Success!!!

Posted on November 5, 2015

The past couple of days are a bit of blur to me as I have been fighting this cold or what ever it is. Luckily no one else on the boat has gotten it. I’ve always been one of those people that ignores pain and sickness and carries on as usual, but this thing has really thrown me for a loop.

Yesterday was a day of celebration in our family, as our beautiful niece, Miriam, and her husband, Dan, had their first baby. Ester is her name, and she is absolutely beautiful.

  

Bernadine is such an amazing Grandma.

Yesterday morning we motored over to the fuel dock and filled up both of our 52 gallon tanks with diesel, then set out for Bocas, and then to a beautiful spot to snorkel.

Our day was wonderful, and on the way back to the marina at days end, I looked out at the bow and saw Mommy sitting with her feet dangling off, and just had to smile.

Less than two weeks ago when she arrived, she was unsteady on her feet, tripped over things on the boat and white knuckled her way around. Now she walks with ease, understands all the boat terminology we use and sits out on the bow when we are underway. She has become quite the little skipper, and we have loved having her with us.

One of the things I have been so frustrated with, is the fact that we live on the ocean and have not yet been able to catch a fish to eat. Well, things have changed! This afternoon Danny and I jumped in the dinghy and motored over to Bastimentos Point. It is the farthest west point of the island, right where we turn north and head out into open ocean. Danny tied on a pretty new lure he bought for me in town, and showed me how to troll with it as he ran the dinghy. It wasn’t even five minutes, and the reel started making that sweet whizzing sound, and he yelled, ‘you caught a fish!’ I panicked and threw the entire rod at him as I yelled back, ‘crap, what do I do?’ He reeled that thing in like a pro, all while controlling the dinghy at the same time, and before we knew it, there was a beautiful Bonito (tuna) laying at out feet in the boat. My legs were over the sides as I just knew it would go after my toes. (after all, if I was the fish and someone just hooked me, I would give them more trouble than they’ve ever seen.)

We threw the line back in and saw a bunch of fish feeding on the surface, and Danny drove the dinghy back and forth through the area, and after about 10 minutes, we snagged another. This time I reeled it in on my own as he coached me, and bobs your uncle, it was another tuna. I started talking to them but Danny told me that making friends with them was a bad idea.

  

I think I could be become quite addicted to this fishing thing! I’ll be the wife that has a messy home and a sign hanging on the front door, saying, “Gone Fishing.” We hurried home so Danny could teach me and the creatures how to fillet the fish, and found that all the girls had gone to the beach.

   

Danny carefully showed Jonathan, Aidan and I how to fillet the them, as we spoke about what a delicious dinner they would make.

The girls arrived back a little while later and when I told Jude and Mycah that we’d caught 2 fish they wouldn’t believe me and told me I’d probably bought them from a local fisherman. I had to show them photos to prove it! Everyone really enjoyed them for dinner this evening, except Skyler, who politely tasted it and then said that she could see how someone that enjoys eating fish, would really enjoy it. She is polite and sweet and didn’t want to hurt our feelings.

Tonight I will dream of fishing, and catching and cooking.