2012-02-29 - to Little Harbour, Abacos

What a day!  We left at 6:30am for the Abacos.  Cee Jem was with us, along with several other boats who had also decided that this was a good as it was going to get for a crossing.  It only took an hour to hit the deep blue water.  And, what does that mean?  Fish.  It didn't take long to drop a few lines in.  The seas, I might add, were quite rough (6 ft seas), but at no point was dangerous.  We also had to dodge 3 freighters in our path.  After about 3 hours, and in water that was 4 km deep, a fish hit the line and it took no time to realize that this one was bigger than the rest.  We were sailing only at this point, motors off, so Kerry had to take a few moments to depower the boat so that we could slow down and pull it in.  Connor was already reeling in the other lines so that they wouldn't get tangled.  We had prepared for each of our roles beforehand to make sure we all new what to do.  I was on the rod at first, and it took all that I could to slowly pull it in.  Connor then joined me on the rod as I hand lined it in while he turned the reel.  It was a team effort.  Then, Kerry, with long arms outstretched, held onto the boat with net in hand to bring this big boy in.  Wow.  It was truly the biggest Mahi Mahi (Dolphin Fish, Dorado) we have

ever caught!  The seas then picked up more to 10 ft on the beam.  The boys stayed inside and I kept low in the boat.  The movement in the waves was very jerky and unpredictable, so it is easy to be tossed off your feet.  We only had one rod in the water at this point.  We still could have pulled another (hopefully smaller) fish in, but I would have preferred not to.  Then, the seas settled once again and I was saying how thankful we were for catching a fish.  Then.....the rod was hit once again.  Stations everyone!  This Mahi Mahi was not as big but, again, it took all that I had to pull in.  We pulled in late in the afternoon to Little Harbour, Abaco.  It was nice to finally be in the cut and rest a bit.  We invited Cee Jem over for a shared meal as we had plenty of fish to share and they brought the trimmings.  It was great to hear their stories of their crossing.  Sadly, they took a wave or two into their boat - soaking their cockpit and inside on their cushions.  They were very glad to be in a protected harbour after a long day out on the water.  This is our last big travel day until we finally go back to the US.  The Abacos are fairly close together and within a protected Sea of Abaco.  We are looking forward to the next month of exploring!