After our latest enemy Omicron disrupted more than a few plans (including my annual party at Harry’s in Florence for Pitti Uomo) we decided that we all needed an escape to some sunshine, warm weather and sea breeze. After a bit of looking around and sending an email to a good friend for some advice he said why don’t you just please go stay in my house in Abaco in the Bahamas. YES!—was the quick answer, a no-brainer, because our friend Tom (an incredibly talented interior designer, whom I met on set years ago photographing one of his projects for an interiors magazine) has great taste, and I knew that Abaco has world class bone fishing. So we all packed (I overpacked as usual), Clara brought a friend, and things were set in motion for a week in the Bahamas; taking sun, eating local conch and lobster, drinking rum, G&T’s, Kalik beer, and getting some fishing in. Then the hiccups began: an outbound that was delayed because of weather meant there was no way we were making the connection with the small Bahama airline. We scrambled to change arrival cities from Ft Lauderdale to Palm Beach, but were foiled again—our nemesis Omicron claimed a flight attendant—another delay. Once again, we were going to miss our connecting flight. I sent a few desperate emails to a friend of a friend who was very familiar with Abaco, and he quickly fired off a few suggestions for planes to charter to get us there that day. Now these are desperate times and this escape was a major mental health boost for all of this (especially Clara who is now going to school in Scotland and sees sunshine infrequently). I do not just ring up charter companies to book private planes very often, but after some calculations of time, refunds and desperation, this seemed like a reasonable place to put some hard earned cash. The fast story is we booked a plane with Airflight Charters who have a lot of experience getting folks to the Bahamas from Florida, and they were great and very accommodating. But…there was one more hiccup: getting the plane fueled in time for the daylight window to land in Abaco which did not happen. We scrambled again and spent the night in Palm Beach at the White Elephant, where we had a terrific drink at the bar and met our old friend (and man in Palm Beach) Alexander Kraft, who treated us to a restorative dinner at Sant Ambroeus of fritto misto, veal Milanese and copious amounts of Negronis.
Wheels up the next day was 6:15am and we landed in Abaco safe and sound. As we imagined, the house is a perfectly appointed, a modest Caribbean style house, with an open floor plan of courtyards and terraces surrounded by palm trees, with a 50 meter path to the beach. We hear the sea as we sleep with bellies filled with cracked conch and rum. Paradise. We shopped for food for the week in the local market, had fresh veg dropped off from a local garden (epic arugula!), and bought fish and lobsters at another local. My fishing trip was temporarily sidelined by that bastard Omicron, but my guide found a replacement and I had one of those incredible days bonefishing. The early morning we cast (and caught) to singles and pairs as the tide fell, and by the afternoon, massive schools of bonefish some in the hundreds were cruising in and out of the mangrove flats. Crazy fun stuff! I alway have a light spinning rod with me for the occasional school of snappers, jacks or big cuda, and at lunch I landed a 3 foot barracuda that pummeled my Yo-Zuri top water lure the first cast. On the boat run back to shore we stopped at a little floating restaurant that served fresh conch salad to go. I sat there sipping a G&T and smoking my Partagas No4 in complete bliss, waiting for my order.
Lady Days floating restaurant- Sandy Point Bahamas
I have spent a fair amount of time in the Bahamas but this was my first time in Abaco. The Bahamas is an onion of a place with layer after layer of new discovery. There are so many small keys and islands here that one can spend a life time exploring—and they are so close. But, I will save that for another time. Right now the days are on repeat: rise, coffee, plan some meals, take some sun, cast a rod, and make a drink.
It is better in the Bahamas.
Sounds like a great trip to the Bahamas Matt!
I would like to extend an invite to you for any segment of our CB Sports relaunch Promo Trek. Starts this week!
Big Sky Jan13-17(relaunch collaboration with Dog Fish Head Beer)
Yellowstone Jan 17-19(winter fly fishing)
Park City Jan 19-25(multiple gatherings despite Sundance Film Fest going online).
Denver/Vail Jan 25-30 (presentation at Outdoor Retailer)
Let me know!
Christopher Neary
Glad y’all are having a great time! And a great time of year.
We agree that the Bahamas are special. We loved our 2021 catamaran cruse around Exumas with 4 couples from our uni days…..so much we are booked to do the same in the BVI in August!
Cheers and glad the recovery continues unabated….
BSR