We departed Seisia at 7 AM under blue skies. For the first several hours we had decent wind moving along at about 7 knots. The water was very shallow, ranging from 20 to 40 feet deep and even 12 feet at one spot. For the better part of the day we remained in depths no more than 50 feet but lost the wind and had to motor.
By around 3 PM we received word that several others were catching Yellow Fin Tuna and Spanish Mackerel so we put out our hand line. Nearing dusk I had given up hope of sashimi for dinner and was rummaging around the freezer for some of our Mocka's Pies when Frank yelled, "We've got one!" By the time I got topside it was gone, along with the lure and a few hundred feet of line, and we could see it leaping several feet up out of the water behind us - it was a huge bill-fish! It was angry trying to shake loose that lure in its mouth. Feeling pretty rotten about that poor fish I returned below to take the pies out.
As evening approached, depths increased to around 150 feet and the Crap-entaria began to earn its nickname. The ride became AWFUL. Seas have no rhythm, and they slap the hull madly, dipping us up and down, seesawing us fore to aft and tossing us side to side. It is a very agitated motion and so uncomfortable we can't find peace. This continued through the entire night. We eventually got more wind, but the seas are hateful. Then in the middle of the night the rains came pouring down. Neither of us were able to get much rest.
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1 comment:
Keep repeating the mantra: This too shall pass.
I hope never to see the Gulf of Carpentaria again.
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