WOODMAN
Contributor
Well, folks. here we go with another long winded trip report- be warned! We recently got back from a week cruising the western Bahamas on the small liveaboard 'Easy Goin', which is a 6 passenger dive boat based right off the beach in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and is accessed on the web at "Paradisecharters.com". I was first attracted to these folks a couple of years ago while researching Bahamas liveaboards, but for some reason it didn't jell untill this year, when they came to my attention again. I had tried most of the other boats in this area, including a memorable trip on the Juliet last year, but I always felt something lacking, somehow.
I tend to gravitate toward the smaller boats, and was really looking forwards to this one, as it only serves 6 passengers at a time in 3 double cabins. It is a 62 ft. converted oil rig crew boat, and captain Chuck and his wife (first mate) Peggy really rebuilt her from the bottom up. They designed her as a dive boat, with lots of room on the covered dive deck and a nice dive platform just above the water's edge with a good sturdy wide ladder for water exits. A warm fresh water shower hose is available, and arranged so that it can be used either from the dive platform or from the corner of the dive deck. They also designed built-in rod holders on the back deck for ocean fishing, and more about that later. There is ample seating for all 6 divers on the dive deck, with a roomy secure bin for gear under each seat. They provide 2 aluminum 80cf cylinders for each diver, but normally only use one and leave your gear set up on your chosen tank for the whole trip. Tanks are refilled with whips between dives, and Chuck pumps an honest 3200 psi if needed. Nitrox is available, but we did not use it this trip. All the tanks are held in secure sockets at the back of the seats, with bungee cords across the valves for extra security, with the exception of two tank slots. As those who have read my previous reports know, I am a certified airhog, and an 80 cf tank just doesn't cut it for me. I made arrangements to bring along a 130 cf rental tank (the same dodge I employed last year on the Juliet with great success), and Chuck had anticipated this long ago. He omitted the tank sockets on two of the tank slots, and arranged extra bungee cords so that a larger size tank could easily be accomodated. My 130 cf tank was right at home, and served me well for the whole trip. A water cooler and a plate of orange or pineapple chunks was always waiting for us when we came up, and was highly appreciated. A large dedicated rinse tank for cameras and a smaller rinse tank for masks and such was placed on the dive deck also.
The main lounge doubles as the dining area, with ample seating for all around a large table. At the back of the lounge was found the entertainment area, with large TV, DVD, CD, etc. The beverage center was also here, with a muscular icemaker and a liquor cabinet. They used 2 liter bottles for soft drinks, and had a large supply of several different kinds. Beer was available in cans, and was kept on ice up in a large cooler on the upper sun deck. The sun deck also featured a grill, which Captain Chuck made good use of during our trip, and also stored several comfortable deck chairs and a special storage area which housed the Zodiac chase boat, which we never needed on this cruise.
The cabins are smallish, but intelligently thought out. There are two bunks in each, a nearly full sized lower bunk and a twin sized upper bunk. The beds were plenty long enough for my 6'3" frame, and also include a small storage area at the head of each bunk with ready access to 110 V. outlets for battery charging. There is also a nice adjustable reading light at the head of each bunk. There is ample storage under the main bunk for dive bags and soft luggage, and they included a small storage cabinet in the corner of the cabin for clothes and such. There are various hooks to hang toiletries bags, clothes, etc, and we had no trouble dressing while standing next to the bunks. They also have numerous clips fastened to the railings all around the sundeck on top, to facilitate drying swimsuits and towels. (This was a really smart idea, which I have never seen anywhere else) They provide all room linens and towels, but ask that you bring your own beach towel for use on the dive deck. The entire boat is completely air conditioned, with higher capacity coolers than usual, and was very comfortable. There is one bathroom, with a marine toilet, shower and sink, and everything on this boat has been lovingly and tastefully decorated (well, maybe except for the Elvis figures that Chuck has in the bridge.) END OF PART ONE.
I tend to gravitate toward the smaller boats, and was really looking forwards to this one, as it only serves 6 passengers at a time in 3 double cabins. It is a 62 ft. converted oil rig crew boat, and captain Chuck and his wife (first mate) Peggy really rebuilt her from the bottom up. They designed her as a dive boat, with lots of room on the covered dive deck and a nice dive platform just above the water's edge with a good sturdy wide ladder for water exits. A warm fresh water shower hose is available, and arranged so that it can be used either from the dive platform or from the corner of the dive deck. They also designed built-in rod holders on the back deck for ocean fishing, and more about that later. There is ample seating for all 6 divers on the dive deck, with a roomy secure bin for gear under each seat. They provide 2 aluminum 80cf cylinders for each diver, but normally only use one and leave your gear set up on your chosen tank for the whole trip. Tanks are refilled with whips between dives, and Chuck pumps an honest 3200 psi if needed. Nitrox is available, but we did not use it this trip. All the tanks are held in secure sockets at the back of the seats, with bungee cords across the valves for extra security, with the exception of two tank slots. As those who have read my previous reports know, I am a certified airhog, and an 80 cf tank just doesn't cut it for me. I made arrangements to bring along a 130 cf rental tank (the same dodge I employed last year on the Juliet with great success), and Chuck had anticipated this long ago. He omitted the tank sockets on two of the tank slots, and arranged extra bungee cords so that a larger size tank could easily be accomodated. My 130 cf tank was right at home, and served me well for the whole trip. A water cooler and a plate of orange or pineapple chunks was always waiting for us when we came up, and was highly appreciated. A large dedicated rinse tank for cameras and a smaller rinse tank for masks and such was placed on the dive deck also.
The main lounge doubles as the dining area, with ample seating for all around a large table. At the back of the lounge was found the entertainment area, with large TV, DVD, CD, etc. The beverage center was also here, with a muscular icemaker and a liquor cabinet. They used 2 liter bottles for soft drinks, and had a large supply of several different kinds. Beer was available in cans, and was kept on ice up in a large cooler on the upper sun deck. The sun deck also featured a grill, which Captain Chuck made good use of during our trip, and also stored several comfortable deck chairs and a special storage area which housed the Zodiac chase boat, which we never needed on this cruise.
The cabins are smallish, but intelligently thought out. There are two bunks in each, a nearly full sized lower bunk and a twin sized upper bunk. The beds were plenty long enough for my 6'3" frame, and also include a small storage area at the head of each bunk with ready access to 110 V. outlets for battery charging. There is also a nice adjustable reading light at the head of each bunk. There is ample storage under the main bunk for dive bags and soft luggage, and they included a small storage cabinet in the corner of the cabin for clothes and such. There are various hooks to hang toiletries bags, clothes, etc, and we had no trouble dressing while standing next to the bunks. They also have numerous clips fastened to the railings all around the sundeck on top, to facilitate drying swimsuits and towels. (This was a really smart idea, which I have never seen anywhere else) They provide all room linens and towels, but ask that you bring your own beach towel for use on the dive deck. The entire boat is completely air conditioned, with higher capacity coolers than usual, and was very comfortable. There is one bathroom, with a marine toilet, shower and sink, and everything on this boat has been lovingly and tastefully decorated (well, maybe except for the Elvis figures that Chuck has in the bridge.) END OF PART ONE.
