What a bunch of bull...

We were really looking forward to fishing today! The winds were down, which meant the seas would be calmer. Since we had luck yesterday, we were hopeful today.

We met up with Capt. Pete, who lives in the same condo complex, at the rendezvous spot for bait. He was able to pull in a few bait fish. But there was one boat who must have put some secret attractant on his rig, because he seemed to pull them in hand-over-fist. We left empty-handed, but not defeated. We were prepared to troll - for mahi, sailfish, marlin, wahoo!

Capt. Pete Jakits

While the seas were a bit calmer, there were quite a few storms brewing. After trying for bait, we noticed a huge storm that was heading north. So we altered our plan and headed south to get around it.

Still not a lot of chatter on the radio, but one captain said he found a few dolphin (mahi mahi) out between 350-400'. So, we got things set up and started fishing.

There were a few more fishing boats on the water today, but there were also some larger vessels too!

Our normal strategy is to alternate Captain and Mate/Lookout responsibilities. During one of my Captain times, I started thinking..."they" call fishing a sport. But I think it's more like a game - a cross between gambling and 'hide-and-go-seek', only in a really huge area! Sometimes, you have good luck and find the fish, and other times, in spite of all your efforts, you go home with nothing.

Shortly after the shift change, we spotted something white floating. (These are things you look for when fishing - creates a shady place for fish to hide from birds, but not necessarily from bigger, hungry fish.) Turned out the thing was a balloon...probably from the cruise ship.

Next thing we know, one of the lines is yanked out of the rigger and "ZIIIIIINNNNNGGGG", line is flying off the reel! A beautiful dolphin did several jumps, trying to throw the hook! Frank was starting to clear lines, teasers and getting things ready to land my fish. All of a sudden, the other rigger rod is "ZIIIIINNNNNGGGGGing". A DOUBLE HOOK-UP! This one did several jumps as well. It was pretty exciting!!

Keep in mind, there are only 2 of us on the boat, 2 fish on when a third line pops out of the clip! Yikes! (Guess he didn't like what was being served because nothing got hooked.) Anyway, I digress. We each kept the lines tight on our fish, while at the same time clearing rods and teasers on each side of the boat with our free hand. We needed to get the deck cleared so we could open the box and get these babies in there! Frank did a great job of getting him from the water into the boat, but that fish did not like being in the boat! Before we could slip him in the box, he thrashed and jumped around, spitting out the little fishes he must have scarfed down before hitting our bait. Needless to say, the inside of the boat (and Frank's clothes) looked like a scene fit for CSI! After a quick rinse down of the deck, we got the second one in the box. He didn't like it any more than the first one and made all sorts of racket! The icing on the cake...2 bulls (boy dolphin) - now that's some good eating!

The only unfortunate part of this fishing trip was that we didn't get any of the action on camera!

This was the small one - 15 pounds.

Must have been the orange these bulls were attracted to.

Frank's decided that each time we fish, we are going to double the number and size from each previous trip. :o)

Today, we definitely hit the jackpot! Perhaps next time, the game will be 'Red Rover, Red Rover, send your daddy over'.

Season Opener

As mentioned in the last post, we've been land-side for two weeks! Well today, the skies cleared, the winds and seas calmed and we were finally able to fish! And so our fishing season has officially begun.

It looks like we were dressed for snow rather than fishing, but it was in the high 50's this morning when we left the dock.

Sunrise over the 'fish camp' in Stuart.

Still the same sun, this time along the St. Lucie river heading toward the Atlantic Ocean.

This is a VERY good sign! We can easily fit under the blue bridge, but not the little one. So seeing that brown rail in the air is good news that the train isn't coming.

By the time we got to the inlet, it was still a bit choppy, but that wasn't going to stop us! There were only a few boats on the water and nobody was finding live bait. So, we headed south and started making our way back. Lots of sea turtles, a few flying fish, but none of the usual flotsam-and-jetsam. Chatter on the radio from the other captains was minimal, which can be good news or bad news. Most of the captains in Stuart are pretty forth-coming with where they are having success.

Needless to say, it was quite a while before we got our first hit. Unfortunately, we don't know what it was, but we're pretty sure it was big. A little while later, as we were changing out the baits, a stupid ramora snatched our fresh squid! (Those things are so ugly!)

We were getting pretty frustrated! Finally....FISH ON! Something good hit and Frank got a chance to work the rod! Everything happened pretty quick and we had a fish in the box. :o)

St. Lucie Inlet on the way back from fishing.

Frank and his Season Opener Catch!

And we're heading back for more (and larger) tomorrow.

Here she sits...

The Nauti Nole has been at the dock for over a week! It has been too windy (note the palm trees by the gazebo), with an average of 4-8 foot seas.

But she's cleaned, rigged and ready to go as soon as the winds permit. Hopefully the fish will still be hanging out and hungry!

On a positive note, we've saved a bunch on our electric bill. The cool and sometimes not-so-gentle breezes have really been nice!

Random happenings since last post

I just realized it's been way too long since my last entry. So, here's what's been happening.

After returning from Portland, my Aunt was in Tampa for scheduled surgery to remove a benign brain tumor. The surgery went well, but she wasn't progressing as quickly as everyone anticipated. As expected, her speech, memory and a coordination have been affected. So, she spent a few extra days in ICU and 'graduated' to a regular room after nearly a week post-surgery. But, I'm thrilled to report that she has regained a lot of her speech and is working with a PT for the coordination, etc. Not sure when she will be going home, but I'm sure she and Uncle Bill hope it will be soon. While the circumstances weren't the best, I enjoyed spending time with my Uncle (my mom's brother), talking about family history and listening to his wonderful stories from his past.

On March 14th, we stopped in Winter Haven to get Frank's mom and take a little road trip to DelRay Beach for Ray's (Frank's baby brother) 60th birthday party. What a shindig! Those Jones' know how to throw a party and no detail was left out. It was a lot of fun to see people we haven't seen in a while, meet new friends and enjoy the time with Frank's family.



We zipped back to Tampa to get the boat and other worldly possessions as we've been planning to spend the next few months at the 'fish camp' in Stuart. Thankfully we've got a fantastic house manager, works cheap, and does a great job. After an uneventful drive across the state, we got the Nauti Nole in the water and nestled in her slip. I did a rain dance, hoping Mother Nature would take care of all the green pollen that had accumulated on the boat. Sure enough, it rained, but unfortunately not hard enough to leave it sparkling clean. So, the Clean Team (of one) went to work getting things scrubbed, organized and ready for fishing.



And to top things off, the weather has been extremely uncooperative (winds 15-25 knots, seas from 4-11 feet) so we've found other things to do. Like create photo books for our recent trips, find a replacement for the BDT (Big Damn Truck)*, monitor FSU basketball and baseball, and rearrange closets and drawers.

*When we were in Panama, we were driven around in an Excursion (which is basically an SUV based on the BDT). Frank was so inspired that he immediately started his research. Would be a bit more comfortable for longer trips, would still pull the boat and accommodate all our tailgate needs. He found a few throughout the country and had his 'brother from another mother', Rick, check one out in Amelia. Well, low and behold, one that he had originally found was back on the market and close by in Pompano. So now we have "The Beast" (because while it is the size of a bus, we don't haul kids, and Excursion is too long of a word).

It now needs to be 'Frank-erized' with all the appropriate accoutrements and garnet finishes.

We are very anxious to start fishing, but guess we'll have to be patient a few more days. :o)

While in Portland....

We had a great time in Portland! And spent lots of time with family! Here highlights of our visit.

Nate and Chris are awesome readers! It was lots of fun having them read to me!

As much fun as we had playing the Wii, we also had fun playing traditional games. Kathy was so excited to have 6 people to play Chinese Checkers.....but after nearly 45 minutes, none of us made much forward progress. So, we called it quits.

When we were out in October, Connect Four was THE game. Chris is working hard to beat Uncle Frank. Daniel has taught them several rules (or things to keep in mind) and they are pretty darn good about remembering them....well, most of the time.

Rock-Paper-Scissors is the best way to determine who goes first.

These boys are so smart! Daniel taught them to play poker and they remember all the different versions and what trumps what. For Christmas, we sent a real poker set (complete with chips, cards and silver carrying case.) Nate starts dealing the cards for this round. Not only are they smart, they are pretty good at bluffing too! It was fun to watch 'the guys' play.

Yes, that is snow on the car! I called it nearly an inch (but Portlanders called it a dusting.)

Kathy is a woman of many hats, one of which is the family stylist. A step stool, old towel, clippers, lollipop and Chris is on his way to looking like a big five-year-old!

On Sunday, everyone gathered for brunch to celebrate Allison's birthday at a Portland place called 'The Screen Door' (which as one of the boys pointed out....there is no screen door). Richard, Ian, Andrea, Frank, Nate, Allison and Chris all patiently waiting for our table.

Frank, Allison and her boyfriend Ian.

Cousins...Richard and Andrea.

Not many places in the Pacific Northwest that serve southern food. But Frank found something on the menu he wanted to try....chicken and waffles (rather 3 huge pieces of fried chicken over a thick sweet potato waffle with warm syrup).

Nate digs into his biscuits and gravy (with a few pieces of Uncle Frank's chicken). Can't get much more southern than that!

We enjoyed spending time with everyone and look forward to the next visit - hopefully the weather will be warmer then. :o)

Birthday Festivities in Portland

Ok, I'm going to take the easy way out and rather than post all sorts of pictures and stories of the weekend of birthday festivities, I'm going to capitalize on Kathy's efforts: http://mamamooregon.blogspot.com/2009/03/5-year-old-party-animals.html

Chris and Nate - thanks for including us in your birthday weekend celebration!

Portland Time

Hard to believe, but Chris and Nate turn 5 in March! We made our annual pilgrimage to Portland to help them celebrate their birthdays. It is also an opportunity to spend time with Allison and Andrea (who is coming out to spend her spring break with Allison).

Nate, Auntie and Chris

Uncle Frank, Nate, Chris and Daniel on the 'man couch'.

The boys have really gotten into playing with their Wii. And oh my goodness, it is a lot of fun! Plus, it's pretty darn good exercise too. Frank and I bowled, played golf, hula-hooped and did a fitness test all from the comforts of the basement. Perhaps there will be a Wii in our future??

Stay tuned...more Portland fun to come!

Thoughts on Panama

Now that we've been back in the states for a few days, we've had a chance to reflect on our time in Panama. We are so grateful to Raquel for introducing her country to us and being our personal tour guide and interpreter.

I'm not sure what I was expecting in Panama. Sure, I'd read the travel books, but I guess I wasn't fully prepared for what we would see or experience.

Panama is a beautiful country. Flying over the 'S-shaped' piece of land it is quite awe-inspiring to see the lush green trees, rolling hills and mountains. (I didn't realize how mountainous Panama was!) And oh yes, there's the Canal. There were hundreds of ships waiting their turn to enter the canal. From the plane, they appeared as small toy boats, but upclose, well that was a different story.

Once you touch down, Panama City is an entirely different world. Many people, lots of cars and brightly colored buses, lots of horns honking, many buildings (skyscrapers and condos), lots of construction and did I mention lots of honking?

Panama City is not a walking city. The buses and taxis are the only 'priorities', everyone else (whether driving or walking) has to fend for themselves. While Panama is not a third-world country, it is definitely a country of 'have and have-nots'. There are numerous indigenous people that live in the city as well as out in the country, mountains and coastal towns. The PanAmerican Highway is a long stretch of road that is really the only way through the country. For stretches, it is a fast-paced 4-lane paved highway and in others, it is a slow 2-lane pot-hole filled road.

In the two weeks we were with Tom & Raquel, we really covered a lot of territory. The town of El Valle was absolutely stunning. The colors so bright and vibrant, the landscape lush and green and the people warm and friendly. The coastal town of Santa Clara was a little more rural, but being right on the beach was fantastic! Regardless of where you are, you are never far from a fresh market (with all sorts of fruits and vegetables). In fact, many of the vendors travel door-to-door selling their wares (oranges, shrimp, coconuts, etc.) Boquete was a small city and home to the coffee plantations. The backdrop was blue skies with large mountains and volcanoes, where the tops are hidden by clouds. Again, the people helpful and friendly.

The gastronomic portion of our travels was fantastic and many times we would be planning dinner while at breakfast. Every meal was freshly prepared and oh so tasty!

As mentioned, we are grateful to Raquel for her tour guide and interpreter skills as well as being the chauffer while in the 'big cities'. We did ok with our Spanish, but if it weren't for Raquel, we might have ended up with a few tickets from the local authorities, eaten innards of some animal, or turned left when we should have turned right.

A year ago, at Gasparilla, an idea was hatched for a 'Friends Trip to Panama'. For the latter part of our trip, we were fortunate to have friends from Tampa join us. It was very special to have Ray and Lily along, especially since the speak Spanish, but more importantly, Ray was stationed there 30+ years ago and hadn't been back since. While in Panama City, we had the opportunity to live vicariously through Ray and 'revisit' his old stomping grounds and places familiar to him. Lily visited Panama about 10 years ago so she was curious if any changes happened while she was gone. And she was pleasantly surprised. Ken & Victoria had never been, but were excited about the opportunity to see a new country and to go fishing.

All in all, we had a wonderful trip to Panama and our time with good friends made it an even more enjoyable experience!

Last Day in Boca Chica and return to Panama City

Our last day in Boca Chica was a fishing day and we were all VERY excited as the Captain saved the 'big game day' for last. We would head out at 6:30 AM because we had a 2 hour boat ride to and island near Hannibal Bank.

Another beautiful sunrise over the lagoon.

The winds and seas were a bit higher than we anticipated, but a little water didn't hurt us....we were on our way to get the big fish! This was another boat heading out the same time we were. The water was perfect conditions for bill fish - the chop provided some cover for the fish and combined with the splashing of the lures/teasers, we were certain to attract some fish.

We all agreed Frank would be first up to fight the big fish!

Frank in action...unfortunately, it was only a bonita and we all agreed it didn't count as Frank's turn. We spent numerous hours chasing birds, splashes at the surface, smooth spots, flotsam, turtles, anything that is a 'usual' indicator of fish. We tracked down several large pods of porpoise. While they are fun to watch, they are not good to have around when trying to fish.

We had lots of 'thefts' during our fishing expedition. We got a hit relatively early, but the Mate, Louis, said a wahoo swiped one of our lures. After another 2 hours of trolling around, I happened to spot a dark fin in the water, followed by a long slender tailfin and suggested the Captain circle back around. Sure enough something hit our bait, but didn't take the hook. A few minutes later, something hit the spinning rod with the teaser. And in a matter of seconds, the reel was empty and the fish was gone! Needless to say, we were all very upset and extremely! (A note about Gone Fishing Panama will be at the end of the blog.)

We surprised Victoria with a birthday cake the last night of our stay in Boca Chica. Lupe made a delicious lemon cake. (We have been trying all week to figure out how we can bring Lupe home and share her between the 3 couples.)

Ray & Lily took advantage of the music and dancefloor.

Since we couldn't take her with us, we made sure we had one last picture with Lupe.

Flying back to Panama City, was another opportunity to view the country. Hard to see, but these boats are waiting their turn to get through the Panama Canal.

Bridge of the Americas and Panama Canal.

Back in Panama City, all tanned and ready for dinner.

Tom & Raquel returned from their adventures to the Pearl Islands and made arrangements for dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant in Panama City. It was very special to have dinner with them the last night in the country as it had been a year since Ray, Lily, Ken & Victoria had seen them...a year ago when the plan to visit Panama had been hatched.

All in all, we had a wonderful time in Panama!

**Gone Fishing Panama Resort: This is not the place for the serious off-shore fisherman. The Captain is not "invested" in the sport. If he were, his boat would be better maintained (i.e. live well broken, front seat split and constantly wet, and fuel gauges working), his tackle would be sharp and throughly checked, his reels would be serviced on a regular basis and he would have done a safety review before leaving the dock. Also, the Captain and owner's son are 2-3 pack-a-day cigarette smokers and don't care where they are or who is around when they light up. It is very difficult to get away from the smoke when they walk through the common areas (bar and dining area) or you're on the boat. The grounds of the resort were very nice. Each room had a theme and were nicely appointed. All the meals were top-quality! Thankfully the fantastic attitude and service from Lupe, Ares, Uri, Felix and Louis made our experience a plesant one.

Day 4 - Bay Crest Chronicles continue

Tuesday was our 'off day' where we originally planned to explore the town and perhaps an excursion somewhere. Well, the 'town' was only about 3 blocks square and if you blinked, you would miss it. So, we decided to hang out around the resort. Not a bad way to spend the day....lazy breakfast, relaxing by the pool, cocktails at the bar, and a guaranteed yummy dinner, ala Lupe.

Lily and Ricky-Rick. He's definitely a ladies man!

The only time Ricky-Rick was nice to Ken.

Two wild and crazy guys: Uri and Ares. Great in the kitchen and behind the bar!

At breakfast, Ray said he had a surprise for us. When Ares presented this 'thing', we were all a bit taken aback. Turns out, this is the cashew fruit! And the little green thing on top is the nut! It grows on a tree and when fully ripe is a beautiful yellow-red color. The fruit has an unusual flavor and texture - a bit sweet and tart with kind of a spongy texture. Interesting to say the least. The US does not grow any cashews...and now we know why they are so expensive! But oh so tasty!

Some of the neighborhood horses. There were about half a dozen of them that would roam the area.

After our morning walk up the hill.

So what do you do when not on the boat...read a magazine about boats.

Where there's a hammock, you'll find Frank.

Lupe, the cook at the resort, was unbelievable! She made so many special Panamanian dishes for us. This is the sancocho she fixed for dinner one night. It's like a hearty chicken soup - chicken, yucca, corn, spices, etc. With rice, plantains and a side of marinated veggies, it was a complete meal. At Lily's request, she even make 'crunchy rice' which is rice cooked a little longer until it's golden brown and tasty crunchy. Delicious!

This became 'our table'.

We all enjoyed the day, getting caught up on reading and music. It was an early to bed night since we had to be on the boat by 6:30 the next morning. Watch out Mr. Marlin...here we come!