Fishing until the cows came home

Sunday was a banner day; we finally launched two boats that we’d shipped to Panama over a year ago. Fourteen of us, eleven Americans and three Panamanian captains, took 3 boats over to the Secas Islands, for a fun day of fishing, snorkeling, swimming, and ending with dinner across the water. We started the day with a production line in the community kitchen, making tuna wraps for all, and then loaded up the boats and got underway.

Fishing started an hour later once we got to Secas, and it turned into a mini tournament between all three boats, with AFTER ME, owned by Carl Jr, as the winning boat for the day. Bitsy McCants reeled in a wahoo that weighed at least 50 lbs, Pat Ross caught a big barracuda and a red snapper, and a few other fish also made it to the decks.

We stopped for lunch on a beautiful beach that looked like Gilligan’s Island, ate those tasty wraps, put on our fins and snorkels and swam to the beach, or snorkeled around the live coral reef. It was just beautiful and very relaxing.

After an hour or so we loaded back up and resumed the fish hunt, but didn’t have as much luck as we did that morning. I started getting seasick at one point, which really bummed me out because I thought I was over that, but I think I was just hot, because I ended up hosing myself off with the fresh water hose on the deck, and then I drank a Coke and felt fine, thank God. I’m feeling hot a lot more these days, I can’t imagine what could be causing that… must be the nearness to the Equator?

When we got back to the dock we hoped into the car to drive home and take showers, and as we pulled up to the gate of our compound, saw that at least 50 head of cattle had broken through the fence and were grazing on our beautifully maintained grass! Most of the cattle are Brangus, a cross between a Brahma bull and a Black Angus, which I do consider to the Panamanian version of a Labradoodle. Don and a random dog herded them to the top of the property, so they wouldn’t get in the pool, which has actually happened before.

Once we were clean and the cows were back in their pasture, we loaded up in a water taxi and headed over to Frank’s for dinner, on Boca Brava Island. Five minutes and 87 steps later, we were sitting in the restaurant trying to decide what to drink. As this picture shows I ended up with a fruity rum drink called a naked sailor, and had no idea that it matched my shirt. Two hours later we were perfectly full and happy, and headed back to the camp for some good sleeping.

Monday the guys fished Montosa again, where Carl caught a 150 lb Pacific sailfish and they hooked another sailfish on a popper.

The guy siting next to Carl is Juan Spragge Jr, a (one of my Facebook friends!), who just finished school and has secured a great job with the new owner of the fishing resort on the Secas Islands. It's been a true pleasure to get to know him over the past few years, he's got a great opportunity to become one of the premier fishing captains in Panama, and I'm proud to call him my friend.

The boat also brought home some tuna and dorado, all caught on top water plugs, also known as poppers. I have no idea why these details are important, I’d be writing about what bathing suit I had on… and which style of flip flops.

* Sidebar - I have just 2 pair of flip flops with me, (both Olukais) and a pair of Keens for traveling, to get me through six weeks. I never been this shoe limited in my life, but you know, it’s OK, and actually makes life pretty simple. I’m considering this a great lesson learned.

Today is a relaxing day for us, I’ve got a few event quotes to pen, and also work on product development for my spring Palmetto line. Tomorrow Don and Carroll head back to Ponte Vedra, and we get ready for our next peeps coming in on Thursday afternoon.

Buenos Tardes Amigos!