Fishing with Cap't Tim, Part deux

Tim's boat has no navigational gear.  None.  Not even a depth sounder.  He wanted me to take Peregrine and lead him to the close dropoffs near the reef so he could anchor and fish.  A firm NO squelched that idea.  I said I have the iPad, I have Navionics on the iPad and that will have to do.

And now Tim is unclear where to go.  He sits down with my iPad and starts scrolling around.  Ian and I exchange furtive worried glances.  Finally Cap'n Tim points at a spot on the chart and says "We go here."  It's a hump about two miles due west from Cousteau.  Thirty feet down, got nice sharp dropoffs all around it.  Looks like a good spot, so off we go.  


Ian had brought some lentil curry soup he had made.  Thank goodness, because Tim didn't have any food.  "We eat fish!"  Yeah, well Dave hasn't had any food since breakfast, so pass the soup, Ian.  Delicious.


We get to the hump; it's about 100m in diameter, I would guess.  Seems to be flat and sandy.  Tim drops the hook.  Sun goes down.  "We catch bait fish when dark."  Ok, sparky.  Tim suggests we catch some sleep, so I go downstairs and sack out on a hard quarter berth with no mattress.  About this time my back went to hell.  So I'm out in a bobbing boat with sketchy (or no) lifelines in the middle of the night with a back that will drop me at the most inopportune moment.  Ah - but it's an adventure!


While I dozed, Tim and Ian lowered the net three times to try and catch bait fish.  Tim had green lights rigged under the gunwales to attract fish.  No fish.  Oh, there were some small fish darting back and forth, but nothing resembling bait size.  Finally, it's past midnight and Tim said we might as well all sleep.  Ok, my back needs it.


Daybreak.  We give up on the hump and start to troll back toward Cousteau.  We had some artificial lures with us; mine looked like a red and white squid.  Turning along the reef out toward the lighthouse, I caught a fish!  Tim got overly excited and staring hauling in my line faster than I could spool it.  It was a Wahoo (Tim thought Barracuda) about three feet long.  That's a prize catch hereabouts.  Tim was very excited.  He brings the fish to the boat and tries to lift it up using the line.  The fish bites trough the line and gets away.  Tim is devastated.  "Need gaff," he grumbles.  (Editor's note:  Before Bill weighs in about the need for steel leaders...I know, I know...)


So no fish, melted ice, and hungry.  I offered to make the crew breakfast on Peregrine and they eagerly accepted.  Tim dropped me off and I took the dinghy over to his boat to pick them up.  Made french toast; first time ever for Tim.


We went snorkeling afterwords and then chugged back to the marina.  I got back about 11 am and slept for a couple of hours.


Final score:  Fish 1, Dave 0

Grade:  B-  Would have been B+ had we boated my fish.


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