The ones that got away
Tillymint.fortescue
Fri 18 Sep 2009 10:39
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35:45:160N 009:31:040W
Fear not, dear readers; your gentle correspondent
is back in the blog seat. The Skipper looked for all the world as if he always
chuntered about backwards in large boats as we manoeuvred stern first out of
Lagos. Inching out into the offing, all three pairs of eyes were straining into
the darkness to pick out the flotsam and jetsam of the local fishing fleet. This
was a ramshackle collection of dories, skiffs and sea kayaks, all festooned with
bright fluorescent lamps. "That," said one of our number sagely, "will be a ploy
for catching squid." Quite possible so, but a hellish pain to spot and
avoid.
All the same, we left without apparent incident and
settled in for the long night watches. Sleep was hard to come by - partly due to
excitement and partly because we were still getting our sea legs. The wind blew
about 16 knots from the NW much of the night, so it was out with the gib and off
with the donk in no time, and we were surging along at 9 knots.
Dawn did indeed spread her velvet tendrils across
the sky at an unsociable hour. It just so happened to be an unsociable hour
when the author was on watch. Numbed by its beauty - and by three
hours of searching the horizon for unlit fishing skiffs - I scuttled below and
left the tendrils in Stuart's capable hands. Many hours of dreamless slumber
ensued.
Thanks for your encouraging missives in the
meantime. It is my solemn duty to report a huge improvement in the fish count:
tuna 0, mackers 0, whales 1 (a small specimen; possible a figment of the
imagination), dolphins 6. Said mammals approached Tilly Mint in almost military
formation - six abreast, shoulder to shoulder, breaching in perfect unison. We
scrambled for cameras in the naive belief that these beautiful animals were
planning to join us for an early morning gambol about the bow. Suprised, then,
to watch them cross ahead of the bow at twice our speed and keep on going
without even a matey pause. No time even for the marine equivalent of a friendly
nod over the gate as they passed; in fact, I may even have caught one of them
turning its head away in a haughty manner. The Skipper explained all later:
"They were probably tuna fishing," he said. It all makes sense...
Speaking of which, tuna carpaccio in a chili
marinade for supper. We'll get the hooks over after tea and plan to be
hauling in fish hand over fist by 6. Still working out how to attach photos, so
you may have to take my word for it!
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