2 Feb 2016, Tuesday: to Long Island

Pancake day, Then underway for Long Island, 22 miles to the East.  A fine looking day with a Northeast wind, 15 knots, we headed for open water.  Under power and mainsail strapped in tight, as soon as we hit deep water, )over 600 feet) we started getting the fishing gear in the water.  On rod from Joe’s great-grandfather Harvey, one from a dumpster at Prock and one from Cabellas.  Also we  rigged a handline with a deep diver lead with string wrapped around a 4 inch diameter bamboo section we had picked up on a beach last week in the Jumentos.   We dragged those lines for miles, tried different speeds, several different lures on each rig, and finally caught a 30 inch Barracuda on the handline.  No eating from the sea tonite!

Joe, hoping for a good catch.

Our second barracuda.

     We reached our destination by early afternoon, Calabash Bay, near the North End of Long Island.  We made a dinghy trip up into Hoosie Harbor, a shallow saltwater bay, then followed the riverlet thru the mangroves, winding our way halfway around Galliot Cay.  We were feeling pretty adventuresome, alone in the tight little mangrove estuary and had just taken a fork in the river, when behind us a 28 foot Mako with 30 foot outriggers and 200 Horse Power came screaming up behind us full bore. Luckily he was taking the other option in the fork.

     Soon we came to a boat ramp and a little waterside bar, “The Last Stop”, but in true form, we had no money aboard, so we waved and carried on.  Soon we came to a very small bridge, just the size of the Seaquin, not wide enuf for oars, but we were under power with our trusty 3 HP, so thru the bridge we went.  We soon came to a more open bay, shallow but wide and decided to go a little further, just around the next island. 

      What’s that? Theres  a man walking in the water over there.  When we were close enuf we asked if he was Okay, he waved his fishing pole, Oh, a bonefisherman!  Looked some strange, walking ankle deep along the edge of the mangroves, no civilization in sight.

Sunset from Calabash Bay

      We turned back and had an uneventventful ride back to the Willie, where we had a nice supper followed by Kathy beating Joe and me soundly at cribbage.