Somebody Else's Boat

 Wednesday September 9, 2020

We survived labor day weekend. Mark and Karen came over to Inverness for dinner on Monday. I made a vegetarian dinner. I warned them in advance. They snuck in some chicken sausage. I guess the thought of not eating meat scares them.

I spent the past two days preparing for a fishing trip. Greg, Earl and I are towing my boat north to Ft. Bragg to fish for Albacore Tuna. Yesterday, I cleaned the boat, picked up Robert's truck and took the boat to the shop to get the electronics fixed. Today, Earl and I drove back and forth from the East Bay to San Rafael, getting the boat out of the water. I'll spare you the details other than it took all day. We discussed what hard work it is to prepare for a big fishing trip. I told him I have a new rule for big fishing trips: go on somebody else's boat!


Today was the weirdest day ever. There was so much smoke high up in the atmosphere that the sun could not break thru. The sky was dark orange/red all day. It looked like dusk all day.



It felt apocalyptic. There was ash all over. The darkness was eerie.

I am excited about the big adventure tomorrow. I got out all my tuna lures.



We will go offshore 20-30 miles. A little bit frightening. The weather prediction is good. I put in the pictures of the lures because I know Peg stops reading when I talk about fishing. She won't see this part.

the bear


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Great Day Fishing with Earl

Image
Another epic fishing day. I had the alarm set for 5:20 a.m. Meeting Earl at the boat at 5:45. I woke up at 4 and could not get back to sleep. No problem - I did the NYT spelling bee. Got out of the house and got to the boat early at Treasure Island. Got things set up and started the engines. Earl arrived and we quickly shoved off. Motored across the bay to fisherman's wharf to get live bait. We were not alone. There was a line of about 20 boats all the way out of the cove into the bay, waiting to get bait. We slowly eased our way to the bait receiver and got our two netfuls of live anchovies which they call a "half scoop", poured gently into our live bait tank. Decision time: where should we fish. There were at least 25 boats fishing all around Alcatraz. I often avoid the popular crowded spots unless I know for sure that the fish are biting there. I tend to go to fishing spots where I have personally caught fish. When I catch a fish, I mark the spot with a big red X ...
Read more

Greg Goddard

Image
Yesterday's blog today. I got home from a long day of fishing yesterday - exhausted. It all started at 5:45 a.m.   I had slept pretty well. I expected to take the boat out into the ocean which is still a bit scary. I knew that Greg Goddard would join me, bringing years of experience and wisdom. I was less afraid. The alarm woke me up. I had everything prepared the night before. Simple to pack up and go. Easy drive to Treasure Island - less than ten minutes door to gate. I got there early as always to get things set up. I hate trying to remember everything (switches, lines, rods, reels, bait tank, warm up engines, etc.) and do all the prep while everyone is ready to depart. Everything went smoothly. I put on the  downriggers for salmon fishing.  Greg showed up at 7 a.m. We quickly untied the mooring lines and embarked on our journey. While fishing, I realized that I spend more time fishing than any other activity these days.  Fortunate. Every...
Read more

Oh Happy Day!

Image
One more morning of my convention today. Nine a.m. to one p.m. My right foot still plagued by gout. I tried to go for a walk with Beth in SF, but it was too painful - like a toothache in my foot. Karen Hobbs and Mark Lillge invited us over for the afternoon and dinner. We had something to look forward to.  We met Karen and Mark in about 1994. Karen's daughter Annie is the same age as Peg. They went to Kindergarten together. I first met Karen at a kid's  birthday party. I don't remember why Beth wasn't there. I took Peg alone. I liked Karen immediately, and knew Beth would get on with her. I came home that night and announced to Beth that I had just met her new best friend.  I was right. Beth and Karen and Mark and I have been close friends for  about 25 or so years. Karen runs Tilden - college prepatory school. Mark is a semi-retired creative marketing maven; now a professional poker player.  It is nice to have old friends who make you feel so com...
Read more