Tue Jan 29th 9:38. 184 miles or about 24 hrs out of St Thomas. Yesterday was the best sailing yet. We had the starboard pole up in 15-28 knts of wind from the NNW to NE. Very unusual this time of the yr for the winds to be W of north for any length of time. Great if you are sailing SE to St Thomas. This was the weather we saw last Friday the 25th when we decided to make the run down. That weather report (yes it was from the MaxSea people…and yes they are a Frenchie organization) but the weather was right on for over 1 week. When Joyce came forward yesterday AM we set the pole and bam we were off..for the next 6-7 hrs were looking at that magic 200 mile day (Like a 4 min mile for a runner) At one point we hit 11.1 knots surfing down the waves. Average speeds were 8.5 to 10 for several hrs. By lunchtime we became bored with all the speed and went below to watch some NCIS. By 2 pm the winds had dropped and our speeds were down into the 7’s and 8’s..there went the 200 mile day.
A Fish Story
This is the 1st fish we caught to date. He was up on deck when we went forward to set the pole this AM .One sees hundreds of these skipping wave tops as they sometimes glide up to 100 yds. From time to time they crash land onto the deck.
We decided not to have him for breakfast but add him to our lure. Like most cruisers we drag a fishing lure over the side while under way. A sailboat under sail is the best speed to troll for fish.
I’m not a lover of the oily dark meated fish.. BUT will not turn down Mahi Mahi. I buy lures specific to them. Joyce had bought this one at the Boat Show back in Oct. To date all we had caught was Sargasso weed (a seaweed common in this area, sometime in clumps of 100 ft across). The Mahi Mahi like to sit under patches of this seaweed waiting for some food to swim by. About 2:30pm a big Dolphin (not the Flipper variety - but Atlantic coast dolphin which to others are Mahi Mahi) sees our special and not cheap lure go zipping and bubbling by…during a NCIS episode…. zizzz out goes the line off the reel. We both hustle up top, rolling up the sails to stop the boat. By the time I get to the reel there is about 100ft of line left on the spool. The boat is still moving so I have Joyce start the engine and put the boat in reverse. Once stopped I start to pull him in…well I would gain a 100 ft then he would take that 100 and more back. He started to go around to the other side of the boat. We scramble around passing the rod around stays and shrouds to the port side. We would get him within 20 yds of the boat…..then off for a few hundred feet he would run. We kept this up for almost 1 hr. For those that have never seen a Mahi Mahi in the wild, they are awesome…incredible yellows, greens, blues and golds. Once in the boat all this disappears within 5 minutes.
. I finally get him close enough for Joyce to grab the leader. At 120 lb test we could control this monster. This was one BIG fish..and strong.
I gaffed him but he was above my lifting limit, so my 1st Mate hauled him aboard and into the cockpit. Joyce was in awe….so beautiful and HUGE, I’m trying to squirt alcohol into his gills to put him out. There was blood splattered all over us and cockpit.
This is where most fish stories head south. We both rested a few minutes then I was down to sharpen the fillet knife. This was ONE BIG FISH. So we got out the tape measure.. yep 60 inches from teeth to the end of his tale. We guess his weight well over 30 lbs…I know over my lifting limit, but how often does one catch a monster like this?
Talking about having a big head…not me…the fish
.
It’s now time to fillet him out and get dinner ready. Joyce and I take turns cutting out these huge fillets.
Now this is a big fillet. We flipped him over and Joyce did the other side…yes her’s was bigger with more meat. From now on, fish cleaning is a “pink” job. When Joyce came aboard she quizzed me on what were the “pink” (girlie) chores and what were the “blue” (guy) jobs. Of course as the Capt.. course setting, passage planning, weather reporting, docking, cooking when I want to and when “Happy Hour” commences are all “blue” jobs…everything else is of course “pink” Many of you probably don’t know Joyce’s last name is Pink. So one can see why there are so many “Pink” jobs on this boat.
So with her new “pink” task safely finished, she went below to bag and freeze what was left over from dinner. Now those 2 big fillets in the pan were enough for dinner and tomorrows left over fish sandwich.
Those all are 1 gallon zippie bags. Most would feed 4 for dinner, or the 2 of us with leftovers.
This AM We put the fishing pole back out, not sure where in the freezers we will put more….especially if we get this guys brother.
A Fish Story
This is the 1st fish we caught to date. He was up on deck when we went forward to set the pole this AM .One sees hundreds of these skipping wave tops as they sometimes glide up to 100 yds. From time to time they crash land onto the deck.
We decided not to have him for breakfast but add him to our lure. Like most cruisers we drag a fishing lure over the side while under way. A sailboat under sail is the best speed to troll for fish.
I’m not a lover of the oily dark meated fish.. BUT will not turn down Mahi Mahi. I buy lures specific to them. Joyce had bought this one at the Boat Show back in Oct. To date all we had caught was Sargasso weed (a seaweed common in this area, sometime in clumps of 100 ft across). The Mahi Mahi like to sit under patches of this seaweed waiting for some food to swim by. About 2:30pm a big Dolphin (not the Flipper variety - but Atlantic coast dolphin which to others are Mahi Mahi) sees our special and not cheap lure go zipping and bubbling by…during a NCIS episode…. zizzz out goes the line off the reel. We both hustle up top, rolling up the sails to stop the boat. By the time I get to the reel there is about 100ft of line left on the spool. The boat is still moving so I have Joyce start the engine and put the boat in reverse. Once stopped I start to pull him in…well I would gain a 100 ft then he would take that 100 and more back. He started to go around to the other side of the boat. We scramble around passing the rod around stays and shrouds to the port side. We would get him within 20 yds of the boat…..then off for a few hundred feet he would run. We kept this up for almost 1 hr. For those that have never seen a Mahi Mahi in the wild, they are awesome…incredible yellows, greens, blues and golds. Once in the boat all this disappears within 5 minutes.
. I finally get him close enough for Joyce to grab the leader. At 120 lb test we could control this monster. This was one BIG fish..and strong.
I gaffed him but he was above my lifting limit, so my 1st Mate hauled him aboard and into the cockpit. Joyce was in awe….so beautiful and HUGE, I’m trying to squirt alcohol into his gills to put him out. There was blood splattered all over us and cockpit.
This is where most fish stories head south. We both rested a few minutes then I was down to sharpen the fillet knife. This was ONE BIG FISH. So we got out the tape measure.. yep 60 inches from teeth to the end of his tale. We guess his weight well over 30 lbs…I know over my lifting limit, but how often does one catch a monster like this?
Talking about having a big head…not me…the fish
.
It’s now time to fillet him out and get dinner ready. Joyce and I take turns cutting out these huge fillets.
Now this is a big fillet. We flipped him over and Joyce did the other side…yes her’s was bigger with more meat. From now on, fish cleaning is a “pink” job. When Joyce came aboard she quizzed me on what were the “pink” (girlie) chores and what were the “blue” (guy) jobs. Of course as the Capt.. course setting, passage planning, weather reporting, docking, cooking when I want to and when “Happy Hour” commences are all “blue” jobs…everything else is of course “pink” Many of you probably don’t know Joyce’s last name is Pink. So one can see why there are so many “Pink” jobs on this boat.
So with her new “pink” task safely finished, she went below to bag and freeze what was left over from dinner. Now those 2 big fillets in the pan were enough for dinner and tomorrows left over fish sandwich.
Those all are 1 gallon zippie bags. Most would feed 4 for dinner, or the 2 of us with leftovers.
This AM We put the fishing pole back out, not sure where in the freezers we will put more….especially if we get this guys brother.
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