Southern Venture

[lpbp]

Hey Ric .Sorry to here s. venture 2 was not as good as the 1st one . But aleast you got out of the snow . Was looking forward to some great fishing pics . We are still waiting for weather to warmup to get a survey done ,Surveyor and Diesel mech lined up and waiting . Shipper inline if deals go through . Come on spring ! Only problem is that spring comes and I will be back on the ships and itching to get home to work on my new purchase . Catch 22
Take care LPBP

[RicM]

Oh, it was still definitely better than snow. We had some fun too, went to the biggest junk boat yard in the world up in Ft Pierce, Marine Connection Liquidators.
http://www.themarineconnection.net/
Kind of a giant boat flea market. We got out fishing twice. This is actually trip #4, and all have been fun and great learning experiences.
On your purchase, I hear you, we had our offer accepted in January and had to wait till spring. The boat was 2 hours away in CT and I actually drove down twice just to go aboard and touch the controls! Sick but true.

[RobS]

So when is "Southern Venture Take 5" ?

The FL weather should start getting less wintery and more enjoyable now...

[RicM]

Original plans have been screwed up by work. Not leaving until the 20th, and returning the 30th. No longer able to take the boat to the keys (due to shortened window), so will be staying on TaT for 4 days then driving to Islamorada and back for 3 days of fishing. Will post more tomorrow. Been too depressed/pissed about it to post.

[RicM]

Some more. It's really a good news/bad news thing. The good news is that I have a ton more work, which means more money etc. The bad news is that some of the people I work for/with have figured out what I'm doing, and being somewhat dickish, are jerking the schedule around to make their point that I should not be having "fun" when they are not. The deadline for the new work is May 23rd, but the art director is insisting that it all be shot before I leave in March and of course the president of the company who must be interviewed only has one opening in his schedule this month, March 19th. I had plane tickets for the 17th, and I have another shoot the 31st, so there's no way I'm getting more than 10 days. The problem is the trip to the keys is at least 2 days each direction, maybe 3 depending on seas and weather. 6 days of running, and 3 of fishing doesn't sound like the most relaxing of all scenarios, and there's no margin for weather etc. Looks like I'm just going to spend some time in Jensen Beach on TaT, then take the rental car and some fishing gear down to Islamorada, fish with my cousin for a few days then drive back. There's a 24' center console down there we can use, but no gear. It will be fun, just not what we had in mind. The stupid thing is there is absolutely no reason for all this angst as there is 2.5 months to get this done, but I know that SOMEONE is trying to make a point here. PITA.

[RobS]

With your no-luck weather history it surely sounds like a disaster in the making if you attempted to make a go of it. As you said "no margin for weather" I could see it now, 8ft seas every day, leaving the boat in Key Largo, trying to catch a flight out of Miami, an ice storm here in the North East, etc etc

What about a Keys run in April or May? The FL weather is gonna start getting so nice I would think you may want to stay through Memorial Day. Unless your deal with 4Fish does not hold til then...but I guess you may be able to relocate her for a month or 2

[jcollins]

The stupid thing is there is absolutely no reason for all this angst as there is 2.5 months to get this done, but I know that SOMEONE is trying to make a point here. PITA.

I'm sure the members here would be more than happy to contact "someone" to let him know that a calm Ric is a happy Ric. We all understand the importance of work but ...

I know what you mean though. I am getting calls for evening/weekend work this month. My clients know I will not be available for "extra" work in a couple of months.

[RicM]

I'm sitting in the airport Saturday AM, and I can't believe the last 24 hours. The president of my biggest customer, that I completely reworked this trip for called in sick yesterday 2 hours before the shoot! I had gotten up at 4AM, packed huge amounts of lighting for video & still photos, had everything in the car and was pulling out of the garage when I got the call. Monumental rescheduling, additional expense, etc etc all for naught. Jeeze! The shoot is rescheduled for April 2, which is the date I originally suggested. The thing is that a big shoot like this is not just the "day of", there's a lot of creative energy and worry that starts about 24 hours before. I spend a lot of time previsualizing what should happen and what can come up. Thinking about lighting setups, microphone placement, camera angles etc. When it ends like this it's just like a big baloon deflating. Oh well, I'll be on TaT tonight, and at least for a couple of days. Then cousin Ron & I will pack all my rods in the rental car and drive to Islamorada. There's a 23' CC outboard there at the house we can use. With our luck we'll hook a 300# marlin or something. It will be interesting. Then back to TaT Sunday & Monday and back home tuesday, with a full day shoot first thing (8AM) Wed AM

[RicM]

Back in RI Sunday night, two days early. My mother (83) has taken a turn for the worse and it is time to be by her side. While I was away the enormous amount of rain caused water to come into the basement of the condo next door (which I own & just installed 2 new tenants in). The ever faithful Dave and the lovely Miss K handled the emergency in splendid fashion, but it seems that each trip has an associated disaster that makes the whole thing a mixed blessing ( see last post and above as well). We did get in some fishing, I caught a good mess of bottom fish with Justin (pics tomorrow) then packed the rods in the shit box Subaru rent-a- wreck that "Thrifty" provided and headed to meet my cousins in the keys. The new house that we were to stay in had a few issues and leaky plumbing in the laundry room that may have done some structural damage, but was quite comfortable and had 40 ' of dock on the canal at Venetion Shores in Islamorada. Out front, an almost new 23 CC Sea Craft. We fished the outside for bottom fish, hoping to use what I had just learned from Justin, and although there was plenty of bait and marks, no luck, so we went on the troll. I used my knowledge to rig 2 ballyhoo for the outside 2 lines and put plugs on the 2 inner. Almost immediately had a bonito, then a VERY respectable kingfish, and finally a mahi. Called it a day and headed for sunset at the Loralei feeling like kings. That was not to last however, as we took my cousin's visiting daughters out for a ride on Friday. My cousin Ron was at the wheel (thank god) when we struck an unmarked rock at about 30 MPH (plus). Bang! Spun and wrecked the prop and broke off most of the skeg on the outboard. THe motor went into "limp home" mode, about 3 mph, and unfortunately we were facing into about a 15 k wind. We limped into a public dock/ramp/park and tied it up for the night and went home to apply mudslides to the problem (these things seem logical only in the keys). Next day brought a following wind so we limped it back to the dock and Ron arranged for repairs. Now my 2 older cousins were always gods of the seas and the highways to me growing up and were the immensely cool older brothers I never had. Within 24 hours I saw one toss lunch while out fishing, and the other damage his nephews' new boat in rather dramatic fashion in an area I would have been doing about 10MPH MAX (6 feet of water on the bay side). Local knowledge IS key.

[RicM]

All:

The Southern Venture is rapidly drawing to a close as the boat is shipping back May 24th. I am sitting here on TaT in the slip at Four Fish Marina in Jensen Beach, FL. Today is tear down and stow day, gotta get ready for the truck. The weather is sunny and 80 with a steady East wind (more on that later). I have been here 6 days, and worked 5 of them because of the damn East Wind that has been blowing day and night for 6 days straight. East wind here means 3-5 seas 5 seconds apart, a bone jarring ride out in just about any boat, and a constant pitching when trolling North and South which makes the footing difficult and exhausting when fighting a fish. The ride home is the only nice part. I fished with our regular mate, Justin, Saturday, and managed two Mahi to wrap up the fishing season. Justin was our great find. A wonderful kid who really enjoys fishing and enjoys the people he's fishing with. He has suggested that next year we try the Bahamas, specifically, he has a hookup deal with the Blue Marlin Cove at West End:
http://www.bluemarlincove.com/
He arranges trips over with a couple of days of fishing (marlin, tuna). Stay in the condo, dock at the front door, and water 1000 ft deep 1 mile from the dock! Looks like a possibility to me.

Anyway, if you have followed this thread you may have noticed no entry for April. Karen & I did make it down for a shortened trip. It was changed due to the passing of my Mom, an upheaval in any family, but mine is a small one, and it was rather painful. We did get in a day of fishing that trip, but the big deal was that we tried another marina and loved it. The Haborage is closer to Stuart, but about the same distance to the inlet (St Lucie). The fixed dock slips are cheaper than storing here at Four Fish ($350/mo for TaT) and the facilities are awesome. It is a large condo development and all slipholders have access to he condo amenities, gymn, beautiful locker room, captain's lounge, pool, hot tub, 2 restaurants etc etc. Stuart is a nice little town, a little more "precious" than the ever funky Jensen Beach, but with a large "old town" area with nice shops, very good restaurants, and a nice ambiance. This might be the place for next year.....

On next year....what I have learned...
Nov - May is probably a month too long. I now wished I had shipped back in April. I sat here working (though I admit... in shorts), for 5 days because of the East Wind, when the striper fishing has taken off in the bay and I miss that. I miss Miss K and my friends back home. The first couple of times down here alone was an adventure, learning my way around in a new place, learning a new way to fish etc., but it takes a certain amount of selfishness to pick up and move your life away for 1 week every 4 weeks. Word has just come to me that a good friend who supported me in my time of need had her Dad pass away last week. I would have loved to return the favor of her support, but did not find out until after the funeral was over.

I have also learned that I am not really ready to retire. I like my work, and think about it even when I am away. I think I pushed the time away thing about as far as I can get away with this winter without seriously hurting any relationships. I will probably take pains to be a little more accessible next year.

TaT is not a live aboard. While I love this boat, and a week of camping out is fun, this is not the boat to do it in for more than 4-7 days, even for one person. I have enjoyed the exercise of making my life "small". Learning to cook with a single 9" fry pan. Hauling ice. Living very simply, or at least as simple as I want to get. Next year I am lobbying for a second boat to leave down here. Thinking that a 35 Command Bridge would do nicely. Now, just need some money.......I guess I should reread #2 above and get back to working full time......

To sum up and close out the "Southern Venture I", it was fun, I learned a lot, caught my sailfish, caught a sail for Karen, and now have the basis for "Southern Venture II, Next Stop Bahamas". Stay tuned see you all at the Renezvous!

[jcollins]

Ric,
Thank you for taking the time to provide this insight into your life this past winter and spring. I have lived vicariously with you on your trips and appreciate the time, effort, and energy you have put into your posts.

Looking forward to Southern Venture - II,

John

[rcornejo]

Hi Ric,

That is a beautiful boat. You have taken great care of it. I hope that mine looks like that once I work on it a little. Thanks for your help in picking the right bottom color.

Roland