Garry and Libby Hubbard “let it Bee”
As a former Merchant Mariner I have always had an infinity with the sea, the problem was my wife (Libby) had not spent much time boating and other than weekend trips in the Pacific Northwest, her cruising time was limited. Even though I have had a Captains license for 35 years we both attended the Chapman School in Stuart Florida, essentially for Libby to get professional teaching in the arts of seamanship. She did well and received certificates in basic and advanced seamanship. When our new Offshore 80 Pilot House MY (let it Bee) arrived in early 2017 we were so excited, the commissioning progressed well and we were soon off to the Bahamas.
We have traversed the Eastern seaboard from the Exumas to Northern Maine and have had such a great time and met so many wonderful people. We are often asked if 80 foot is to big for a couple to operate and our answer is no! She handles so well and in close quarter maneuvering she is so smooth to operate, it makes us look better than we actually are. However, when we first washed her down after a salty day cruising we realized that 80 feet is not that small! The first time we took about 4 hours and when finished we looked at each other and said something to like “I’m exhausted!” Libby suggested I used something bigger than a tooth brush (or words to that effect) and over the coming months we developed a system where we now can wash this boat and dry her down in about one hour.
Friends and family all marvel at the fit and finish of the boat, she shows her high quality and has such a solid feel to her. Mechanically she has performed with amazing reliability and we have been supported well by the entire Offshore team when we have had any issues. In the full cruising years 2018/19 we have spent 19 months onboard and have travelled over 6500 Nm and are looking forward to this year’s cruising once the Covid19 situation hopefully settles down.
We are based during winter at Sunset Bay, Stuart Florida and if you see us on your travels please feel free to say hi.
Garry and Libby Hubbard
“let it Bee”
Stuart, Florida
