The One That Got Away
MALARKEY
Jo & Trevor Bush
Tue 13 Mar 2007 02:36
|
Hog Island, Grenada 12:00.1N 61:44.5W
Everyone who dabbles in a bit of fishing has a
'one that got away story', well this is ours.
We left Scotland Bay, Trinidad just after
first light bound for Grenada. We knew it was going to be a lively crossing. The
forecast was for continuing mod to strong NE Trades with 3m seas and our course
was due North about 85M. We were going to be close winded and going into a
sloppy sea. The forecasters weren't kidding. The sea area just north of Trinidad
was very confused and the waves were short & steep. I said to Jo
that it would get better when we got into deeper water but she wasn't convinced.
Her summing up of the sail was 'the first half was shit and the second half
was crap'.
Jo suffered from a bit of the old 'mal de
mare' and spent a fair bit of time saying hello to 'Hughie & Ralph' over the
side of the boat. She was feeling pretty grim generally and her only words to me
were 'dont make me doing anything else please'. And would you believe it,
right at that moment a fish struck at our line and the reel went whizzing
off faster than ever before. Oh poo, we have a monster from the deep on the
line, just when you dont need it. The timing couldnt be worse. The boat was
doing its bucking bronko thing and the crew (Jo) had become even more beligerent
than normal. But this fish was mine and was not going to get away, besides I
thought it might cheer the day up, you know, a 'fishy for our
dishy when our boat gets in' and its always a good feeling catching
your own grub.
We furled away the genoa to slow the boat down
and to help reel this sucker in. The line was incredibly taught
and I was seriously struggling to reel it in. I could swear it was pulling
us backwards. Then the clutch on our new reel exploded and all the line I
struggled to get in spilled out pronto. I managed to stop it going out further
and then had to hand the line in with one hand and use the other to wind up the
line onto the reel. In the mean time this new motion, wallowing around in a big
sea, did nothing to help Jo's sea sickness, but being the trooper she is,
she did everything she could to help and help she did!!!
We eventually managed to get the fish to the
back of the boat and by-golly-gum drops it was big and still fighting even after
about 20 mins or so. It was a huge male Dorado, looking glorious due to its
size, power and fantastic colours.There was big flashes of electric blue, bright
green and fluorescent yellow all coming from the same fish. This beastie really
is the equivalent to the Trindad Carnival King of the seven seas. As soon as Jo
saw it she knew this was a photo opportunity not to be missed. She grabbed the
camera and snapped away to catch the moment on film.
Well, that is all we caught. Jo is much
handier with a camera than she is with a gaff hook. I am sure she knocked it off
the hook on purpose, as moments earlier she was heard saying and I quote,
''this fish is too big and too beautiful to be caught''. And although she denies
it to this day, I think she helped that fish escape and to those who know
her, what do you think?
  Anyway, we arrived in Grenada in a smidge
under 11 hours after we started, feeling a bit knackered, a tad
disappointed, very hungry, but none-the-worse-for-wear, except for our
fishing reel of course, which is now as useless as an ashtray on a motorbike. We
checked into Grenada via Prickly Bay and then moved round to Hog Island for
a quiet night and ready for the organised Sunday barbeque
bash.
The barbeque is held in a ramshackled hut on
the island. It is a very picturesque spot and was soon filled with
cruisers and locals enjoying the good grub, the locally brewed beer and locally
grown weed. It started at 3.00 and carried on til the last person left, sometime
around 10.00. It was a good event and the anchorage is perfect, well worth the
trip.
We are doing an overnighter this Weds to get to St
Lucia for the cricket on Fri 16th. England are playing New Zealand in
one of the early stage World Cup games. We are travelling with some Kiwi pals so
it promises to be an interesting time. Look out for us on the tele. We will be
one of the many flag waving English fans probably in or near the 'party area'.
We havent got a Scooby about cricket, we have always figured it was a sure
way to ruin a good picnic but hey ho this is the Caribbean and they do things
differently here and it has got to be worth a
look.
|