Finding a surf break is better than striking gold. It’s pure joy, or what surfers call “the stoke.” Kirk’s been on the hunt for waves since we left SoCal. The Bahamas aren’t known as a surfing destination, but we heard rumors a few waves could be found… and so we embarked on a multi-day mission to find them
If there’s no waves to be found, skating a freshly-paved road with just the right incline is the next best thing. It’s also a great way to get yourself from A to B (i.e. from the dock to the beach bar 😉)
We spend over a week here in Hope Town, exploring Elbow Cay. It’s got a little bit of everything: an adorable little town, a handful of surf breaks, showers, a coffee house, one nicely paved road, rum cocktails, and even a game of bingo.
Hope you enjoy!
Lauren & Kirk
FILMED: May 2019
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THE ABACO ISLANDS, POST-HURRICANE DORIAN:
This footage was filmed prior to the utter devastation wreaked by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019. Dorian hit the Abaco Islands as a category 5 hurricane, with sustained winds of 185 mph, flattening most structures and leaving 70,000 people homeless. They are still rebuilding — and will be for a long time.
If you’d like to help the Abacos, check out PERC https://www.percabaco.org/. This is a 503c organization which supports a number of Abaco-based charities and is tax-deductible for U.S. residents.
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Sailing Soulianis Shop // Shirts & coffee mugs designed by Kirk + more!
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SOCIALS + BLOG
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Website: https://sailingsoulianis.com
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CAMERA GEAR
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MUSIC
Theme song: “Adventures” by A Himitsu — https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE
All others: https://sailingsoulianis.com/artlistio-music — Use this link to get 2 free months of Artlist!
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SUBTITLES
by REV: https://try.rev.com/H2dsg — Use this link to get $10 off your first order!
Thinking About Buying a Boat?
Episode Dialogue
– We’re on our way into Hope Town. We anchored outside this afternoon, and we’ve got a mission. We have two missions, two missions, two missions.
– [Kirk] What are the missions?
– Mission one is to check out the roads and see if they’re longboardable because we brought our longboards and we–
– We haven’t used them yet.
– Right? Yeah. We haven’t used them once in the Bahamas.
– No. What’s mission two Kirk?
– I don’t know. What is mission two? Go to the top of the light house?
– It’s your mission. Well, not tonight, but in Hope Town. On Elbow Cay, we’re hunting for waves. So far, no longboarding roads.
– [Kirk] Yeah, there’s not much surf here.
– [Lauren] This looks longboardable.
– We just saw the bowl here. It’s very cool.
– Are you guys skating?
– My dad’s not really done finishing the ramp here. But he just lets us ride around for a little bit.
– [Kirk] Cool.
– [Lauren] How cool is that?
– A frigging skate bowl in Hope Town. Behind the Hope Town coffee house.
– [Lauren] Jackpot. I know where I’m coming back to.
– Oh yeah. Why do mocking birds mock?
– [Lauren] That’s a good question.
– Just to stand up here.
– [Kirk] Yum.
– So we’ve got Japanese sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, grape tomatoes, spinach. Once I get these in the bowls, I’m going to throw some eggs in the pan and then we’re going to put a fried egg on top of everything.
– [Kirk] Yum diddly Watcha got there, birdy?
– Your lunch bowl, finished up with some feta cheese that Kirk remembered we had in deep storage down in the fridge so…
– [Kirk] Deep Space Nine.
– Deep Space Nine. There you go.
– [Kirk] Thank you.
– It’s a busy day at the dock. We’re just trying to get some water. And I think we picked the time when everyone wants to get water and fuel up. There’s a huge motor yacht on the other side of the dock. And it is the biggest operation to get it tied off. They’ve already been here for about 10 minutes and they’re still tying off. There’s lines everywhere.
– We’re the big fish in the sea right now.
– [Lauren] Yeah. Didn’t he just say that our boat could fit in the bathtub?
– [Kirk] Got it?
– Yep. So this morning we went into town to get some more wifi from the coffee shop and to try to dig up some more dirt on surfing.
– [Kirk] We got some local knowledge. We met up with a guy yesterday named Chris who was also looking to surf and he has a rental property down island a little bit. And he’s going to come pick us up in the golf cart this afternoon because the wind has died mostly and switched directions about 90 degrees. And the ocean is cleaning up a little bit. We have like everything converging to hopefully score some waves.
– Where are you sitting?
– [Kirk] I’m standing. ♪ I told her this is the river ♪
– [Kirk] I had other things that are more important than to…
– [Kirk] Yeah, there’s always something to do on a boat, right?
– [Chris] They’re always like, what do people do on boats? I was like, there’s always something to do.
– That bicycle just passed us.
– Yes, they did. Two bicycles passed us. We’re going up the hill.
– Yeah.
– Yeah, see that? That’s there. ♪ I told you one time ♪ ♪ It’s like a ♪
– I don’t know where the hospital is. I also don’t know who to call if anything actually happens. So…
– Good.
– Do we have a paracord? Because we can use that as a tourniquet.
– We do have a paracord.
– Okay, that’s all I can really think of right now as first aid.
– Or to choke me out and put me out of my misery.
– We didn’t bring any limes, right? Isn’t that what you do?
– Yeah.
– Get raked on the reef?
– Yeah.
– Well, this inn should have some citrus don’t you think?
– Yeah, it’d be expensive.
– [Chris] Yeah, we’ll just give it a go and…
– [Lauren] Me nervous that I don’t know who to call if you bash yourself on the reef.
– Yeah, well, luckily we’ve got at least one other person here.
– [Lauren] Okay, well, tell him the signal.
– Okay.
– [Lauren] Bye.
– I love you.
– [Lauren] Okay, I love you.
– [Kirk] See you in a few.
– [Lauren] Have fun!
– [Kirk] Thank you.
– And they’re off. I hadn’t felt nervous until just now but the last second I ran down and said to Kirk, “Hey, do you think maybe we should “come up with some hand signals “since you’re going to be like a quarter of a mile away, “and if one of you bashes yourself “on the reef and I’m supposed to run and get help, “we should maybe, you know, try to communicate.” I came up with a big X. Well, I’m holding the camera, but if do a big X in front of our bodies, that’s going to be the shit hit the fan signal. Get it! Get it! ♪ I’m right by your side ♪ ♪ Don’t wanna be shy ♪ ♪ I’m right by your side ♪ ♪ Don’t wanna be shy ♪ ♪ Love ♪ ♪ I’m right by your side ♪ ♪ Don’t wanna be shy ♪ ♪ I’m right by your side ♪
– [Kirk] So we just got out of the water at Rush reef. It was a pretty sweet reef break. Not quite an A-frame. It was rocky underneath. And Chris broke his paddle. But that was the only casualty. Nobody got bit by sharks. No jellyfish. Nobody broke anything else. Chris hooked it up. Otherwise there was no way we would have made it there so…
– Kirk just got a fresh water shower So he’s pretty stoked. We’re at Chris’ vacation rail. It’s called the Surf Cottage. And it is right on the beach.
– We’re gonna go out and have a drink with him now. A sunset drink.
– [Lauren] What was his name again?
– [Kirk] Ren.
– [Lauren] Ren, okay. That’s what I thought. Ren, get rowdy.
– He dropped us off two amazing looking mahi filets Three! Three mahi filets.
– No way, really?
– [Kirk] Four mahi filets. Four little mahi filets.
– [Lauren] Aw so perfect.
– Yeah, so that will be awesome.
– [Lauren] We’re gonna have some mango rice balls with mahi tonight?
– I think so.
– Or lunch. All right, smoked paprika, you said cilantro. Kirk and I have not tried fishing yet. We can barely free dive and hold our breath for like 10 seconds. So I’m thinking that’s how we’re going to fish is just off of other people’s dinghies. Is the fishing good today? Yup, he’s on his way over.
– That looks like a good one. Thank you, Ren.
– [Lauren] Yeah. Thanks so much Ren. Love to see you up the East coast.
– Yeah.
– Today is laundry and shower day. This will be the first time that we’ve had a real shower where there’s like a shower head over your head for it must have been three weeks.
– [Kirk] Since we were in Marsh Harbor?
– Yeah.
– [Kirk] No, it’s been almost a month.
– Really?
– [Kirk] Yeah.
– Alright. It’s been a long time. So basically been showering right there. Sometimes with that shower bag, that’s hanging on the binnacle, but often just with a bowl right here. And it’s a glorified sponge bath. So I don’t really wash my hair. I’ll rinse it out with freshwater if I’ve been in the saltwater. I think I tried washing my hair once. It just uses so much water. This is what my hair starts to look like. It starts to actually dread a little bit. It’s good stuff love.
– [Kirk] Yeah.
– Old sail bags are the best laundry bags. God, look at that hair. How do you feel post shower?
– Fantastic. Like mostly a new person. I still have a little bit of fiberglass dust in the forearms I think but for the first time in a while, I’m like not sweating. I’m not sticky. Not salty.
– [Lauren] You got a new face.
– Yeah.
– I’m also feeling much better. My hair doesn’t really look much better right now but definitely feels a lot better.
– [Kirk] I think they’re playing like bingo or something.
– [Bingo Host] And another J! What do you need? J9! The one who got a jack put your hands up, let me see ’em. Oh, oh, guys, guys, that dude is right at the end of the docks. Just push him over.
– Thanks for playing with me. What did we get?
– [Kirk] Conch fritters.
– Coconut fried mahi mahi and then some fried plantains. No shirts. That’s good love.
– [Kirk] Sweet.
– Well you have one, it’s just not on. Ooh, the bugs are coming out. Whoa! Yeah.
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