Sea blogging

As one who has been in the sailing and angling industries for over 3 decades, I have come to appreciate the fact that weather determines our day.

Depending on which industry you work with, you should be familiar with the way weather affects your day to day work. I am sure it does affect each and every industry. But as a sailor and angler, I love to do either of the two when the weather is favorable; warm.

Just like fellow anglers, I am very much interested in catching very big fish. But to be able to catch big fish in the Caribbean, I should be conversant with the best fishing times. And the best fishing time is when the fish come to ‘dine’ and this is the time when most of us are, coincidentally, a few hours away from dinner or breakfast; dusk or dawn respectively. However, there are more factors to consider if you want to catch fish and not only mere fish but a big catch that will leave other anglers envious of you, that will have your kids drooling at the mouth.

Notably, in the past, most native Caribbeans never knew the best fishing times. However, most lake or ocean dwellers learnt to determine the influence of the solar and lunar systems. To them, fish is active during specific times of the day. It is also a known fact that they are active during certain phases of the moon. These influences are measurable.

So most of the fishermen in the Caribbean rely on what they call solunar tables in which observations have been made on the effect of multiple solar and lunar influences. The days in which the effect will influence a big catch are also indicated on the weather charts.

But bad weather is not always bad in the Caribbean. For instance, as a golfer, I find bad weather appropriate for some of the games. Bad weather tests my patience and my shotmaking; in the windy times, I keep the ball down to control strong winds whereas I improve my backspins in the rains as I struggle against the wet turf. To have a good foul-weather round, I never smash down the ball when battling a heavy wind. I therefore do a less backspin to achieve a low trajectory.

I also plant my chia seeds during the bad weather as it is the favorable time for their planting. I have a green hand and will ensure that my compound is neat with plants growing in it.

On the whole, whether the weather is bad or good in the Caribbean, you will still have a number of activities to do. So I can safely say that the weather in the Caribbean is always favorable. All time is play, drive, work, act…name it, in the Caribbean.

Having been born to a sailor in the Caribbean, I grew so fond of fishing. Besides, our home was on an island that was a fishing community. As children, we always got to paddle by houses which were abandoned as well as abandoned fishermen's cabins.

We always went out to hunt fish eagle as the elder went to hunt fish. We thought that the fish eagle would one day deplete the our sea of all the fish in it. We always caught one or two fish eagles. Then one day, a friend of ours spotted a fish eagle landing on one of the canoes that was on the sea shore. We threw a fish net onto the bird before it could fly away. On getting close, we realized that it was a balding fish eagle that was a rare site in our fishing community. We sought to know from the elders why the bird was balding or whether it was a sign of bad omen.

A friend's uncle explained that some fish eagles, just like humans, will naturally succumb to hair loss. However, he reaffirmed that treatment for hair loss in humans was common place today. He then commanded us to "let go of the bird." With lugubrious stares at him, we let go of the bird and then went fishing. At this moment, I want to let you in on our recent fishing stories. We spent the first day of our ninth deep sea fishing trip in this beautiful area of Hannibal Banks. Here, by the grace of God, we was able to break our personal record for pacific sailfish (110 lbs) and were treated to some tasty sardines thereafter....it was a wonderful treat that can hardly be forgotten.

The second day was rather chilly when we took off that morning. Our destination was a small group of Islands about twenty miles from Hannibal Banks. As we speed to the Islands, I observed that this area was a magnificent fishing ground that I need to visit more often than not. I am a boat owner and fisherman myself. Deep sea fishing is doing great in the area where I stay. The weather is also pleasant and favors fish farming as well. The fish are large and in great abundance.

On this trip I caught a fish the size you hardly find anywhere in saline waters. As we got closer to the islands we encountered several schools of porpoises jumping and swimming off the bow. In the distance, dolphins could be seen jumping high out of the water and into the air.
We kept on trolling and reeling in fish until we caught some fish in the 30-50 pound range and would rather not proceed to the islands but my colleagues insisted we do. We carried on. Anyway, our fishing trip was gradually coming to an end. Then suddenly, as we were nearing the islands, the line in the port side outrigger snapped loudly. At first, we thought a large wahoo had been hooked but it was a yellow tuna. We got to the island and were treated to a platter of fish varieties, smoked, grilled, baked, boiled, fried.....name it. It was a wonderful treat indeed!

We can't wait to prepare for our next fishing trip to these truly magnificent fishing grounds and to recount more fishing stories. We also want to sail to Venezuela so we can catch trout fish. Fishing is the reason I have lived and still live in the Caribbean.

I am a blogger with lots of interest in sailing and the reason I am on this lovely website. As a child growing up among sailors, I loved sailing and I still do today. I remember a sailor who came home after years of being away. He came to his home village from sea after dacades of being away. At night, the village chiefs, friends, relatives and in-laws all gathered around a bonfire to listen to his tales regarding the adventures.

And the sailor began to narrate: "We traveled in a ship that hit a rock in mid-sea just like the Titanic. Many were drowning as others, casting themselves into the water, sank to the bottom and hardly did I see any returning; gentlemen on pieces of timber as women hugged them; others cried aloud in the ships calling upon God to come to their rescue. While I was pondering my next move, save for the fact that I did not know how to swim, yet the waves and storm were so strong, I spotted a mermaid come by and this is when I learnt that mermaids are real. Although I feared it at first, I had to cling to its back as it suggested and it has brought me home."

By the time he was done with the story, the audience was scampering for safety believing he is also a mermaid. On the whole, this is just one of the common stories around my childhood home but as a grown up now, I am into blogging with keen interest in sailing. Any sailing enthusiasts can join me on this blog and we share.