BILLFISH INVITATIONAL AUCTION ITEM: “It’s Good to be a Bahamian Pirate” Luxury Bahamas Vacation Package Enjoy a romantic two night stay at the world renowned Graycliff, an elegant British …
Bimini Spared from the Wrath of Hurricane Irene
26 Aug 20112:42 PM
BIMINI, THE BAHAMAS— AUGUST 25, 2011—The tiny island of Bimini, the most western of the 700 islands that comprise The Bahamas archipelago and only 50 miles from the southeast coast of Florida, has been spared from the devastating Category 3 force winds of Hurricane Irene, which skirted much further east of the island today.
Michael Weber, general manager of the historic Bimini Big Game Club in Alice Town, reported no damage at the 51-room resort. Weber said all resort services including food and beverage, dive operations and the marina will be operating as normal by noon tomorrow.
“We were very, very lucky to be on the outer fringes of this storm,” he said. “Our prayers and thoughts are with the greater Bahamas community that took the brunt of Irene today. We are also here to assist our fellow Bahamian hoteliers with any guests that need to be relocated to Bimini and the Big Game Club.”
Weber described the effects on Bimini as minimal with all utilities and other island services not affected by the passing storm.
“We as well as other hoteliers and businesses on Bimini intend to be open for business this weekend,” he added.
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![](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/billfish-invitational-auction-spotlight-its-good-to-be-a-bahamian-pirate-luxury-bahamian-vacation-package/&media=https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/pirate-luxury-bahamian-vacation-package.jpg&description=Billfish Invitational Auction Spotlight – “It’s Good to be a Bahamian Pirate" Luxury Bahamas Vacation Package){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Billfish Invitational Auction Spotlight – “It’s Good to be a Bahamian Pirate" Luxury Bahamas Vacation Package&body=<a title="Billfish Invitational web site" href="http://www.billfishinvitational.com" target="_blank">BILLFISH INVITATIONAL</a> AUCTION ITEM: "It's Good to be a Bahamian Pirate" Luxury Bahamas Vacation Package
Enjoy a romantic two night stay at the world renowned <a title="Graycliff Hotel web site" href="http://www.graycliff.com" target="_blank">Graycliff</a>, an elegant British Colonial mansion high atop Nassau next to the stately Government House of the Bahamas.
Originally built in 1740 by the notorious priate <a title="History of the Graycliff Hotel" href="http://www.graycliff.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=178&Itemid=152" target="_blank">Captain Graysmith</a>, who plunderd treasure throughout the Spanish Main from the deck of his feared Graywolf, this beautiful home offers an enticing world of colonial elegance tucked away from Nassau’s casino glitter. Surrounded by lush tropical gardens in a resplendent poolside setting, Graycliff is many things - but most of all it is a symbol of tradition, history, excellence and a commitment to providing the ultimate in quality and service. Your deluxe room offers all the amenities and comfort you would expect on an estate that has the only five-star restaurant in the entire Caribbean.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/gc_staying311.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-667" title="Graycliff Hotel - Nassau, Bahamas" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/gc_staying311.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="283" /></a>
Pick your night to enjoy a complimentary four-course "Chef’s Tasting" dinner for two at the award winning Graycliff Restaurant, paired with wine from the award winning wine cellar.
To finish your dinner, select a cigar from your new polished mahogany humidor (6 inches deep), which is highlighted with elegant <a title="Guy Harvey Inc. web site" href="http://www.guyharvey.com" target="_blank">Guy Harvey</a> artwork. This unique treasure will be signed at the tournament by Guy himself, and delivered fully stocked with a selection of 75 fine cigars.
And, what’s it mean to be a pirate if there isn’t any booty? We’ve done some treasure hunting of our own around the 700 Bahamian islands, and unearthed a stunning <a title="Guy Harvey Jewelry web site" href="http://www.guyharveyjewelry.com/" target="_blank">Guy Harvey medallion</a> ( 1 1/4” in diameter) forged in sterling silver with a hard fired enamel Blue Marlin image, complete with sterling silver chain and a set of matching pendant earrings.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/bm1.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-669" title="Guy Harvey Marlin on Hard Fired Enamel Medallion" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/bm1.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="396" /></a>*Image is a representation of the medallion only - chain used in the auction may vary from the product shown.
To quote Johnny Depp....”Life's pretty good, and why wouldn't it be? I'm a pirate, after all.” And now, so are you! Donated by Graycliff, Unique Furnishings, JW Cigars and Guy Harvey Fine Jewelry.
AUCTION INFORMATION:
Tickets to nightly events of the inaugural 2011 Billfish Invitational are available for $150/pp. Price includes cocktails, dinner and participation in the auction and award presentations.
On-site auction is Thursday, May 19th at the Bimini Big Game Club. Online bids accepted through Midnight, Wednesday, May 18.
Please contact Capt. Ned Stone (<a href="mailto:nstone@guyharveyoutpost.com">nstone@guyharveyoutpost.com</a>) for details.
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![](mailto:?subject=Urgently Needed: Bone Reports from South Florida&body=<img class=" size-medium wp-image-3050 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/bone.jpg?w=300" alt="bone" width="300" height="280" />By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
One year into PROJECT BAY BONES--a three-year-study aimed at determining why bonefishing has declined in South Florida waters-- scientists from Florida International University say they urgently need help from flats guides and anglers.
Dr. Jennifer Rehage, a professor of environmental studies who is leading the project, says the research team is seeking detailed information about bonefishing experiences from Biscayne Bay through the Lower Keys. Researchers have crafted an online survey at <a href="https://fiu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_1GplxUPVHqt5xtz" target="_blank">https://fiu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_1GplxUPVHqt5xtz</a> and urge everyone who has fished for bonefish-- from decades ago up to the present-- to complete it before the end of December. It was first posted online last summer.
Rehage said the survey has garnered about 250 responses so far, but she needs a larger sample size -- especially guides --to ensure its scientific validity.
"If I could get 400, I'd be ecstatic," Rehage said.
Veteran anglers and guides throughout southeast Florida and the Keys say they have seen a decline in bonefish numbers-- particularly in Florida Bay over the past 10 years. The FIU scientists -- with funding from the non-profit Bonefish Tarpon Trust-- are examining research data accumulated from as far back as the 1970s and 80s on water quality and delivery, prey abundance, habitat, and pollutants. Without scientific data on the health of bonefish populations, angler/guide knowledge is "an invaluable source of information," according to Rehage.
She hopes to have some answers by the middle of next year.
Meanwhile, Bonefish Tarpon Trust is conducting a separate, three-year bonefish genetics study that also depends on the help of anglers and guides.
Working in collaboration with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, University of Massachusetts, Cape Eleuthera Institute in the Bahamas, and the Fisheries Conservation Foundation, BTT is trying to learn whether bonefish populations throughout the Caribbean and Western Atlantic are related. The researchers want to know where bonefish larvae go following spawning; do they grow into juveniles on flats near spawning sites, or drift far away? The answers will have major implications for conservation programs.
Anglers and guides can help by catching bonefish in South Florida, the Caribbean, Central and South America, the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos, and clipping off a small piece of the fin for DNA analysis. BTT will provide the sample kits. Email info@bonefishtarpontrust.org or call 321-674-7758.
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Sue Cocking chronicles the Guy Harvey Outpost travel and adventure experience in regular blog posts on GuyHarveyOutpostNews.com/. For 21 years, Cocking covered the full spectrum of outdoors adventure opportunities in South Florida and beyond for the Miami Herald, including fishing, diving, hunting, paddling camping, sailing and powerboat racing. She is a certified scuba diver and holder of an IGFA women's world fly fishing record for a 29-pound permit.
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Share your photos, videos and experiences with Guy Harvey Outpost by hash tagging #OutpostAttitude to all of your social media posts. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/urgently-needed-bone-reports-from-south-florida/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Audubon and Lake O: More than Birds&body=One of the world's oldest non-profit wildlife conservation organizations, Audubon has been protecting Lake Okeechobee and tens of thousands of acres of adjacent wetlands, prairies and hammocks since 1936.
The Big O itself is the liquid heart of south-central Florida-- providing drinking water for millions of humans; irrigation for crops; and homes for numerous species of sport and food fish and wading and migratory birds. But the "dry" prairie that surrounds the lake is just as important, and Audubon has been a key player in establishing sanctuaries protecting it from being drained and over-farmed for most of the past century.
The vast grasslands that extend south from the Kissimmee River to the lake--quick to catch fire in the dry season and to flood in wet periods-- are biologically rich and make prime habitat for some unique birds -- the crested Caracara; sandhill crane; burrowing owl; white-tailed kite; and the endangered Florida grasshopper sparrow. Otters and alligators dwell in nearby marshes, along with wading birds such as herons, ibises and spoonbills.
One of the best places to experience this unique ecosystem of dry and wet prairie; marshes; and palm and oak hammock is Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park -- a 54,000-acre gem located about 25 miles northwest of Lake Okeechobee that Audubon was instrumental in establishing.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/P1010701.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4432" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/P1010701-1024x768.jpg" alt="p1010701" width="840" height="630" /></a>
Managed by the Florida Park Service, it's one of the state's largest preserves and you could spend weeks exploring it. About 100 miles of dirt roads for hiking, biking and horseback riding allow extraordinary opportunities to view wild animals without disturbing them.
On a brief hike through a hardwood hammock adjacent to the park office, I spied a flock of wild turkey and a half-dozen deer. On the open prairie, I didn't observe any Caracaras-- sort of a cross between a raptor and a vulture-- but I saw fly-bys of numerous kestrels and hawks. Colorful wildflowers dotted the landscape and subtly-hued sedges rushed along in the brisk wind. I don't know my butterflies, but several different varieties flitted all around. I found a five-foot gator lurking next to some culvert pipes in a slough, and a great egret squawked at me as I passed.
Visitors can camp here year-round and spend hours stargazing far from the light pollution of big cities. From now through March, the rangers lead swamp buggy tours into some of the park's remotest reaches. Reservations are required; call 863-462-5360.
Meanwhile, Audubon continues its long-standing work protecting wildlife and wild places here and throughout Florida-- entering a partnership with the state to establish "critical wildlife areas" and meeting with federal and state agencies, local governments and conservation groups to ensure clean water flowing into and out of Lake Okeechobee at the right times and right amounts. It's not just for the birds. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/audubon-and-lake-o-more-than-birds/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Outpost Offering Front Row Seat to Florida Keys Coral Spawning&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/noaa.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2860 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/noaa.jpg?w=300" alt="NOAA" width="300" height="225" /></a>It looks like a brilliant fireworks display, except it's underwater. In the middle of the night several days after the August 29 full moon, boulder corals all along the Florida Keys reef tract get together to do the wild thing. And you are invited to watch.
These simultaneous acts of coral sex make for spectacular viewing. Millions of tiny white bb's erupt from the polyps of large mounds of coral, scattering bundles of eggs and sperm into the water. Many are immediately consumed by marauding schools of shiny silver pilchards-- hence the fireworks effect. And the swarming pilchards attract larger predators such as barracuda and tarpon to the fray. The lucky coral gametes that manage to survive the fish fest fertilize one another to create larvae which eventually settle to the bottom to form new coral reefs.
For a front-row seat on the nights of Sept. 3 and 4, make a reservation with Captain Slate's Scuba Adventures Dive Center in Tavernier (305-451-3020). The crew will escort you to one of several reefs about 25 feet deep where you have the greatest chance of watching coral reproduce.
However, it's never a sure thing where Mother Nature is involved; the annual spawning is triggered by various cues that are not well understood such as lunar cycle, water temperature and tides. But the good news is that scientists correctly forecast that staghorn coral would spawn the first week of August-- and they did on Aug. 5 in the Coral Restoration Foundation's nursery off the Upper Keys. Scientists and dive operators are hopeful that the larger mountainous species such as brain and star corals -- which put on a much better show than the staghorn--should do the deed as predicted just before Labor Day Weekend.
If you don't want to stay up for the late-night coral viewing party, you can hunt lobsters in daytime from one of Captain Slate's boats. Florida's regular lobster harvest season, which opened Aug. 6 and runs through March 31, allows divers and snorkelers to take six per person per day. Slate's crews will take you to the patch reefs that hold the big ones. You need a Florida saltwater fishing license with a lobster endorsement which can be purchased online at MyFWC.com or at county tax collectors' offices and some retail outlets.
Get busy; spots are filling quickly. For more information, contact GHO Reservations at 800.513.5257, or sales@guyharveyoutpost.com. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-outpost-offering-front-row-seat-to-florida-keys-coral-spawning/){kind=link}
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