Testarossa Daily Message: Fish On! Fish On! Fish On... / Tuesday 24 May 2016//
As of 1257L hours on 24 May 2016, our position is: 38*10.099'N /
39*38.815'W. We are steaming 094* COG making 6.6 Kts SOG, under main
and motor, 519.5 NM's from the Azores. Note: We have just adjusted our
ship's time to Azores local time.
"It's a fish...It's a Mahi! It's a Shark! It's a Bigggg Tuna! It's a..."
Marlin!
Blue Marlin!
At approximately 1030L, the starboard side fishing rod reel began to
sing out...Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
Fish on! Fish on! Fish on - cried Lorrie!
Felipe to the rod, Captain George to the rod. Throttle back, prepare to land a fish! And the reeling commenced...
As Captain George reeled, all hands came up from below, and the
speculation began! It's a fish, chimed in Lorrie, It's a Mahi someone
else said, there's a big tail fin sticking out of the water! It's a
shark exclaimed Felipe, It's a bigggg Tuna said the Captain, and finally
when close, Babalou - It's a Marlin!
And a Big Blue Marlin it
was. Pulling it along side the starboard aft end of Testarossa, we began
to appreciate the enormity of the fish. Let her swim along side for a
bit - tire her out...Felipe on the Gaff, Felipe and David to hoist her
out of the water and bring her astern.
Length: 6'9" long from tip of bill to tip of vertical tail.
Weight: Estimated ~80 lbs.
Beautiful phosphoresent colors, light blue fins, deep navy blue along the top, sparkling silver across the sides.
And then began the cleaning and clean up! Bring the fish along the port
side of Testarossa, prepping our gear, Babalou - chief fish cleaner,
went below to prepare for fish cleaning duties. Emerging back on
deck...wait for it... wait for it....YES - you got it! In his fish
cleaning attire: One pair of dark blue speedos, scuba booties, red ball
cap, sun glasses, filleting knife in hand, and cutting board. He's
ready! Easy there cowboy with that blade!
It took about 45
minutes to clean the fish, of course that included the pre-cleaning
tasks of Babalou finishing his coffee! David served as his able
assistant as assistant fish cleaner, while Lorrie shuttled fish meat
below to the fridge and freezer, Felipe played some "fish cleaning
music" (see song of the day below! Well what would you play?), and the
Captain relaxed and sailed the boat.
Looks like we are having swordfish for dinner tonight folks!
Oh, and if this wasn't enough for one day - its Lorrie's Birthday!
Happy Birthday from Team Testarossa! Happy Birthday to you...Happy
Birthday to you! (She's 29!)
More to follow later...
Personal Messages from the Crew:
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Captain George: Looking forward to arriving in Horta. Making great time looks like about Fridayish. Need some wind soon!!!!
Ms. Lorrie: Thank you all for the Birthday Wishes! Especially JBS for the wonderful card at sea!
Babalou: All goes well here. Another great day on the water. Unlike a
fish out of the water - I'm in my element. No further comment as I am
showering right now...
Felipe: 4CJ - Baby! Got your msg!!! Thanks so
much - means the world! 1-4-3 x 143! - Great way to stay in touch! xxx
And make that 51 years! ;) Hey Dad - you should have seen this Marlin! Pictures soon - stay tuned! Cheers all, P
Mr. David, Esq: Worst news of the day is my only pair of trousers got
rather fishy when we hauled the beast on board - than have been rinsed
and are drying, but I might have cold calves tonight! Look forward to
skyping everyone from Horta soon, DP xxx
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Song of the Day: Guitars and Tiki Bars, By Kenny Chesney
Take care all, and Cheers to all, from Team Testarossa! Fishers of the Sea, Azores bound,
Testarossa Sends,
USA 143