!