Towards Villisamius, SE Sardinia

Ticketeeboo
Sue & Alan
Sun 10 May 2015 19:41
An eventful day even though on donk for most of it. Squiddy went out early this morning, just as the sun started showing itself. Just before noon I decided to stuff old-squiddy for a new squiddy - the only remaining one I had specially bought for our Atlantic crossings last year. Within an hour or so we had a bite. A small '2-man' tuna weighing no more than 3kg. "Just right size. Enough for 4 meals for both of us" says Sue. At the time Sue also suggested we won't be needing any more but when yeahs on a roll it pays to get stuck in again and quick. Doesn't it? New-squiddy goes back in and just when I was dozing-off after lunch (about 3 o'clock) 'WIZZZZZZZZZZ' goes the fishing line and the second half is underway. This one took some time to land and unlike the first, it was still giving me grief even when I had it close-by. When I saw the size of it I immedIately knew why! At times it was fighting and swimming alongside me and I'm thinking "Leave it a while longer to see if it gets tir
ed". Like earlier, I have lifejacket on and clipped to our transom (for my safety) and I'm trying to coax this big tuna close enough for me to use our spear-gun. Naturally, I just kept missing and put the spear gun to one side in favour of our gaff-hook. As soon as it swam (fighting against the line) close enough the gaff-hook struck gold. I had it just below it's dorsal fin. It ain't getting away now. All this time Sue is giving me ear-ache. "That's too big." "There's not enough room in the freezer."Let it go Alan, It's too big." By this time I had it lifted out the water and firmly held on our bathing step (lowest step) and our lump hammer was having little effect on it's nut. It was not going to surrender and I wasn't gonna give it up just yet. Me thinks, put the spear gun to it's head and give it the coup-de-grace. That could have worked except the spear gun bounced-off it's nut and now has a new home (out of harms way) in Davy Jones locker. I held on for another 20 minutes or s
o until it's persistent wriggling slowed-down enabling me to give it one final 'tap' with the lump hammer. It's the biggest tuna I've ever caught and I don't want another this big - weighing more than 10kg. Despite Sue's protests it's meat is in the freezer and what we can't eat we will donate for others to enjoy.
We've also been joined by an inquisitive white racing pigeon. It's walked round the decks several times and has departed several times and returned. It doesn't seem to like McVitties Hobnobs but is sure to have plenty water to drink because decks get soaked overnight with condensation.
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