BLACKBEARD'S
CRUISES
Their promotional photographs
are among the most compelling in live-aboard
diving. The aerial image shows a pair of sloops
under full sail, gliding across a crystalline,
aquamarine sea. In a single click of a shutter
the iconic concepts are captured ... sun, fun,
romance, and scuba adventure. Add the roguish
mystery and pirate symbolism of the Blackbeard's
name to a fascinating Bahamas cruise itinerary,
throw in an attractive charter price, savor
with a couple of decades of quality service,
and you have a recipe for one of the world's
most successful and enduring live-aboard dive
concepts.
The heart of Blackbeard's Cruises is a trio
of virtually identical 65-foot sloops, each
carrying 1,800 square feet of sail and a 135-horsepower
diesel engine. The Pirate's Lady, Morning Star,
and Sea Explorer are each configured in a similar
fashion:
Below deck — Private berths
rim a cozy air-conditioned main salon and
small galley. Space is of necessity well
utilized in a 65-foot vessel that can accommodate
up to 23 guests. The Blackbeard's formula
is intimate, with berths shielded by curtains
rather than private cabins, and a common
head and shower.
There is a sense of communal living and conviviality
on a Blackbeard's Cruise. Fresh water is available
of course, but not to be wasted. A water maker can
produce 150 gallons per day, adequate so long as
guests learn techniques of sailboat conservation.
The showers are outfitted with dual outlets þ salt
water to wash, fresh water for rinse. Meals are taken
family-style on the table in the salon, or up on
deck beneath the canopy of the Bahamian sky. The
fare is sumptuous and ample, with snacks between
meals (I was especially fond of the absolutely killer
chocolate-chip cookies for that perfect apres dive
treat!). And while drinking is not condoned before
diving, when the day's scuba activities are wrapped,
there is a well-stocked liquor cabinet and a cold
keg of beer on tap.
Above deck — This is where all dive
activities are staged. The tanks are stored on deck,
and filled from hoses running from sound insulated
compressors. Guests listen to a very thorough dive
briefing from the crew, and then mount their BC and
regulator on one of the 60 or 80 cubic feet aluminum
tanks. A crewmember will lift the tank to the back,
and then a giant stride from the starboard deck launches
divers into the dive-dejour. When the dive is finished,
divers swim to the stern, remove their fins, and
climb up a commodious stair molded into the aft section.
For anyone who has tried to climb back aboard a sailboat
from a flimsy swim-step while wearing a scuba tank,
the ergonomics of this system will be well appreciated.
While diving is a significant priority on all Blackbeard's
cruises, the adventure of sailing is important as
well. When the winds are right the crew is always
glad to hoist sail, and welcome the involvement of
guest who may wish to assist with a line or crank.
The main deck offers room for guests to socialize,
or perhaps simply get away from each other with a
good book, an afternoon siesta, or simply a bit of
personal revelry. There is something about being
out to sea, the sound of the waves lapping on the
hull and the breezes ruffling the main sail that
is especially conducive to profound thoughts. Of
course whatever insights you may have gained disappear
once reimbursed in the hassles of everyday life,
but for that one moment in time, Blackbeard's transports
us to another time and a simpler lifestyle.
During my recent visit I joined Sea
Explorer, captained by Steve Clark,
for a couple days as they cruised between
the Bimini Islands and Cat Cay. I flew
over on the Chalk's seaplane to join the
cruise in progress, but the rest of the
guests boarded the vessel at Miami's Watson
Island (about a 15-minute drive from Miami
International Airport) and crossed the
Gulf Stream to the Bahamas aboard the vessel.
The specific itinerary depends on the time
of year and guest preference. In the winter
it is most convenient to leave out of Miami
and visit the Biminis and Cat Cay, or perhaps
structure an itinerary that might include
Andros and the Berry Islands. During the
summer the boats are more likely to leave
out of Freeport to visit the shark and wreck
dives off that side of the island before
moving on to the oceanic pinnacles and wild
dolphin encounters off West End Grand Bahama.
Nassau departures will likewise include wreck
and shark dives off southwest new Providence,
but also the range to move into the Exumas
for the more pristine and less-visited sites
there. There is something about cruising
these gorgeous islands in a sailboat, tucking
into a secluded bay for the night, and watching
more stars than you ever thought could possibly
decorate the sky that sort of defines the
Blackbeard's experience. And may also partially
explain why the level of repeat visitation
is so very high.
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While each cruise may be a little different,
there are commonalties to the formula as
well. There will usually be three dives each
day, as well three night dives per trip (figure
on 18 dives on a week's charter). Instruction
and checkout dives are available, along with
a comprehensive selection of rental gear.
Here's a typical Blackbeard day out on charter:
sleep, eat, dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, eat,
eat, dive, eat, drink, drink, sleep. In between
you might do a little sailing, a little snorkeling,
maybe paddle around in the ocean kayaks,
read a book, watch the sunset, and count
the stars. By the time you climb into your
berth at night, expect to be pleasantly tired
and definitely relaxed.
While I didn't get to share the full week
on board, the schedule to the week of diving
does give a sense of how a typical week might
run. * Note: The weather was pretty rough
this particular week, and Sea Explorer was
not able to venture quite as far afield as
they might had the seas been calm. Weather
conditions to a great extent will always
influence the specific itinerary.
Saturday — At 3:00 set sail from Watson Island bound for Bimini.
Clear customs early Sunday morning and begin the dive and cruising program.
Sunday — Do an easy acclimatizing dive off Bimini or Cat Cay
to make sure everyone is comfortable with their gear and buoyancy. Visit
Stevie's Wonder inside the Victory reef complex, as well as Lunkhead,
and wrap up with a dive on the Grottoes.
Monday — Begin with a drift dive along Tuna Alley (exceptional
for pelagic encounters and stunning visibility), and then dive Rainbow
Valley on Victory Reef. A late afternoon dive at South Cat Cay and a
night dive at Maxi Rocks finish off this day.
Tuesday — By now the guests are well in tune with their refreshed
diving skills and ready for some more high voltage adventure. The wall
dive at Nodules, and the Caribbean reef shark feed at Bull Run will definitely
stimulate the adrenaline junkies aboard. An afternoon and night dive
at Picket Rocks is a bit more serene, but nonetheless fulfilling, especially
for the UW photographers.
Wednesday — The deep dive (90-95 feet) to the Bimini Barge
is the highlight of this morning, followed by a visit to a shallow patch
reef known as The Strip. The late afternoon and night is spent at the
wreck of the Sapona before motoring on to the vicinity of Cat Cay.
Thu rsday — More
wall and reef dives this day before beginning the sail home on Thursday
night. By Friday the boat is back at Watson Island in Miami, ready to
clear customs at 7:00 AM. This allows guests from anywhere in the country
to manage a great week of diving, and fit it all into a one week, Saturday-to-Saturday
holiday.
The nuts-and-bolts of where the cruise goes does
little to describe how the cruise feels however.
Let me share my days (Tuesday and Wednesday) of this
particular itinerary to better communicate the Blackbeard's
experience:
While normally the crew would insist on
some level of checkout dive before taking
a guest on a wall dive, I was gratefully
given a bit of latitude due to the fact I'd
been diving on Blackbeard's boats in the
past and they presumed I hadn't forgotten
how already. So, early Tuesday morning found
me aboard the Sea Explorer, breakfast and
coffee already behind me, ready to experience
the Bimini Wall. Nodules is done as a drift
dive, past spur-and-groove coral canyons
leading to an absolutely vertical precipice.
I did most of the dive at around 110 to 115
feet, although it took a bit a discipline
not to follow the drop ever deeper as one
bit of black coral and tube sponge leads
seductively to the next. The visibility was
probably 120 feet and the scenery gorgeous,
but the bottom time passes all too quickly
at this depth.
Fortunately, the next dive provided more
time, but given the excitement of the big
animal encounter it didn't feel that way!
At Bull Run (named obviously for the bull
sharks that sometimes join the shark feed)
the Blackbeard's dive staff tethered baits
via a cable attached to a ring permanently
embedded in the rock. Clearly the sharks
are used to being fed here, for they began
to swarm the site at the sound of our anchor.
I found my spot in proximity to the bait
with a coral head at my back, and was rewarded
with many tight shark portraits. We had the
sharks full and undivided attention so long
as there was still bait on the cable, but
once the bait was gone, so were the sharks.
Proving once again how little interest they
have in divers in general, unless enticed
to the scene with bait. Still, this was a
dive that really turned the adrenaline meter
to high, and even the most reserved guests
were now totally pumped up. (It is well to
note that guests don't seem to stay reserved
or shy for too long on a Blackbeard's cruise.
The ambiance is too intimate to be strangers
for long, yet perhaps another reason the
repeat level is so high).
The pace slowed down at Picket Rocks for
the afternoon and night dive as I explored
this lively patch reef with my housed SLRs
to concentrate on fish photography. The night
dive in particular was very productive as
I found octopus, slipper lobster, spotted
morays, and the always fascinating parrotfish
in mucous cocoon.
On Wednesday morning we started off with
a dive on the Bimini Barge. A casualty of
one of the hurricanes that hammered this
area in the late 1980s, the barge now sits
upright just outside Bimini harbor. I have
dived it often in rather extreme currents,
pulling hand-over-hand down the mooring line
with my mask threatening to rip from my head.
If that were the case today we would have
found an alternate site, for the Blackbeard's
divemasters are very astute at reading local
dive conditions and providing for a safe
experience. Actually, this day the current
was nonexistent, the water extraordinarily
clear, and the marine life now accumulating
on the wreck quite awesome. My computer read
92 feet at the sand, so once again the time
passed too quickly. In terms of sheer wealth
of photo opportunity, this is a place I'd
definitely like to stay longer!
The Strip provided another excellent shallow
reef rich with tropical life and critter
photo opportunities, but nothing compared
to the massive schooling fish life now residing
at the Sapona. This old ferrocement ship
had led a varied and somewhat disreputable
former life as a freighter, troop transport,
rumrunner gambling ship, and even a target
for Air Force gunnery practice. Much of her
considerable mass sits above the waterline
riddled with decay, but within gaping holes
in her hull and surrounding her massive propellers,
huge schools of grunt swarm in impressive
profusion. The depth here is only 17 feet,
and the Sea Explorer anchors conveniently
nearby, allowing me to shoot several rolls
of film, return to the boat for film change,
and try some new and different lens combinations
and subject selection. The night dive on
the Sapona is another must-do on this particular
itinerary.
It was with great regret that I left my
new friends among guest and crew aboard the
Blackbeard's vessel and returned to Miami
on Chalk's. Two days were definitely not
enough for me, and apparently for many of
the guests, a week is not enough either.
While a very high percentage of their clientele
returns for subsequent Blackbeard's charters,
the current recurrent champion has been aboard
23 times.
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