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00:00Welcome to Florida.
00:02Florida life, nothing quite like it.
00:04Home to theme parks, golden tans and 400,000 Brits.
00:08I absolutely love it here.
00:10Who've made the Sunshine State their new home.
00:13This is what sold me out. Yeah.
00:15Like, cos it's stunning.
00:16Who wouldn't want to live here like this?
00:18They've swapped drizzly winters and gas bills for new careers
00:22and seemingly endless fun in the sun.
00:24Cheers, Biggers!
00:26It's our little piece of paradise.
00:28Get it right and life in Florida can be like a dream come true.
00:32Every evening do this with your glass of wine.
00:35But getting here and staying here takes hard work.
00:38I do pinch myself every day.
00:41Grit. We just lost the starboard motor.
00:44And determination. Good job. Well done.
00:46These are the Brits who've made their own Escape to Florida.
00:55Today on Escape to Florida.
00:57There we go. Fish on right there.
00:59Oh! Come on, don't come off.
01:02Publican Sean skippers a deep sea fishing trip into troubled waters.
01:07Heavy rain storm coming in there. It's a huge front.
01:10It's a taste of home for Lincolnshire-born Charmaine.
01:15We've got people going out for seconds already.
01:17Yay!
01:18As she organises a curry night for fellow Brits and friends.
01:23Everyone's English. Rick's the only American.
01:28And it's time to celebrate for Yorkshire couple Gary and Maria.
01:32He-hey! He-hey!
01:34With not one, but two new grandchildren on the way.
01:38This is what we wanted when we came over here.
01:41It's the American dream.
01:42Yes!
01:47With over 8,000 miles of coastline,
01:50and around 4 million licensed anglers,
01:53Florida is considered the sports fishing capital of the world.
02:00And in Apollo Beach, it was the thrill of the catch
02:03that drew Northern Irish couple Sean and Anya
02:06to the Sunshine State 25 years ago.
02:09We lived in New York, and New York was fabulous.
02:12But I've always wanted to have a boat,
02:14and we've always wanted to live on the water.
02:17Always by the water.
02:18Yeah.
02:19Just getting all these rods for different types of fishing.
02:22They're heavy duty, even though they look skinny.
02:24Now it's just technology today.
02:26Apollo Beach really is a great place to come and experience fishing.
02:31There's this wonderful feeling when you have a fish on the line,
02:34and you pull it up yourself.
02:38Sean owns a pub in town,
02:40with Anya running the accounts from home.
02:43Sean is also a licensed captain,
02:45and has a little side hustle running fishing trips.
02:48I was very passionate about fishing,
02:50so I turned it into a charter business.
02:53Three, four, six, eight, nine.
02:56Let's get a couple more.
02:58Today, Sean's preparing for his first fishing charter,
03:02since their home was devastated by a hurricane last year.
03:05We've been through many, many hurricanes,
03:07but never got affected by the way this one hit us.
03:11After nine months of renovations,
03:13they've been able to move back home.
03:15But outside, there's still work to be done,
03:18including restoring a special place beside the water.
03:22This is our little pebble beach.
03:24When Anya was going through her cancer five years ago,
03:27I'm out there.
03:28She wanted a wee beach with those pantries over there,
03:30so I just made the whole thing.
03:32And just slowly getting it back to where it was, you know.
03:37The day I got diagnosed was my 20-year anniversary
03:40of being in the United States.
03:42I had a form of cancer that was quite rare,
03:45Leo Meyer's saccoma of the uterus.
03:48The consultant said to me,
03:50the prognosis generally isn't very, very good.
03:52I had to get everything removed,
03:53and then I had three months of chemo.
03:58What's happening to Mama?
03:59What's Daddy doing?
04:04I shaved Anya's head.
04:06It was quite a humbling experience.
04:09When it really hit your doorstep,
04:11of course you're going to think the worst.
04:12You're overwhelmed by your loss.
04:15Beautiful!
04:16And then I thought to myself,
04:18you know, children go through this,
04:19so dry your eyes and get on with it,
04:21and that's exactly what I did.
04:24You got a blower there?
04:28When I went back for the full check-up,
04:30everything was clear,
04:31and it's been five years,
04:33so I was very, very lucky.
04:35After on you and through cancer,
04:37things got into perspective.
04:40You know, it definitely did.
04:41You know, it's the big picture.
04:43You've only one run at this life.
04:45All the things that you are planning to do,
04:47you've got to do them.
04:49The couple have travelled more,
04:51and are making more use of their boat,
04:53and today Sean's getting his fishing business
04:55up and running again.
05:00Watch your hat, Onya.
05:02Sean and Onya are looking for schools of whitebait in Tampa Bay,
05:05with their neighbour Brian and his son Grant.
05:09We're heading up right to this tower right up here.
05:14We're going to see if we can see some fishing.
05:16The whitebait will be used as livebait
05:19to catch much bigger deep-sea fish on Sean's charter tomorrow.
05:23He usually finds them sheltering from predators
05:25around navigational shipping towers.
05:30My sonar, it'll detect bait,
05:33so you're really looking for a bunch of grouping, you know,
05:36a big spoon of bait.
05:37Right over there, they're on the top.
05:39See them?
05:39Yep, we're going to give it a shot.
05:41Sean needs to work closely with Brian
05:43to ensure the heavily-weighted net
05:45doesn't get caught on the tower.
05:48It takes an awful lot of skill
05:50to keep the boat in the right position
05:52in order for someone else to throw a net like that.
05:56It's marking good right here, Sean,
05:58up on the top and down below.
06:00There they are, right there.
06:02Go ahead now.
06:06A good haul today will help Sean skipper
06:09for a successful deep-sea trip tomorrow
06:11and revive his charter business
06:14to help pay for the restoration of Anya's beach
06:17and other hurricane repairs he's left to complete.
06:20Clients, they're not pressed,
06:22but we don't catch fixed, you know?
06:23So we just want to have an arsenal of fit, you know?
06:26All right.
06:35There we go. Perfect.
06:37Yeah, Brian, I think we've got enough.
06:38That'll keep us going.
06:41There's about six dozen in there.
06:43But that's plenty.
06:44We achieved our objective for the fish tomorrow.
06:47So we're good.
06:56260 miles south on the Atlantic coast,
06:59Miami is known as the Magic City.
07:02It's the place to see and be seen in Florida.
07:07Over 23,000 Brits have settled here.
07:09And in its chic suburb of Sunny Isle Beach.
07:13Hey, guys.
07:14Hey, guys.
07:15I summed up our little brainstorm from Friday
07:17and we've got some good goals for next quarter.
07:21Lincolnshire-born Charmaine
07:22runs a multi-million pound British company
07:25from our home office.
07:26We sell mobile phones and mobile phone contracts
07:30to businesses in the UK.
07:33Anyone from a plumber all the way up to really big corporates
07:36with, like, 2,500 handsets.
07:38Good job.
07:39It's on the right.
07:40Good job.
07:41Good job.
07:43Charmaine established the company in England 26 years ago,
07:46but now runs it from Florida with a five-hour time difference.
07:51I carry my phones everywhere with me.
07:53Oh, there we go.
07:54And that's Theresa Y.
07:56Hey, hi, how you doing?
08:00Charmaine and her ex-husband
08:01bought a holiday home in Florida together in 2008.
08:05But when they separated in 2016,
08:07she made the permanent move with Skye
08:10and her elder daughter, Angel.
08:12My Angel's 18.
08:13She's due to start university
08:15and, at the moment,
08:17she's away discovering the world.
08:19What we have been through together
08:21as a little family has been quite bonding.
08:25You know, we moved country together
08:27just after a very messy divorce.
08:29It was quite tough as, you know,
08:31single mother to two children.
08:33I took them to Disney a lot
08:34and we would just appreciate
08:36when we have each other.
08:37We have this wonderful life.
08:40Charmaine isn't the only one working from home today.
08:45Her 15-year-old daughter Skye
08:48is home-schooled and attending online lessons.
08:52You on break?
08:53Yeah, for two minutes.
08:55Do you like this?
08:57Ooh, nice.
08:58Is it an octopus?
08:59Yeah.
09:00Very cool.
09:01Skye is just the polar opposite to me.
09:03I love being with her.
09:05She's very unpredictable.
09:07You fell asleep in that?
09:08Yes.
09:08Oh, my God.
09:09But on the camera.
09:11No, I woke her off.
09:13My favourite thing about home-school
09:16is it's really fun to hang out with my mum.
09:18Has anyone else ever fallen asleep in class?
09:21I'm looking blue in my pyjamas.
09:24What are you making?
09:26Bacon and eggs.
09:27An avocado.
09:29Skye is like my little best friend now.
09:31What I love about her, she doesn't see limitations.
09:35Skye was diagnosed with a hearing impairment
09:38when she was just two years old.
09:40Skye has a bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
09:44When I first heard the news, I was just so overwhelmed.
09:48She's just the sweetest thing on earth.
09:49And to know that she was just going to have to deal with this
09:51for the rest of her life just broke my heart.
09:54She could completely lose her hearing at a later stage in life.
09:58Skye is a big part of the reason that we moved to Florida, actually.
10:02School back at home in London was challenging.
10:05It was just very difficult to keep up with as I got older.
10:11Everybody I spoke to just said,
10:12look, if you have the opportunity to get an education for Skye in America,
10:16then just run for it,
10:17because they accommodate children with learning difficulties
10:20quite a lot more here than they do in England.
10:23Do you have any plants today?
10:25Yeah.
10:25It's our monthly curry club tonight.
10:28Charmaine started her expat curry club six months ago
10:32to stay connected to both her British and Indian roots.
10:35My dad is from Goa, and my mother is Anglo-Indian.
10:40I really can't imagine my life without curry.
10:43I love it.
10:46Bread curry club is usually held at Indian restaurants.
10:49But tonight, Charmaine's decided to host it herself.
10:53I think everyone thought that I'd be cooking, especially as I'm Indian.
10:57But I'm ordering out instead,
10:59because then that way everybody will enjoy the food.
11:02I don't think I'm really built to cook.
11:04I'm built to spreadsheets, and that's it.
11:06You've been raised to tolerate my cooking, so yeah, she's fine.
11:09Somehow.
11:11Thankfully for Skye,
11:12not even mum can make a mess of bacon and eggs.
11:16Let's see you.
11:17Gracias.
11:19So what's in the cocoa menu?
11:22Your favourite, chicken tikka.
11:23When you were like six months old,
11:25you'd be eating all this spicy curry.
11:27You loved it.
11:27Today, you'll get to compare a Miami curry to a London curry.
11:34Obviously, it's a group of English people.
11:35They're going to be tough to impress when it comes to curries.
11:39Hopefully, it's going to be good.
11:40Yeah.
11:52Millions of British families have flocked to Orlando's world-famous theme parks since the early 70s.
11:58And thousands of them love it so much, they make Florida their home.
12:05I'm going to tickle that belly.
12:10Including bar managers Gary and Maria from Yorkshire,
12:15who are visiting their grandchildren in the northern Orlando suburb of Tabari.
12:19You have trouble.
12:20We're from Hull.
12:22Maria's from the posher end.
12:24East Hull, yeah.
12:27The couple married in 1993 and emigrated to Florida in 2007 with daughters Ria and Darcy.
12:35Waking up in England, silly o'clock in the morning, go to work, dark, dismal, rainy.
12:41We didn't want that anymore.
12:42Ria was 12 and Darcy was just about to turn six, weren't you?
12:45As a parent, you want to try and give your kids a better life.
12:4818 years on and both girls are married,
12:51with now 30-year-old Ria and her Puerto Rican husband Angel expecting their first grandson.
12:59I'll definitely be buying his first Hull City jersey for sure.
13:03Joining daughters Amara, who's three, and 22-month-old Elora.
13:08Our granddaughters are...
13:09Beautiful, absolutely.
13:10Yeah, absolutely gorgeous.
13:11We love them to bits.
13:13Having grandkids over here doesn't make you want to be anywhere else.
13:18Hi!
13:20You say hi.
13:21You say hi.
13:23There's also another grandchild on the way, as their 23-year-old daughter Darcy is expecting a baby girl with
13:30her American husband Donovan.
13:32It was a big shock.
13:33It was.
13:34Ria, I kind of knew she was trying.
13:36Yeah.
13:37But as for Darcy, absolutely not.
13:38No, we were absolutely blown away with Darcy.
13:40I mean, we didn't expect that at all.
13:42It's been very challenging on my body.
13:45I didn't realize it would be as physically difficult as it has been.
13:49The cankles.
13:50The cankles!
13:51They're like friggin' sausages!
13:53They're so bad!
13:55The cankles!
13:57Our doctors were very surprised to find out that we were sisters because she sounds so British and I sound
14:02so American.
14:03I think it's because I've been around my mom and dad longer, and I also worked at the Best of
14:08British Café, so I was around English people a lot.
14:13So I think that's how I kind of kept my accent.
14:16Touch bumps with me?
14:18I think we're carrying differently.
14:20Yours is, like, higher, maybe.
14:22Mine's, like, lower.
14:24Whereas Ria, she moved out at a very young age, and she was more around the American influence.
14:29You look so pretty.
14:31So adorable.
14:34Gary and Maria have worked hard their whole lives.
14:38Back in Yorkshire, Gary was a pipe fitter, and they ran a pub and a bouncy castle business.
14:43Here, they're currently managing a sports bar together, with Maria also doing extra shifts at the Best of British Pub.
14:51They've had to roll up their sleeves to give their daughters the best possible start to life in Florida.
14:57To stay here, it doesn't come easy.
14:59We tried our fingers in lots of pies.
15:01Yeah.
15:02From property management, pool cleaning, house cleaning, DIY, added barbecue, grill rental, pharmacies, tour guide.
15:09Still love doing it now, part-time.
15:10Gary's definitely a jack-of-all-trades.
15:13A master of none.
15:14Master of none, yes.
15:19Mum and Dad's entrepreneurial spirit has rubbed off on daughter Ria, too.
15:23Hey, that's my favourite cookie.
15:25That's your favourite cookie?
15:26Well, we'll save some for you, OK?
15:28She manages her husband Angel's chiropractor business, and today, they're opening a new clinic.
15:35Woo!
15:37Woo!
15:38Woo!
15:39Woo!
15:39So, it's a proud day for Gary and Maria.
15:41This is my wife, Ria.
15:43Yeah.
15:43She's the one who's keeping everything going.
15:45So, where is it?
15:47OK.
15:48One, two, three, cut.
15:49Watch your fingers.
15:51Woo!
15:52Woo!
15:53Yay!
15:54Yay!
15:57It feels great.
15:58We have all worked very hard to be here, and we are very grateful for my parents bringing us over
16:07here.
16:08So, my sister and I could make a life out here, and if I can stop crying.
16:15This is how it started, four of us, what we came over for.
16:18The American dream.
16:20Really proud of them.
16:21I'm filling up now.
16:22Oh, my goodness.
16:23I can't speak of the teeth, because I'm very, very proud.
16:25Aw.
16:27It's the pregnancy hormones.
16:30I know.
16:31Today, it's time to celebrate as a family.
16:33I'm going to pour my daughter a glass of alcohol-free champagne.
16:37Here we go.
16:38Are you ready?
16:39One, two, three.
16:41Hey!
16:42Hey!
16:44So embarrassing.
16:46Hi.
16:48Tomorrow, it's the next stage of their pregnancy journey, with both Ria and Darcy having ultrasound scans.
16:54With the girls being pregnant together, and grandkids and everything.
16:57Yes, sir.
16:59Exciting, exciting times to come.
17:01Cheers!
17:02Cheers!
17:02Yay!
17:10Down in Miami, busy CEO and single mum Charmaine is making final plans for tonight's Brit Curry Club, which is
17:18usually held at Indian restaurants.
17:22Tonight, we're doing it at my boyfriend's house.
17:24I'm breaking all the rules, because he's not British.
17:27And then, none of my friends have actually met Rick yet, so it's, you know, up to them with fire.
17:32Charmaine's getting a takeaway delivered, and needs to confirm her order.
17:36Oh, gosh.
17:37That's cool.
17:38It's not a problem.
17:39Just bring him.
17:40He's awesome.
17:41But new Curry Club members are joining all the time.
17:45Bring Sheldon.
17:46It's totally cool.
17:47Lovely to see him.
17:49I think I closed off the list a good couple of days ago, but like it always happens, people keep
17:53adding themselves.
17:54Which is always, you know, really convenient, adding yourself at the last minute, when there's going to be food there.
17:59Could you just go through with me again, what's on the order?
18:02Flakiness is definitely part of the Miami lifestyle, and you just have to get used to it.
18:06So, it's not a problem to add two more people on.
18:11Lovely.
18:12It'll be interesting.
18:14I'm a little bit nervous for it.
18:16That's perfect.
18:16Thank you so much.
18:17Bye.
18:19Random people being added on, but that's okay.
18:22We're good.
18:22The more the merrier.
18:29Charmaine's hosting curry night at her boyfriend Rick's house, and daughter Skye is coming along to help.
18:36Hello.
18:37Oh, you know what?
18:39He's sick.
18:39He might still be at the store.
18:41She's bought four catering bambarie's to keep the Indian food warm when it gets here.
18:46I think that's kind of low down for people to have to reach for food, and then the curry's going
18:50to go all over that nice babe sofa.
18:51I can help out if you want me to.
18:53Do you want me to grab them and put them here?
18:55Yeah.
18:56It's also really great having Skye at the curry event to help me set up.
18:59Besides her hearing impairment, Skye has been living with other complex needs since she was a baby.
19:06Thank you, boo.
19:07There's like lots of little things in her body that go wrong that we don't really understand.
19:12Like in her knee, her bones are growing the wrong way.
19:15She has a lower bite.
19:17She has to have her jaw broken at some stage.
19:20I'm going to put the oven on so if they do come, they can just sit in there for a
19:24bit.
19:25Do you know how to work an oven?
19:26Do you know how to work an oven?
19:28Yeah.
19:29Do you know how to work a company?
19:31Well, technically, I'm actually in school.
19:38Luckily, she's a very independent child.
19:41In five seconds, I will drop these packages.
19:43The universe has given her other gifts and it makes her who she is.
19:48Oh no, that was not the bowl.
19:51Damn Charmaine, read the sizes probably before you ordered.
19:54It looked really big in the photo and it's called a salad bowl.
19:58I mean...
20:01Boyfriend Rick's arrived to become the inaugural American in the British Curry Club.
20:06And the miniature salad bowls are a handy size for Bombay mix.
20:11Oh, these pistachios are divine.
20:13Is that something a Brit would say?
20:15Oh, no, Rick.
20:16Any self-respecting Brit can tell you that the green things in Bombay mix are dried peas.
20:21I really don't get very nervous about meeting people that are British that I've never met.
20:26Well, as long as I have tequila, I should be able to get by.
20:31While Rick primes himself for the British invasion of his home, Charmaine's had a quick change and is preparing for
20:37the curry delivery in just 20 minutes.
20:40I have a very simple job.
20:41All I have to do is make these things warm.
20:44But I don't know how to do it because I've never done it before.
20:47When in doubt, YouTube.
20:51Her search sheds some light on the situation.
20:56Oh!
20:57I see a flame.
20:58Okay.
21:01Each tray needs to be filled with an inch and a quarter of boiling water.
21:06Do you own a kettle?
21:08Yeah, that's my kettle.
21:09Put it on 15 and that thing will be boiling in seconds.
21:12We're going to have to fix that.
21:13You're with an English person now.
21:16Ooh, the tea gets full already.
21:20The Indian food is due any minute now.
21:22If the Bambouris aren't up to the mark by then, Charmaine's fellow Brits could be eating cold curry by the
21:28time they arrive.
21:31That's not a one and a quarter inch.
21:33That's not even a half an inch.
21:35Inch and a quarter would be to here.
21:37We aren't even an eighth of an inch.
21:39Well, if you had a kettle, we may be at an inch at least.
21:49It's 6am over on the west coast in Apollo Beach.
21:54Today, Publican Sean is skippering his first fishing charter of the year.
21:59Morning.
21:59How are you?
22:00Doing good.
22:02You all right?
22:02Yeah.
22:04The clients are fellow members of a fishing club Sean runs from his pub.
22:08They're loading the live bait he netted yesterday, along with the other essentials, like bucket loads of beer.
22:16All right.
22:17Ten lifejacks in here.
22:19All right.
22:20Safety is first always when you're offshore.
22:22I'm totally responsible for all passengers on that boat.
22:25We're going about 120, 130 miles today.
22:29So we're going to run a straight run out there, and then we're going to zigzag our way back.
22:33Any questions?
22:34No.
22:35All right.
22:35Good stuff.
22:36Here's to a fun, safe trip.
22:38Sean's wife, Onya, has arrived to wish the crew luck.
22:41Tight lines, my friend. Tight lines.
22:44But she won't be joining Sean's planned nine-hour deep sea expedition.
22:49I love to go fishing, but three to four hours is quite enough for me.
22:54The sea can be quite a dangerous place.
22:56When you go that far out, anything can happen.
22:58Knowing how to deal with those experiences, that's where your captain's training comes in.
23:03After a long layoff whilst he renovated his hurricane-damaged home, Sean hopes this trip will lead to many more
23:10in the future.
23:10My objective is to put everybody on fish, the boat to run good, and hopefully we have a good experience
23:17that might allow me to start doing more charters.
23:21Sean leads the charter out of Tampa Bay and into the open sea of the Gulf of Mexico.
23:27He's taking them to one of his best fishing spots 60 miles offshore.
23:34It's a great boat. It can handle a lot of rough water.
23:41But she's going to be a bit gnarly going out.
23:44Did we lose anybody?
23:48The weather forecast was for calmer conditions than Sean finds at their destination two hours later.
23:55The wind's out of the southwest, and these waves are just hitting us from the side.
23:59I guess these weathermen sit in houses with no windows, I guess, you know, or whatever they do.
24:06This is going to be a lot more challenging fishing-wise.
24:10Hold on. Don't drop yet. Don't drop yet.
24:13The boat is going to go with the waves, so there's a possibility lines can get tangled.
24:18All right, you can drop now. Drop.
24:21Despite the tricky conditions...
24:23There we go. Fish on right there.
24:25Sean's clients have some early bites.
24:28It's easy, isn't it? It's like fishing in the Thames.
24:34It's the first snapper of the day.
24:36We don't know. Get us on that spot.
24:38That's a good one.
24:39Young Grant's using the live bait he helped Sean catch yesterday.
24:43Hold on. All the way up. All the way up. All the way up. All the way up. All the
24:45way up.
24:46Up, up, up, up.
24:47There you go.
24:50That's a good one.
24:51That's an amberjack. That's a cool fish.
24:53I caught a big amberjack.
24:56Got him? He's slimy.
24:57I know. He is slimy.
24:59To prevent overfishing in Florida's waters, some species can only be kept at certain times of the year.
25:06I've never caught one before.
25:08Good job, Grant.
25:10Unfortunately for Grant, his prize amberjack is out of season, so he'll need to go back.
25:16Well, we got a picture, so I can prove that I caught it.
25:20Oh, I'm on.
25:21Oh, here we go.
25:22Oh, I got stuck there.
25:23All right. Good girl. Tommy's on.
25:25Oh!
25:26Come on, don't come off.
25:28Tommy's hooked a mahi-mahi.
25:30It's in season, so if she can reel it in, this is a fish they can keep.
25:38I love catching mahi.
25:40They jump and give a show, and then I love their colors.
25:44And they're delicious to eat.
25:46You can't go wrong with mahi.
25:50It's a relief for Sean to see his clients catching fish, but with sea conditions in this area worsening...
25:57This is crazy. They're drifting so fast.
26:00Sean decides to find a calmer spot.
26:03All right.
26:04All right. Let's tie them all up. Secure them.
26:10But there's a problem with one of the engines.
26:13Sean.
26:14Sean.
26:14Yes?
26:15Go and try to crank it.
26:17Yeah, it's not.
26:20It's not happening.
26:22All right.
26:23I'll take it up, Daryl.
26:25Yeah.
26:30Right, lads. We just lost the starboard motor, so we've got one motor, and we're about 60 miles offshore.
26:40Sean's charter is in very deep water.
26:45When you're that far offshore, and one engine fails, it's not a good situation.
26:51People are relying on you.
26:53That's sufficient for you.
27:09Up in Orlando's northern suburb of Tabari, there's a baby boom in Gary and Maria's family.
27:16I've got two beautiful grandkids.
27:18About to be four, so that'll make our babysitting lives a little bit more hectic.
27:24We like to come round and look after the kids.
27:26Well, Maria does while I fall asleep on the couch.
27:29I've got to have my grandad naps.
27:33Elder daughter Ria is due her third child and first boy in six weeks.
27:39Darcy, their younger daughter, is a first-time mum and due a girl three weeks later.
27:44My bump is just like getting in the way of everything, bumping in all the counters.
27:49I know.
27:50Boo!
27:52Today, the sisters are having scans together to check the progress of their babies.
27:57I'm hoping that today at the scan, they tell me that the baby is head down.
28:01Because that was one of the reasons I had to have a C-section with Allura, is because she was
28:06breached.
28:07So, fingers crossed.
28:08Fingers crossed for you.
28:09And my fingers are crossed for you too. Thank you.
28:12The ultrasound clinic is in central Orlando.
28:15So, Gary and Maria are on babysitting duties again.
28:19I love my girl time, family time. I look forward to it all week.
28:23Grandad's making a nice flower for you.
28:25I love it. I love it. I love being a grandma.
28:27Oh my goodness, thank you so much.
28:32Well, you guys were blessed.
28:34Very blessed.
28:36Very true.
28:37We came over with just the four of us, didn't we? And now there's going to be ten of us.
28:41Yeah.
28:43Hi.
28:44Nice to meet you.
28:46Two sisters.
28:46Yes.
28:48Having children over here, you've got to pay for your healthcare.
28:52Whereas in England, it's on the NHS.
28:54Even with health insurance, the cost of giving birth can be eye-watering in Florida.
28:59As can actually giving birth.
29:01Let's see if I can get up here.
29:02My first baby cost me about $60,000.
29:07Insurance kind of like kicked in and took care of some of those bills.
29:13He just kicked.
29:15And my second child, close to $150,000.
29:20And that is because she was breached.
29:23Hopefully the head is down.
29:24Hopefully.
29:25Hopefully.
29:27So the position of Ria's baby boy could make a huge difference to the bill she'll have to pay.
29:34And he's facing up, so that's a good thing.
29:36Yay.
29:37Good news.
29:40It does cost a pretty penny to have a baby here.
29:43I'm going to pop my bags right now and go.
29:45I'm going to do the heartbeat.
29:50This is the best sound in the world.
29:53So this is a high-definition ultrasound.
29:56Now you can see more real features of the baby.
29:58He's sucking his thumb.
30:00Perfect.
30:01Perfect scan, yeah.
30:03All right, you ready?
30:04You're up.
30:06Darcy Donovan.
30:08Now it's time for Darcy and husband Donovan to see their baby.
30:14Aww.
30:16She looks like mom.
30:20That was a cute baby, so that's good.
30:22So what are the chances she has red hair?
30:24Usually, dad takes over.
30:26The strong genes.
30:27She might have that red hair.
30:29I hope so.
30:30I hope she's going to be a little ginger.
30:33Aww.
30:34Well, thank you.
30:37Both babies are all set to make their appearance in the world.
30:41With Ria's June six weeks, and Darcy's just three weeks after.
30:46Yay!
30:47That was so nice.
30:49I'm so excited.
30:50I'm so happy.
30:51Yay!
30:52She looks just like you.
30:55She's so cute.
30:56She's so cute.
30:57She does look like you.
30:58Do you think?
30:59A hundred percent.
31:06Down in the exclusive neighborhood of the Venetian Islands in Miami, the Bain Marie's have been filled to the all
31:13-important inch and a quarter of water.
31:15Sorry, you want to come help, babe?
31:17And the final touches to Charmaine's British Curry Club event are being made at her American boyfriend Rick's house.
31:24You've got to put them in bed. That one slipped out.
31:27The first guest to arrive is a newbie.
31:30Good to meet you.
31:31Pleasure.
31:32Come.
31:33Come in.
31:33Charmaine established the club with her expat friends.
31:37Lovely.
31:37It's going to be a curry night without some Stella.
31:40Exactly, exactly.
31:42But British newcomers to Miami are always welcome.
31:45The point of the curry club is to have a community of English people in Miami.
31:50So how did you get into the group?
31:52There's a guy in the group.
31:53He's a fencer.
31:54I met him on a night out in downtown.
31:57Aw.
31:58I challenged him to a fencing match.
32:00British banter is so different.
32:02Americans take themselves very seriously, especially in Miami.
32:05So he brought all his kit out and we were fencing in the street.
32:08Oh, yeah.
32:09He was at the first curry night.
32:10Is that a British thing?
32:12Meet someone, get out there in the bar, start fencing in the street.
32:17A curry club, of course, wouldn't be a curry club without a Ruby Murray.
32:21And the Indian food has arrived bang on time.
32:24Thank you so much.
32:25Wow.
32:26That's a lot.
32:27I hope everyone's hungry.
32:28Hello.
32:29How are you doing?
32:30American Rick has become an honorary Brit for one night only,
32:34after giving up his home to the curry club.
32:37Nice to meet you.
32:38Nice to meet you.
32:38Thank you for inviting me.
32:39This is Rick, my boyfriend.
32:40This is his house.
32:41Hi.
32:42Everyone's English.
32:43Rick's the only American.
32:44But I don't know.
32:45I don't know.
32:46You know, exactly.
32:49Ruth and Hannah are here, who are my longtime Miami girlfriends.
32:54It will be interesting to see what they think of her.
32:57How are you, Hannah?
32:59Hi.
32:59Lovely to meet you.
33:00Lovely to meet you, too.
33:00How are you?
33:01I'll get the lowdown later, I'm sure.
33:03So you live in South Beach?
33:04Uh, no.
33:05I live in North Miami.
33:07Okay.
33:07But I met Charmaine, with Hannah.
33:09Probably about four years here.
33:11Okay.
33:11I met Rick for the first time tonight.
33:13He seems lovely.
33:14Hey, thank you, Charmaine.
33:15What do you mean, Rick?
33:16Absolutely adore him.
33:18I've got Burton, Germany, and that's really funny.
33:20Well, that's next week.
33:21The German events next week.
33:23Yeah.
33:24Yeah, yeah, yeah.
33:24He gets the... from me.
33:27Rick has just been the American appetizer.
33:30Okay, guys.
33:32Guys.
33:33Welcome to Curry Club, May edition, 2025.
33:37Time for Charmaine's Anglo-Indian main course.
33:40Come and have some curry.
33:47I'm a British Indian.
33:49It was really lovely to have an Indian meal tonight
33:51with all these British people who love their curry,
33:54and I love my curry.
33:56Curry's going down well.
33:58We've got people going out for seconds already.
34:00And there's enough food.
34:01Yay!
34:02That's the wind.
34:04My local curry house back home,
34:06in Marl Harbour out in Torquay,
34:07I'll drop that in there.
34:08Big shout-out to Ali.
34:09But that curry tonight was fantastic.
34:12But we seem to be one Brit short of a curry club.
34:15This guy has disappeared from bed
34:17and probably called her boyfriend.
34:20But she's back now because she's hungry.
34:23It's actually so beautiful just to be around English people.
34:26I love America.
34:27I love Miami.
34:28I love Americans.
34:30Mmm.
34:31But I'm still British at heart,
34:33so when I'm around British people in Miami,
34:37that's just such a happy place to be
34:39because I get the best of both worlds.
34:5060 miles off the west coast of Florida,
34:53Northern Irishman Sean has very little to be happy about.
34:57He's still stranded with a boat full of clients.
35:00There's really nothing I can do.
35:02I apologise for it,
35:03but these things do happen, yeah.
35:07The starboard motor of Sean's $500,000 twin-engine boat
35:12has broken down.
35:14As a captain, you don't panic, you know,
35:16you just can't panic
35:17because all the people are relying on you
35:19is to let them know that, you know, they're safe.
35:23Sean has a plan.
35:24We're going to idle back on one motor
35:26and we're probably going to be going about six mile an hour.
35:32But we're safe.
35:34We've got all the emergency equipment.
35:36The only thing I just want you is to be as careful.
35:39Just walk around the boat
35:40because it's going to be quite like this for the next few hours.
35:44There's plenty of beer and food.
35:45Sean and his clients have already been at sea for almost seven hours.
35:50They now face what could be a 10-hour journey home to Apollo Beach.
35:55I'm devastated.
35:55I'm sick to my stomach right now.
35:58It's not a good environment to be out.
35:59And, you know, the one thing you need to rely on is your boat.
36:03Sean was hoping that this charter
36:05would help him get his fishing business up and running again.
36:08It's pretty bad.
36:09My trip's booked next week.
36:10I have to cancel them now.
36:13Sean met many of the clients on board
36:15in fishing clubs he's set up through his pub.
36:18Thankfully, he's got very understanding friends.
36:22You invite people on your boat.
36:24You feel bad because you feel like you're ruining everybody else's time.
36:27But it also builds stories.
36:29We go to the pub.
36:30We always say, hey, you remember that night?
36:32You know, so it's a good story.
36:34I trust Sean.
36:36We're going home. It's all good.
36:41But now there are alarming sounds coming from the only motor working.
36:49You just hear the rubbing noise there off the port motor.
36:52It's taking all the drag right now,
36:55but it still shouldn't make a noise like that.
36:58I've twin 300 engines on that, man.
37:00They're less than three years old.
37:02The last thing you think is the second engine going down.
37:05We're not overdoing it, just in case, you know.
37:13Sean decides not to take any chances and changes course to take the boat directly to the dockyard in the
37:20city of Clearwater,
37:21four hours closer than Apollo Beach, where the engines will be repaired.
37:26But there's more trouble on the horizon.
37:29There's a heavy rainstorm coming in there.
37:31It's a huge front.
37:33In Florida here, we have storms in the afternoon.
37:37Some of those fronts can be ten miles wide, but there's no avoiding it.
37:45The lightning can be a huge risk. You've really got to be very black and white in making decisions.
37:51Could you tick down the antennas, please?
37:55We're about to get wet. Here we go.
38:00On just one engine, Sean manages to navigate a safe path that avoids the thunderclouds.
38:07And, like any good captain, smiles through the storm.
38:11What do you think of that rain smacking you in the face?
38:14Yeah. I'm the twin-drive guy.
38:17But when they reach the other side...
38:19Good night, everyone.
38:21...there's still a long way to go until they reach dry land.
38:24We're still about three or four more hours.
38:27Three or four more hours.
38:28Oh, are we?
38:28Oh, yeah.
38:45Up into Barry, Yorkshire couple Gary and Maria have become grandparents for the third and fourth time.
38:53We have mama and baby.
38:57Five weeks ago, elder daughter Ria and husband Angel welcomed their first boy into the world.
39:04This is little Angel Avon Jr.
39:08Amara and Allure are very excited to have a little brother.
39:11And then, just six days later, and two weeks early, their younger daughter Darcy and her husband Donovan became proud
39:19first-time parents to a little baby girl.
39:22This is what I met.
39:26Her name is Isla Maeve.
39:28She is a little angel sent from heaven.
39:32That was a good toot.
39:35Oh, grandma, grandma's here.
39:37Hey!
39:40Gary and Maria now have two more reasons to visit.
39:44Oh, where's your baby brother?
39:47Oh, there he is.
39:48He's got big since last week.
39:50And there's your little woodland fairy.
39:52He's getting more ginger.
39:53We'll have to dye that, won't we?
39:55I know.
39:56I'm absolutely ecstatic for the girls, yeah.
39:59I mean, as a father moving over here, you can't be more proud of them, the way they've turned out.
40:04Darcy and Ria are both strong, independent women, and they're both great mothers.
40:07I think they're doing really well. I'm so proud of them.
40:10They make me cry.
40:12It's so good.
40:13The grandparents are both working two jobs, so that they can eventually enjoy retirement with their grandchildren.
40:20They're running a bar together, and Gary's a part-time tour guide.
40:23But there are some jobs that jack-of-all-trades isn't keen on.
40:28Should we go clean your butt?
40:29What are you looking at me for?
40:30I'm too old to do diapers.
40:34We try and put Grandad to work.
40:36I ain't got a clue how to do this.
40:38Can you pull it down?
40:39Oh, hang on.
40:43Skills at changing the bin need some work.
40:45Did they have these back in your door?
40:48No, you just put it in the bin.
40:50Ria, you might have to give me your hand here.
40:52Oh, my gosh.
40:54Pull it.
40:55There you go.
40:56Oh, there we are.
40:57Good job.
40:58He got there eventually.
40:59That's all that matters.
41:01It's like catching your first fish.
41:02Hey!
41:04He's useless.
41:05He tried.
41:09With Ria and Angel starting their own business, and four grandchildren and counting, Gary and Maria's Floridian family tree is
41:17flourishing.
41:19We had a certain vision in our head, what we wanted when we came over here, but the way life's
41:24going at the minute, our expectations have been like blown away by everything that's going on.
41:28But the family's Yorkshire roots remain strong.
41:32I feel British, and I love that our babies get to grow up knowing that they're British.
41:38But I hope that my children live the American dream.
41:42Like we did.
41:43Yeah.
41:44And we are.
41:45But never forget your roots.
41:47Yeah.
41:49We couldn't be more happier, actually.
41:51We've done our part as parents.
41:53We've grown up now.
41:54Parents ourselves.
41:55So, wish them all the best of luck, and we're here to help them any which way we can.
41:59Yeah, every step of the way.
42:00You can take the family out of Yorkshire, but you can't take Yorkshire out of the family.
42:06Can't wait to take Little Angel out for a pint when he's 21.
42:10Probably...
42:1278.
42:13Dead?
42:26Out in the Gulf of Mexico, Sean has navigated his fishing party safely through troubled waters.
42:33We got through it. Teamwork.
42:36And they're now able to contact their loved ones.
42:39We've just got phone service now, so that's good.
42:42I don't know.
42:43Okay, we're on our way to Clearwater.
42:45I'm not getting any messages.
42:46To Clearwater.
42:50But they're still a long way from home, as Sean nurses his broken boat back to shore on just one
42:56engine.
42:57So we're just going to put on in this afternoon.
43:00Either way, it's always a great adventure.
43:02We caught some fish today.
43:03The water's beautiful.
43:05The sun's shining.
43:06I love it.
43:06Still can't beat it.
43:08There's nothing to do but sit back and enjoy the ride.
43:21I see land.
43:22I see land.
43:24I see land.
43:25We are going to be safe.
43:27Are you sure?
43:28Get home, Laryl.
43:30It's going to be alright.
43:31It's going to be alright.
43:32It's going to be alright.
43:32It's going to be alright.
43:34With land in sight, it seems a pod of dolphins have arrived to welcome them home.
43:42The dolphins always make an appearance.
43:44They'll do a nice mantini show for you.
43:46Go, go, go.
43:48Go, go, go.
43:48Right here.
43:49Being on the water, there's nowhere like it.
43:52Sometimes you'll just get blown away by nature's natural beauty out there, you know.
43:57Oh, they're swimming with us.
44:00Despite the engine failure, Sean's first fishing charter of the year has been a day to remember
44:05for the whole crew.
44:07Going out in the boat and being around good people and having a good time, there's nothing
44:12like it, you know.
44:13And it seems to have reinforced Sean's new outlook on life with wife Anya.
44:18Anya went through cancer and then we've been through this madness of the hurricane and
44:24things got in the way, you know.
44:25It definitely seemed to take an awful lot out of us this period.
44:30Adios, amigos.
44:31Adios.
44:33But resilience is the way to go.
44:36And to be able to face and cope with the many things that life will throw at you.
44:41We're safe.
44:42I mean, how did you guys enjoy yourselves?
44:44It was amazing.
44:46You had a great time.
44:47You had a great time.
44:48My previous boat in Irish was called Sale of Wine, which means one life.
44:53So, with the charter business, there's no better time than the present.
44:57It's good having positive people around you, so that was good.
45:01Thank God I know them all.