Standing on an creek flat somewhere on Cat Island, I waited as the tide began to ebb off the flat into the creek and out to the ocean.  Rich assured us bones would show up as the tide changed.  So smoking my cigar looking around the completely untouched flat and watching for fish, I thought “man, this is the coolest trip I’ve been on.

In the fall of 2009 I contacted Angling Destinations about a DIY trip to somewhere in the Bahamas.  The self-guided trip to Mayaguana looked like my kind of trip, no frills, just you a canoe and the bonefish.  When owner  Scott Heywood suggested that if I was intetested in remote adventure bonefishing, a new sailing/self-guided trip might be what I was looking for.  He also added the price was right.  Now, when Scott suggests a trip might be a good one, it’s probably a good bet.  Scott is a member of the Explorers Club and has fished all over the world in some pretty remote places.  He sent me info on a live-aboard trip off Cat Island, Bahamas.  “If you don’t get excited about this, you should turn in your rods and take up bowling” or something like that was included in the info packet.  Following some coordination and making a few promises to my wife, I sent off my deposit.

One of the beauties of being on the catamaran is storage and personal space is a very limited.  Space being at a premium, I packed my LL Bean rolling duffel and a small carry-on backpack containing three shirts, three shorts, a rain jacket and sweat-shirt. For gear, I packed two rods and reels, my tippet and leaders and two pretty well stocked fly boxes, one for bones and one  for the reef and barracuda.  24 hours later my two bags and I would be met on a far off tropical island by the guy who set the entire event up and be my host for the week.

Rich Mcintyer isn’t a guy who takes the easy way.  He’s been involved in several conservation movements, journalism and fishing lodge ownership.  He’s written several articles about the south pacific, including one about the island of Peleliu and the Marines(an organization with a special place in my heart) landing there during WW II.  He’s also a die hard fly fisherman and traveler.  Rich met me at the Cat Island airport, the international terminal, which is to say the door on the left of the 20ft by 20ft single building airport and we set off to the Greenwood Beach resort.  Like any expedition, we spent the first night in country meeting the rest of the crew over a great dinner.  Dave and Trish Calvert, the owners of Destiny II, Kurt Johnson, our Captain, and Jeff and Jeff the two anglers who would join me chasing bones, talked about fishing, sailing and the Bahamas over an excellent traditional bahamian meal. Following a great dinner at the Greenwood, we each retired to our rooms.  The next day we would be at sea.