Saturday, September 1, 2012

Deep Sea Fishing With Uncle Harold



Patty & Harold
Many older adults I know and meet inspire and encourage me because they never let the ravishes of aging slow them down. A perfect example of this is my Husband's Uncle Harold and his Girlfriend Patty. The two of them never cease to amaze me with their love for life and their active lifestyles! No Moss grows under their feet. 
Recently Harold and patty invited my husband and me to go deep sea fishing. They are always a joy to be around, great conversationalists and when in their company, we feel we are in the company of people our own age. I guess because their attitude is youthful. 
It was a  beautiful Day in San Diego. We were all to gather in the early morning for a Deep Sea Fishing trip on Uncle Harold's motor yacht. Uncle Harold usually hires a Professional Captain when he goes to sea so he can relax & fish without having to navigate. This morning we would have Captain Chris Eubank, of DJT Maritime Contracting, at the helm. We stopped at the bait shop at Quivera basin, bought our fishing licenses, and headed to the dock.

Captain Eubank
When we arrived, Captain Eubank, in his white shirt neatly pressed, with captain shoulder boards, smiled from ear to ear. He was eager to get started and sail us into the wealth of fish we anticipated to catch. The captain smoothly motored the yacht up to the bait tanks where we filled up with live Mackerel. Then, to the waters outside the sea banks of La Jolla, we cruised.

Bait

Although Uncle Harold is quite adept as a Helmsman and my husband served in the Coast Guard as a boat coxswain, it was very enjoyable to relax and fish and have this "Coastie" (as coast guard retirees are sometimes called) at the helm.
Harold Relaxing
Captain Eubank had served our country in Iraq and then in Dubai. When he returned to San Diego he became a private Captain. 

As we left the bay the pelicans and seals followed us for a little while. Before long they left us to return to the bait tank where they'd wait for any drop of anchovy or mackerel from oncoming anglers. More seals would greet us out in the open sea to follow our lines with live bait. Once in a while a seal would get our bait. While cruising farther out towards the kelp Beds, a whale with calf swam by and gave us their blow! Captain Eubank allowed Patty,  Uncle Harold's girlfriend, and an adept Helms-woman, to navigate while he fished & assisted all on board with their piscatorial endeavors. He energetically scaled the yacht's bridge and went from bow to stern making sure that every angler on deck had a good fishing experience. The first catch of the day, a beautiful Bonita, was  his to boast of. 
Tim Jr. & "Group" Bonita 
Captain Eubank's promise to have something in the fish holding tank before returning to shore was duly kept. Knowing that we had the Bonita we all continued to enjoy each other's company and the beautiful view of the San Diego Shoreline from the sea. Some how the group was satisfied with knowing that if we, as a collective, were able to procure one fish we were o.k. The relaxing angling -casting, reeling, waiting, casting, reeling -continued as we soaked up sun, enjoyed a meal together and relaxed while the Captain kept us on course. At times he used autopilot and engaged in conversation with us. His light and hearty personality was a joy to be around. Captain Eubank's contagious laughter could be heard throughout the bridge where a few would sit behind his helm chair and scope the briny sea. Although he was very social and engaging with all of us, He never took his watchful eye off the ocean around us.

Capt Chris' watchful eye

Uncle Harold's rod and reel stood out. It caught the eye. Someone had manufactured it for him by hand and it was amazing. With this beautiful rod and reel Harold caught what looked like a huge yellow-tail tuna. While reeling it in his 80lb fishing line snapped. The big tuna got away! Harold was left with a fish story to tell that was actually true! We all saw the guy beneath the surface of the water and we all saw him get away. It was the big tuna's lucky day. 



  1. Rescued Skechers


    While traversing the bow one of my Skechers fell in the water. (Serves me right for leaving my Sperry Topsiders at home). While my Skecher quickly floated away, I made a joke about "Wilson" the Volley-Ball-turned-best-friend on Castaway. The captain laughed. He put down his fishing pole and returned to the Helm. Little did I know that he had his sights on my Skecher and had given my husband the gaff to retrieve it from the water. "Shoe Overboard"! he called out. We went on a SAR (search and rescue) and there bobbing ahead starboard side "Wilson"! He placed the yacht right next to the shoe where my husband could reach it with the gaff and bring it on board. I never expected either, to ever see that shoe again, or, the captain to "walk" the vessel to it within inches and my husband to hook it with the gaff. My husband praised Captain Eubank for his adept boat handling. I praised my husband for being so skillful with the gaff.


    After the shoe incident, we saw flocks of birds surrounding what looked like something dead in the water ahead. The captain motored the vessel closer to take a look. My husband identified it as the afterbirth of a whale. To think that we were in the vicinity of a mama whale giving birth! No wonder why the fish weren't biting. Happy with our Bonita we headed back to the dock. We threw our excess bait overboard for the waiting pelicans. We watched them feast as we docked. 
    Pelicans Feasting on Mackerel

    It was a very enjoyable day with a wonderful group of friends and family. It is the moments like these that I treasure. For me, it isn't so much the amount of fish we catch, but, the interaction with our loved ones while fishing, that make lasting memories. 

    The older I get the more I realize that age is just a number that has many variables. I hope that when I am in my seventies or eighties I will be as spry and delightful as Harold and Patty.   
    Docked At Last