Fish On!

Today I missed the morning weather forecast that starts at 6:30am on the ssb radio, but that’s ok because I’ve got the past forecast that cover today. I’m moving the boat today, I’m leaving Nassau heading 40 miles north east across some deep water over to Royal Island. At 8:30am I start the engines, pull up the main sail, get clearance to leave the harbor, and pull the anchor. Nassau Harbor is very busy with sailboats, trawlers, party boats, tugs, container ships, and cruise ships. All the boats are suppose to check in with Nassau Harbor Control to ask for permission to enter, exit, or move about in the harbor. Its all very simple you just call them up on the vhf radio on channel 16, they ask you to switch to channel 9, they want to know the name of the boat with the coast guard documentation number and where you are going.

The trip is about six hours. After I clear the island I let out my two fishing lines. I’m on a very long dry run with my fishing luck, the last fish I caught was a very tasty dolphin fish which I hooked about a month ago. Once I get the poles set up in the rod holders I put out the two remaining sails. The front sail is the Genoa and is the boat’s largest sail, the last sail I put out is the smallest of the boat’s sail called the stay sail.

The wind is directly of the starboard beam (side of the boat). Wind is running at 15 knots and the seas are at 2-3 feet. Wow, this has to be the best day of sailing I’ve experienced yet. The ocean is deep at 6000 feet, but I’ve got almost no ocean swell and the small waves are because there is a reef a few miles away at the same direction from where the wind is coming from and also over the past two days there has been no wind in the area. I shut the engines off and the boat is moving along real nice at 6.5 to 7 knots and the ride is very comfortable. The ride over is great, no boat traffic to worry about, but also no fish. I was really hoping to catch a tuna or a dolphin fish in the deep water….Nothing……until…….

As I’m nearing Royal Island the water is getting shallower at about 100 feet. Then wham! One of the rods bends over and the line is getting striped off. Fish On!! Yes.

I grab the rod and realize the fish is not the big tuna I was hoping for and It comes in pretty fast. Barracuda, Not the fish I was looking for. The guide books say not to eat this fish because it can make you sick. Apparently it eats reef fish that can carry a toxin, then the toxin builds up in it. So I let it go.

I put the pole away because I’m nearing my destination. Then….Wham!! The other rod bends over and starts taking line. Yes!! I grab the pole and quickly realize that this is no record breaker. I reel him in and find that I’ve hooked a Mutton Snapper. We’ve caught this fish before and it was very tasty so I’m happy.

I arrive at Royal island and put the anchor down in a very protected inlet. Next job is to clean the fish, I’ve discovered that when I haven’t had fresh fish in awhile I try to be very careful with my filet skills. I skin the fish and try to get all the meat I can off the bones.

I cook the fish up, turn off the skillet, and grab a beer and go sit in the cockpit for a nice cold one and a cigar. Very nice day, wish my wife was here to enjoy it with me.