By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost Travel Journalist scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com Custom-made offshore trolling lures; jewelry, sculptures and paintings; Guy Harvey swag; marine electronics. These are …
Bonfire Series Kicks Off at Bimini Boatyard, Monday, February 23rd, 6pm
23 Feb 20156:22 PM
The Burning Wahoo Tournament & Festival week starts 6 pm. Monday night at the Bimini Boatyard. Then the action moves to Old Bahama Bay Resort & Yacht Harbor, a Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition Property Feb 26 – March 1st.
To help ensure your success, Capt. Ronnie Schatman will be on hand to offer tips and secrets for catching BIG Bahamian Wahoo. To help ensure we all have a good time, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Guy Harvey Spiced Rum will be featured at the Kick Off Party.
Join your fellow anglers and extreme sports enthusiasts at a Meet & Greet at the Bimini Boatyard Waterside Palm Bar. Discuss details of the trip and find a buddy boat for the crossing. There will be door prizes, a 50/50 raffle and free giveaways, so come on out and let’s get ready to light it up in West End, Bahamas!
The Bimini Boatyard’s waterfront site offers drinks and eats both inside and out. Monday’s event will take place waterside at the Palm Bar.
Bimini Boatyard Bar & Grill
1555 Southeast 17th St.
Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33316
Phone: 954-525-7400
Email: info@biminiboatyard.com
For Fishing with Guy Harvey Outpost: www.ghofish.com
For Guy Harvey Outpost & their great resorts: http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/
For the Guy Harvey Outpost Blog www.guyharveyoutpostnews.com
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![](mailto:?subject=Bonfire Series Kicks Off at Bimini Boatyard, Monday, February 23rd, 6pm&body=The <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/2015-burning-wahoo-tournament/overview.html">Burning Wahoo Tournament & Festival</a> week starts 6 pm. Monday night at the <a href="http://biminiboatyard.com/">Bimini Boatyard</a>. Then the action moves to <a style="color:#00ccff;" href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/destinations/bahamas/west-end-grand-bahama-island/overview.html">Old Bahama Bay Resort & Yacht Harbor</a>, a Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition Property Feb 26 - March 1st.
To help ensure your success, Capt. Ronnie Schatman will be on hand to offer tips and secrets for catching BIG Bahamian Wahoo. To help ensure we all have a good time, <a href="http://www.titosvodka.com/">Tito's Handmade Vodka </a>and Guy Harvey Spiced Rum will be featured at the Kick Off Party.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/burning-wahoo-logo.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2436" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/burning-wahoo-logo.jpg" alt="http://ghofish.com/" width="335" height="335" /></a>
Join your fellow anglers and extreme sports enthusiasts at a Meet & Greet at the Bimini Boatyard Waterside Palm Bar. Discuss details of the trip and find a buddy boat for the crossing. There will be door prizes, a 50/50 raffle and free giveaways, so come on out and let’s get ready to light it up in West End, Bahamas!
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/logo-new.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2619" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/logo-new.png" alt="logo-new" width="240" height="168" /></a>
The Bimini Boatyard's waterfront site offers drinks and eats both inside and out. Monday's event will take place waterside at the Palm Bar.
Bimini Boatyard Bar & Grill
1555 Southeast 17th St.
Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33316
Phone: <a href="tel:1-954-525-7400">954-525-7400</a>
Email: <a href="mailto:info@biminiboatyard.com">info@biminiboatyard.com</a>
For Fishing with Guy Harvey Outpost: <a href="http://www.ghofish.com/">www.ghofish.com</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost & their great resorts: <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/" target="_parent">http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/</a>
For the Guy Harvey Outpost Blog <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpostnews.com/" target="_parent">www.guyharveyoutpostnews.com</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GuyHarveyOutpost" target="_parent">https://www.facebook.com/GuyHarveyOutpost</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/GHOutpost" target="_parent">https://twitter.com/GHOutpost</a> https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/bonfire-series-kicks-off-at-bimini-boatyard-february-23rd/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Miami International Boat Show Events Feature Guy Harvey, Stu Apte, Wayne Bisbee & More&body=The Big Game Room proudly inducts Wayne Bisbee into the Big Game Room Hall of Fame
<img class="alignleft" src="http://www.miamiboatshow.com/lib/img/gallery/img152413270.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Recognized for his outstanding contributions to the sport of big game fishing. Wayne's long history of conservation spans 35 years and he is currently working with governments and private organizations alike in several countries do develop tourism, sportfishing and other aquatic activities as primary, economically viable industries. Wayne also founded Bisbee's Fish & Wildlife Conservation fund whose mission is to conserve, restore and manage fish, wildlife and their associated habitats through science, education and the optimal use of the latest technologies.
Saturday, February 14 Big Game Room Presentations (except as noted)
12:00 USCG - Suddenly In Command
1:00 Stu Apte Roast Legendary IGFA Hall of Famer Apte will roast in the hot seat with the heat provided by Capt. Rick Murphy, (<a href="http://www.sportsmansadventures.com/">Sportsman's </a>Adventures), Sue Cocking (<a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/outdoors/">Miami </a>
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/stu-apte-tarpon-short.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-2588" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/stu-apte-tarpon-short.jpg?w=660" alt="Stu Apte Tarpon short" width="660" height="536" /></a>
Hearld Outdoors Writer), Blair Wiggins (<a href="http://www.addictivefishing.com/" target="_blank">Addictive Fishing TV</a>), <a href="http://www.sportsmansadventures.com/"> </a>Chris Peterson (<a href="http://hellsbayboatworks.com/">Hells Bay Boatworks</a>), <a href="http://www.patfordphotos.com/home-static.cfm">Pat Ford</a>, Ray Van Horn (Gypsy Angler TV). Styled like the Fryar's Club and Dean Martin roasts, these well-known personalities will hurl playful zingers and one-liners at Stu before he gets his turn at the mic. This is not for the faint of heart as the repartee will be sharp as a wahoo's tooth.
2:00 <a title="Capt. Dan Kipnis" href="http://www.captaindankipnis.com/#!presentations">Dan Kipnis</a> - Global Warming - Our Changing Oceans
4:00 Justin Schnute - SUDS - In Depth Look at <a href="http://www.sudsdiving.org/">Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba</a> (SUDS) Program
430pm -7:00pm <a href="http://papaspilar.com/#/papaspilar/landing">Papa's Pilar</a> will host a rum tasting at the <a href="http://guyharveymagazine.com/">Guy Harvey Magazine</a> booth (#4401) near the south entrance
5:30 Guy Harvey Presents: Panama Paradise, his latest documentary in the Big Game Room. Dr. Harvey will discuss the movie and answer questions after the showing.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/panama-paradise-cover.jpg" target="_blank" rel="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/expeditions/pyfc.html"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-2577 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/panama-paradise-cover.jpg" alt="Panama Paradise Cover" width="571" height="399" /></a>
Sunday, February 15
12:00 USCG - Suddenly in Command
2:00 Justin Schnute - In Depth Look at Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba (SUDS)
3:00 Dan Kipnis - <a href="http://www.captaindankipnis.com/#!presentations">Global Warming - Our Changing Oceans</a>
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<a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/expeditions/isla-mujeres.html">JOIN the next Guy Harvey Outpost Fishing Expedition to Isla Mujeres Mexico.</a>
For fishing with <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/expeditions/pyfc.html">Guy Harvey Outpost in Panama</a>
For Fishing with Guy Harvey Outpost: <a href="http://www.ghofish.com/">www.ghofish.com</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost & their great resorts: <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/" target="_parent">http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/</a>
For the Guy Harvey Outpost Blog <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpostnews.com/" target="_parent">www.guyharveyoutpostnews.com</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GuyHarveyOutpost" target="_parent">https://www.facebook.com/GuyHarveyOutpost</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/GHOutpost" target="_parent">https://twitter.com/GHOutpost</a>
https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/miami-international-boat-show-events-feature-guy-harvey-stu-apte-wayne-bisbee-more/){kind=link}
 in Islamorada){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=Bimini Mysteries & Legends: Flight 19: The "Lost Patrol"&body=Today is the 65th anniversary of the disappearance of <a title="Wikipedia entry for Flight 19" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_19" target="_blank">Flight 19, the US Navy's infamous "Lost Patrol"</a>. On Dec. 5, 1945, five <a title="Wikipedia entry for Avenger torpedo bombers" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TBF_Avenger" target="_blank">TBM Avengers</a> were on a routine training mission from their <a title="Wikipedia entry for NAS Ft. Lauderdale" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Air_Station_Fort_Lauderdale" target="_blank">base in Ft. Lauderdale</a> when they disappeared after a practice bombing run. No trace of the crews or their planes were ever found.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/f191.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-315" title="Artists Rendering of Flight 19, the "Lost Patrol"" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/f191.png?w=250" alt="" width="250" height="300" /></a>
The case of of the "Lost Patrol" is one of the 20th Century's great mysteries, and is another chapter in the very colorful history of <a title="Islands of the Bahamas web site" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Air_Station_Fort_Lauderdale" target="_blank">Bimini</a>, the tiny islands in the <a title="Wikipedia entry for the Gulf Stream" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Stream" target="_blank">Stream</a> that seems to have more than their fair share of mysteries and legends. You see, shortly before disappearing forever, Flight 19 had just completed a bombing run on the <a title="Wikipedia entry for S.S. Sapona" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Sapona" target="_blank">S.S. Sapona</a>, a shipwreck just off the coast of Bimini and only a short trip north from the <a title="BBGC web site" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com" target="_blank">Big Game Club</a>.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/sapona.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-316" title="The Wreck of the S.S. Sapona" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/sapona.jpg?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>
So what happened to the "Lost Patrol"? No one really knows, but some believe Flight 19 was a victim of the <a title="Wikipedia entry for Bermuda Triangle" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_Triangle" target="_blank">Bermuda Triangle</a>, the area where ships and planes have disappeared for centuries without explanation. Many theories have been given for the strange occurrences in the Triangle, from aliens to the paranormal to some type of interaction with the <a title="Wikipedia entry for Atlantis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis" target="_blank">Lost City of Atlantis</a>. For those that believe in the Triangle, Atlantis is the most plausible explanation for the disappearance of Flight 19. Why? Because Bimini also happens to be the home of the reputed <a title="Wikipedia entry for the Road to Atlantis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimini_Road" target="_blank">Road to Atlantis</a>. Coincidence??
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/bimini_road.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-318" title="The Road to Atlantis" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/bimini_road.jpg?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>
NOTE: The S.S. Sapona and the Road to Atlantis (AKA the Bimini Road) are two of Bimini's most popular dive sites. For more information on scuba diving these famous sites, as well as Bimini's other underwater adventures, contact <a title="Dive Bimini's web page" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/dive-bimini.htm" target="_blank">Dive Bimini, a Guy Harvey Outpost Dive Center</a> located at the Bimini Big Game Club. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/after-65-years-flight-19-remains-the-lost-patrol/){kind=link}
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