“Mark and Patti own Cruise Abaco. They have about 20 sailboats and catamarans (and one cat cruiser). They all are in great shape and well equipped. They can do captained day sails, full charters, captain by day charters, bareboat charters and ASA sailing certification training. We did the later for ten days with Capt. Joe. He was spectacular! He was fun, knowledgeable, interesting, understanding, personable, hands on and an all around great instructor. We learned so much over our nine days of sailing that we can feel confident going out on our own on our next charter.

We planned this trip over three months out. Patti sent each of us our four ASA books to read and take practice tests. Having read these really helped. I had sailed as a young boy, but my wife and her best friend had not. The books made the hands on a quick adjustment. Capt. Joe’s teaching techniques made so much sense. His patience during student difficulties and praise for accomplishments are right on.

When we first landed in Abaco, after clearing customs, we got a cab and headed to Maxwells to provision (buy food) for our trip. While the taxi waited, we loaded up with what we thought we would need for nine days and nights. The store is like any other large grocery chain store and has most everything you could need. Liquor store is also on the way. We got to Abaco Beach Resort and unloaded our bags and groceries into carts and pushed them down to the dock. We got help loading our bags onto Fat Iguana, our 44 foot Fountaine Pajot Helia catamaran. Staff came on board to show us how everything worked. Very helpful and kind.

We cooked our own dinner and breakfast and then Capt. Joe headed us out into the Sea of Abaco to really start our adventure. The Sea of Abaco is approx 34 miles long and 6 miles wide. The eastern boundary is the reef and islands which knock down the Atlantic waves. There are many different and beautiful places to anchor, moor or dock. Not to mention there are bars and restaurants that can’t be missed. I would guess there are over 100 beaches to investigate or snorkel off of. The weather was fantastic and the waters just beautiful.

We were introduced to other sailors/owners in the Cruise Abaco family. We had a pot luck dinner on our boat the last night, using up all the extra foods. Wine and guitar playing! New friends for sure and we look forward to seeing them again at the Annapolis Sailboat show and on our next charter in November. We just wish it could be a lot sooner! Patti and Mark were always monitoring Channel 9 on the radio should we have any questions or concerns. Kudos to Cruise Abaco and their great staff!

Edward Bucklin Jr