mid Gulf Stream

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Thursday, March, 29, 2007, 14:23 UTC
Mid Gulf stream

Guests John and Nattacha:
I am writing this log for anyone fortunate enough to come across your
Web site who's considering a sailing adventure aboard Stray Cat.
I have two words... "BOOK IT!!!"

My wife Nattacha and I spent a week of our honeymoon with Captain Mark
aboard Stray Cat in the Exumas from 3/8 to 3/15.
It was by far the greatest vacation we have ever taken and the most
enjoyable and memorable experience we've ever had.

Let me tell you a little bit about Captain Mark. First off, the guy has more
experience than probably any charter boat captain
around. He has his Captain's License in both the U.S. and the Bahamas. He's
been sailing the Caribbean for 20 years or so.
He does the majority of the work on the boat himself. If there were any
mechanical or rigging issues on the boat to be addressed, he can fix it himself. He is a by-the-book guy who knows how to keep things in order (the guy was an Air Force, air crew for God's sake). Medical issues?
The guy helped run a hospital in Phoenix. I write about Mark like I've know him for years, but the fact of the matter is, if you're going to put your life in the hands of someone you've never met and sail around the ocean, the most important thing is
the Captain's ability to be a Captain... and Captain Mark passes this test with flying colors.
Second, he ain't a bad guy! Mark put us at ease immediately. He made us feel
right at home on Stray Cat. The best thing about Mark is that once he sizes
you up and decides that you are trustworthy, mature, and considerate, he'll
let you do just about anything that you want to do. Wanna check out that little town in the
harbor? Take the dinghy! (11' Inflatable w/rigid hull and 15hp outboard) Want
to fish? Drop a line! Wanna snorkel? Here's your mask! Wanna do nothing?
Fine! Want to check out that island over there? If the winds permit... Mark
says "Let's go!". I guess what I'm trying to get at is, Captain Mark is
cool. If you're cool, you will have the most unbelievable vacation of your
life.

Third most important, how's the boat? Well, it's damn near perfect! Stray
Cat is 45' long and 25' wide. It is stable even in rough seas. There's a
large cockpit with a large table for eating/drinking. There are trampolines
in the bow between the hulls, a perfect place to nap while the boat is
sailing along with the water rushing beneath you. The interior salon is
huge. There is one master stateroom in the starboard (right) bow (front)
with a private head (toilet & shower). Mark has the other one on the port
bow (left) side. There are two large staterooms in the stern with two heads
right outside and a fifth stateroom foreword. Four couples can easily sleep on this boat.

How is the boat outfitted? Well, being from a family that owns a few
marinas, and since I was a marine engine mechanic back in the day, I know
what's what. And the fact is, Captain Mark has everything you could possibly
want on a boat. He has a water maker, which is huge. Fresh water all the
time. Powerful generator, icemaker, fridge, stove, microwave/convection
oven, XM Radio, DVD player, Digital Satellite TV (only in Captain Mark's
room, which is probably a good thing), awesome stereo, Iridium Satellite
phone, Autopilot, and the most advanced chart-plotting/GPS/radar system I
have ever seen. So yeah, he's got the works.

Now that you know how big of a fan I am of Captain Mark and his boat Stray
Cat, let me tell you a bit about our trip. We flew into Staniel Cay in the
Exumas and stayed at a private home www.sweptawaybahamas.com owned by Barry
Tendler. Awesome brand new 2bed/2bath house with a golf cart for getting
around. We meet up with Captain Mark at http://www.stanielcayyachtclub.com/
and away we went! We sailed to Sampson Cay www.sampsoncayclub.com and
provisioned the boat. Then we began our adventure as we sailed south down
the chain of the Exuma Islands and made about 10 stops! We stopped by
Farmer's Cay which was beautiful. Then we zipped all the way down to
Great Exuma and hung out in Georgetown. While we were there we took the
dinghy over to Stocking Island where we hung out at Chat N' Chill
http://www.chatnchill.com/. Awesome! Next we sailed to the Four Seasons at
Emerald Bay on Great Exuma and docked at the marina. It was fun to
experience such a beautiful resort but there were too many people (aka
Zombies) that were tapping away on Blackberry's and talking on cell phones.
So we spent the night and split! Finally it was Black Point, another tiny
little town in Great Exuma. I'm probably forgetting some stuff but it was
all incredible. Captain Mark always knew exactly where to go, what harbors
provided good shelter, where there was great fishing, snorkeling, etc. He
was a great guide! We ate when we wanted, where we wanted (on the boat or on
shore) and what we wanted (freshly caught fish or what we brought with us).
We ended our trip at Sampson Cay which was a full service mega yacht marina
and stayed there for three days before we reluctantly had to head back to
"dreary old Manhattan..."

So, I know this is a long message, but I just wanted to do Captain Mark and
Stray Cat justice. If you are in the market for a special vacation, away
from the ordinary, this is it! Get out of the realm of cookie cutter
prepackaged hotels and get out on the open water and see the world the way
YOU want. In our opinion... Captain Mark and Stray Cat are the best means to
that end!

Best Wishes and Regards,

Johnny and Nattacha Calabrese

NNNN
/EX

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