BAR TALK

OK, so after a long day of cleaning and wiping down rods and reels, ditto those PIA fold up bicycles. Mine has another flat. Must have a "thorn" in the tire causing a second flat. I took down all the numbers because neither of our Walmart specials will shift so I am on the hunt for new shift cables as well. When I get those I will again take on the task of changing the tube and the shift cables. Anyway, the day is done so I headed out to Whale Harbour for some of their tasty wings and coldies. You can learn a lot at a bar if you just keep your mouth shut and listen. There were some semi locals sitting at the end of the bar talking fishing. One was a kind of loud mouth gal who fishes out of a 26 footer. "If a woman just had a center console." Says she is heading 30 miles offshore tomorrow even though the winds are going to be up a little tomorrow. One guy said could be 4 footers, she said "that's not rough". Was hoping to catch a Bonito. Did not want any other tuna because her dad specifically wants a Bonito. Says they are the best. Whatever. They all then realized they were from Connecticut which is where real fishermen live even though they were all now living full or part time in the Keys. Besides a lot of other things I have already forgotten they started talking about scallops. The best way to eat them is fresh and raw they say. Not sure about that. The only way I can eat them is well done. But what I really learned is that starfish love to eat scallops. In fact in Connecticut if you bring in a 5 gallon bucket of starfish, you can pick up another 5 gallon bucket of scallops. The starfish hovers over the scallop and drills a small hole in the shell and sucks out the meat. In fact, when you see a scallop shell on the beach and it has a tiny hole in it, that is what it is from. I could not confirm the hole drilling, but they do hover over them, wrap their legs around them and pull on the shells until they finally give up. They do the same with oysters. And I just thought they were pretty decorations. Scallop fishermen consider them predators. They used to pick them up and cut them into pieces and throw them back in the ocean. They then realized a starfish can grow it's legs back even if it only has one left. Wow, seems like we should be studying these guys. So, next time you see a starfish, don't let him hover over your foot or any other precious part of your body.

CTM

SIX DAYS AND SEVEN NIGHTS

Thursday we headed out early AGAIN!  This day we decided to go for the gusto and troll specifically for a Blue Marlin.  We trolled north toward one of our favorite Yellowtail spots.  No Marlin but wowsa on the reef fishing!  We soon saw what was stealing our Yellowtail.....Caldwell caught a shark!

And....we loaded up on some of the nicest sized Yellowtail we have ever caught.....

CTM and CTM, Jr. fried up a crapload of Yellowtail on the back of the boat and we ate until our sides hurt.  This was Caldwell and Kate's "Last Supper" as they were flying out of Bimini on Friday. 
One thing I have tried to do is to NOT interfere in my adult children's lives.....Caldwell, Kate, Jabet, and Matt will be shaking their heads and raising their eyebrows here :)   As bad as I wanted to make this decision for them....I lost out in the end!   We had watched a seaplane zoom in and out of Bimini now for days and days but NEVER did I think my son and daughter-in-law would load my grandbaby on that plane and fly away!!!!

First of all....the pilot was barefoot and looked to be about 16 years old!!!!

I felt like I was going to throw up, my palms were sweaty, and beads of sweat popped out on my brow!  CTM was no comfort or help at all :(  All he could say was how cool he thought the logo of the airline was and how his next tattoo was going to be a frigate bird :) 

We said "goodbye", hugged, kissed and off they went.....

Or so we thought!  After they loaded and shut the doors the pilot cranked and cranked and cranked but to no avail.  Soon the doors opened and soon the 3 passengers and pilot unloaded.  The pilot declared that he thought it was just "flooded!"  WHAT????????  This is where scenes from Six Days and Seven Nights swirled though my head.  I even thought at one point someone called him "Quinny!"  :)  Ten minutes later they reloaded and again NOTHING!!!!  Unloaded AGAIN!!!!

This time "Quinny" declared that he was "pretty sure" it was just flooded and was going to let the plane sit for twenty minutes.  Naturally I quizzed him to the nth degree about "had this ever happened before?" and "what are you going to do if it doesn't start?" and on and on and on!  I am "pretty sure" he was praying that it would start this time so he could get the hell away from the Crazy Ole Broad that was making his life miserable :) 

Third time was a CHARM!!!!!! 

Just as we were walking away we noticed this.....

KATE LEFT HER FLIP FLOPS IN ALL OF THE CONFUSION!!!!  We hoped she had another pair in her bag :)   O.K....I had had enough so we stopped by Big John's on the way back to the boat for a rum drink to calm my nerves!  Here is my worried look!!!!!

And CTM's......

Have walked past this liquor store a thousand times and just now noticed the sign......"Sign, sign, everywhere a sign" I am guessing these guys are thinking :)  

And...LAST NIGHT IN TOWN SYNDROME KICKED IN!  Yes, Stevie S is finally out of prison :) :) 

Saturday we got up early to head back to Islamorada.  Note to self....DO NOT GO TO BIG JOHN'S THE NIGHT BEFORE A CROSSING!!!!!!   The crossing was fairly uneventful, we were tied up at Bay Harbour by 2:00, unloaded dirty clothes, started the washer, took a looooooooong shower, and headed up to Outback Steak House for our customary "First Night In Town Red Meat!" 

CTM delivered me to the Key West Airport on Monday morning and by 8:00 p.m. I was getting lots of kisses from Ossie :)  Lola and Finn Henry were already in bed so I had to wait for THOSE kisses until Tuesday.  This will be my last post from Bahamas Cruise 2013 but keep checking as I will continue to make posts about life :)   And....stay tuned for more posts by CTM as I waved goodbye to him in Key West and who knows when that "Old Salt" will head north :) 

Catch you on the flip flop.....

CJM





UH OH :(

Wednesday we decided to take the day off and rent a golf cart and tool around the island. 

A drink at Big John's.....

Next stop was Sherry's for a rum drink then Stuart's for a conch salad then Edith's for conch pizza :)

We decided to head back to the boat to eat our pizza but UH OH :(

Patiently waiting for help......

YAY!!!!!!!!!

CTM gave them a hand.....well....foot :)

All done!  We headed back to the boat and enjoyed our conch pizza and went to bed early as we planned to head out early fishing for Marlin and Yellowtail on Thursday. 

Catch you on the flip flop....

CJM

"IF A MAN JUST HAD A CENTER CONSOLE!" PART 2 :)

I don't think so....

Oh yeah, baby!!!!

Catch you on the flip flop....

CJM

BIMINI BOUND

After evaluating the wind we decided to make the long run back to Bimini on Monday.  We packed up and headed west.  We had "following seas" for most of the run so even though it was very windy we made it fine and without incident.  As soon as we got tied up Freddie spotted us :)   We made a plan with him to leave out early on Tuesday to Grouper troll, reef fish, and snorkel for some conch.  Yes, it would be a full day so we grabbed dinner at Bimini Big Game and hit the sack early. 

We didn't catch any Grouper this time but here is Caldwell wrestling in one of four big Mr. Barry Cudas and one Cero Mackerel.....

 It was too windy to anchor up to reef fish so the next stop was snorkeling for Conch.  Caldwell, Kate, and Freddie jumped in the water and picked up about 15 Conch.....yummo.....fresh Conch Chowder!!!!!

We took our Cero to Sherry's where we enjoyed a Goombay Smash and cold Kaliks while she prepared the Cero for the boys and fried chicken for Kate and me :) 

Catch you on the flip flop....

CJM

OVERALL VIEW OF GREAT HARBOUR

This was the third visit CTM and I had made to Great Harbour and had never been past the restaurant at the marina.  That being said.....we decided to take the day on Sunday and tour the island.  It is beautiful and very undeveloped.   Here are some random photos of our day......

And.....that is Great Harbour in the Berry Islands :)  Catch you on the flip flop....

CJM

HOLE IN THE WALL THIS AND HOLE IN THE WALL THAT :)

Saturday we said goodbye to Loopers and Kinscherffs and began our long trek back to Islamorada by making our turn to the west and shoved off for the long haul to Great Harbour in the Berry Islands.  The seas were very rough and we knew it would not be an easy trip but we knew we would have "following seas."  Now, for the last 4 years all I have heard out of CTM is how I wouldn't let him stop and fish at Hole In The Wall the last time we passed there, and how there was this "unbelievable color change", and yada yada yada.  Since this might be our last time to come close to Hole In The Wall for a while and even though the seas were ridiculous I reluctantly agreed  to alter our course to Great Harbour slightly in order to pass by Hole In The Wall.  This one's for you Dr. Dave :)

Well, the fishing report is that we caught NOTHING!  So....I hope this is the last time I have to hear about Hole In The Wall this and Hole In The Wall that :) 

We did run into a flock of tuna birds as we neared Great Harbour and caught a couple of nice Blackfin Tuna.  After the clean up from the long rough ride we seared fresh Blackfin and enjoyed sushi and rum.....well, at least 3 of us did :)

Catch you on the flip flop....

CJM

BIG NEWS!!!!!

Friday was another windy day so we spent the day piddledickin' around as my good friend Lynda always says :)  We caught up on the laundry, did boat chores, ate, drank, and did some sight seeing around Spanish Wells for the last time while we awaited the arrival of Caldwell and Kate mid afternoon.  They arrived around 3:00 and here is the BIG NEWS.....

What do you get when you cross a Tiger and a Jayhawk??????  WE WILL KNOW DECEMBER 8TH WHEN OUR 3RD GRANDCHILD ARRIVES!!!!!!! 

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Catch you on the flip flop.....

CJM

ELEUTHERA

Thursday we took the ferry boat across to Eleuthera for a tour of the island.  First stop was Preacher's Cave.....

In 1647 a group led by Captain William Sayles left Bermuda in search of religious freedom.  They shipwrecked on the Devil's Back Bone and made their way ashore and found shelter in what is now known as Preacher's Cave.  Here is Brother Don Julio and Sister Leann at the pulpit....

More pics of Preacher's Cave....

Next stop was the Glass Window Bridge.  The manmade bridge took the place of a natural rock bridge that was destroyed in a hurricane.  The current manmade bridge is in need of an overhaul and is limited to one lane of traffic.  The view from the bridge connecting the Caribbean to the Atlantic is phenomenal!

Time for lunch and rum punch :)  We found a little restaurant off the beaten path at Surfer's Inn.  We ordered a rum punch and the guy who was running the place came back to the table and asked if anyone knew how to make rum punch.  Don declared, "WHY, YES I DO!"  So....to make a long story short....we were able to enjoy some of Looper's Love Potion while enjoying a private serenade!!!!!

Seems like a good idea :)

We made our way down to Gregory Town where we enjoyed another rum drink on the veranda at the Back Porch Restaurant.    We made a quick stopover in Gregory Town to check out the Pineapple Festival.  Unfortunately they were just getting set up so we grabbed a quick conch salad and were on our way.  We returned to Spanish Wells via ferry boat and ended our day with MORE rum and "takeout" from one of the local restaurants on Spanish.  Stay tuned for BIG NEWS!!!!!

Catch you on the flip flop.....

CJM

HARUNO, HERE WE COME!

Rubin showed up bright and early and off we went in search of Yellowfin Tuna as we were hungry for some fresh sushi.  Unfortunately we will have to visit Haruno when we return as we didn't catch any :(  We did have some hits and hookups but were not able to land any .  We enjoyed the process, however, of chumming and did chum up a frigate bird....  

And...here's our guide, Rubin Pinder. We enjoyed having him on board and he was pretty easy on the eyes as well :)

The next couple of days were going to be windy so we decided to take the next couple of days off to tour.  Stay tuned.....  Catch you on the flip flop....

CJM

THE DUTCH BAR

After we arrived in Spanish Wells, unloaded our stash, and got settled, we grabbed Benson for a half day of fishing offshore.  We had fresh Mahi Mahi for dinner Saturday night....

Sunday we decided that Benson didn't do anything for us that we couldn't do for ourselves offshore so we headed to the Dutch Bar.  O.K...I know what you are thinking...."Dutch Bar"....knowing this bunch it must be a watering hole.  Well, actually it is renowned fishing grounds for Mahi, Yellowfin Tuna, and Wahoo off of Spanish Wells.  Sunday night's dinner....a nice bull and two beautiful cows....and I am NOT referring to Don Julio, the Angry Spaniard and his cohorts :)

Monday we decided to hire Kirtland Roberts to help us find a reef spot.  And....here's Kirtland piloting us into the back country....

Kirtland knows his business....we loaded the cooler with Yellowtail, Triggerfish, Strawberry Grouper, and a few assorted other reef fish....

When we reef fish in Islamorada CTM usually rigs up a small Snapper of some sort on a balloon rig always hoping to catch that big guy cruising around the perimeter.  Well....this time he was successful!  It was like a Chinese fire drill when we hooked a big Kingfish!  Obviously we were anchored so The Angry Spaniard took the rod and chased that fish all around the boat while CTM held him by the seat of the pants to keep him from falling in.  I think CTM was secretly worried about losing the fishing pole in the drink as much as his buddy!!!!! 

Man over beast!!!!!!!



Tuesday it was dead calm and we headed offshore once again and only caught a Bonita.  It is Wednesday morning and we are waiting for yet another guide.....Rubin Pinder.  Rubin is an energetic young buck who will "black out" our live well.  We will be on the hunt for Yellowfin Tuna today.  Stay tuned for that fishing report!!!!  Catch you on the flip flop.....

CJM