murraydevelopment . 8/30/21 murraydevelopment . 8/30/21

Dolphin Run

FISHING OFFSHORE FROM CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, BEGINS EARLY IN THE MORNING. THE ALARM WENT OFF AT 2:35 AM

I stumbled around trying not to wake up the house and was able to get a cup of coffee brewing while I went downstairs and loaded the ice, rods, and bait in the boat. I brushed my teeth, drank a glass of water, and grabbed my coffee. I was pulling out of my driveway in Goose Creek, SC, at 2:55 AM, and we left the ramp about 4 AM. The harbor was a little choppy heading toward the jetties. Finally, we made it past the jetty entrance, and we made a slow turn toward the south and the ledge, which begins at 180 ft depth. I set the Garmin autopilot on a 1560 heading. It was slow going at first and was a little snotty heading out, but after we made our way for 15 miles from the jetties, things seemed to lay down.

We were cruising close to 26 knots and made our way past the ledge and out to 220ft. Not much life. Very few flying fish, which was a little discouraging. We set the riggers out and then set the spread. We were using mostly bubbler-type lures rigged with single hooked ballyhoo and 100 lb mono leader for the riggers. We were also pulling a natural cedar plug lure about 300 feet out on our centerline and had a Sea Witch and Island lure, also with ballyhoo, on the 2 flat lines. Our colors were hot pink, black and purple, and chartreuse; the pink Z-Man bubblers produced best, with black and purple coming in second.

Time 6:35 AM. We trolled for close to an hour without a hit. At this time, I was wondering if the skunk was going to stay on board. Then we saw the ocean come to life. We found a nice little rip with a 2oF temperature hike. There were small tunas, or Bonita, busting bait all around us and catching flying fish out of the air. That was kind of neat.

Time 7:45 AM, the action began. The long port rigger popped: it was pulling a hot pink bubbler. A nice fight, and the gaff swung it in the boat and into the bow fish box—about a 12lb’er. The skunk was gone! We lost the second fish at the boat—pulled hook. Then a nice 25lb bull was tossed into the box. We were somewhat busy for a couple of hours.

Then we had three rods begin to scream all at once, and there were only two of us on board. I got mine to the boat and put a gaff into him, and then in the box he went. I then picked up the second rod and also introduced her to the same outstanding accommodations after a short fight. The third was a large 30-40lb bull. We finally got him somewhat subdued, and then there was a shadow lurking below. We tried everything to get that fish in the boat, but the shadow hit the line with its fin and pop it. The shadow? A big Bull Shark. Well, the Dolphin that wanted nothing to do with us was now trying to get to the boat and hide. I tried to free gaff it without luck, and the Dolphin darted toward me and under the boat. Just missed...

Well, that was it. I grabbed the GoPro and caught the underwater carnage. The shark swung around and just grabbed the Dolphin by the tail and held it for a second or two. Then, with a lunging bite, the chase was over. One bite, and the Dolphin was chomped in half. He then swam away, swallowing his catch. The next bite, he consumed my lure as it was drifting downward to the abyss. I’m guessing that one gave him a little heartburn. After that, another bite or two, and it was over.

After the excitement, we put the lines back in and started trolling back toward the hill. That damn shark cost me $20: Lure, swivel, hook, and leader. We put another 15-20lb cow in the box about 20 minutes later, and I had the boat in neutral to clean and straighten up a little, then I put it in gear, and before I could stop, the starboard rod started screaming, and I knew what had happened. I caught the engine. Now what? Well, someone would probably have to get into the water, which was me, and knowing that there is a shark that could bite a 30-40lb Dolphin in half with one bite was hanging around somewhere, was very unnerving. Well, it wasn’t as bad as I feared, and I was able to let the swim platform ladder down, hugged the F250, then made 2 cuts, and we were able to pull all of the lines and leader free.

Now with all of that behind us, we made sure nothing was in the way, placed the boat in gear, and as we moved forward, the port rigger rod snapped from the clip and took off. I mean, screaming line off the reel. It dove straight down. My first thought was it was possibly a nice tuna. We were in 420 feet of water, and that fish was moving down. I began to add a lot of pressure and moved to the bow, and we began following the line. After 20 minutes, we made almost all of the line back, and we saw a dark shape. Maybe a Jewfish? A large Wahoo? Not sure. Then it saw the boat and did a screaming dive back to the depths. It finally stopped, and I was able to move it up just a little way, and it took back what I gained. The leader snapped. Damn! I would have at least like to have seen what that was. I now think it was a very large grouper. Possibly, a Jewfish. And yes, a Jewfish, not the politically correct Goliath Grouper. It’s been a Jewfish a hell of a lot longer than the other.

Oh well, we settled back down, set the spread back out, and moved, again, toward the hill. We were able to boat one last Dolphin, and we called it a day.

The weeds were scattered everywhere, making it a little frustrating to manage the baits. I’m guessing that Sunday was a much nicer weed day. They were beginning to come together and make uniform lines as we moved back toward home. I would have loved to head out again, but being 50 and tired, I knew there was no way that was going to happen.

Anyway, 7 nice Dolphin in the box and on ice: one pulled hook, and one stolen fish. We had 2 nice bulls around 25-30lbs, 3 cows in the 15+lb range, and 2 in the 10-12lb range. From what I heard on the radio, we did just a little better than the rest of the weekend fishing warriors. Not a bad day, and I’ll take it...

Grilled Dolphin topped with Grilled Caramelized Sweet Onions

murraydevelopment . 8/23/21 murraydevelopment . 8/23/21

Red Drum in the Saltmarsh

As the light wing moved up from the southeast, the green float bobbed up and down as the water ripples from that wind and incoming tide. Then, it’s gone. With a constant and easy motion, I set the circle hook in the corner of the drum’s mouth. Size doesn’t matter. These fish have an awesome pull. A fun pull, too. “Stay out of the structure!!”.

When you hook one, they do what they can to get away. They always head to some type of structure. But this one didn’t have a chance. It was my day today. In the boat and then back in the water, he goes to swim and fight another day.

I know that popping corks have really been popular lately, and with good reason. I am fishing the salt marsh creeks North of Charleston, SC, and we have a large tide. Close to 6+ feet. That means a lot of water moves in and out in a 6 hour and 26 minute period. The popping cork rig has a set leader length, and when you fish the tides, you have to either lengthen your leader during the flood tide to keep the bait in the strike zone or shorten your leader during the ebb tide. So, over the years, I’ve been moving back to the old sliding cork rig: the SC rig.

With the sliding cork, all you have to do is to move the bobber-stop knot up or down, depending on the current state. It’s that simple. No more tying on additional leader material with a blood knot or cutting leader and retying back to the popping cork swivel.

I also use a 1/0 octopus-style circle hook with the SC rig. I like the circle for the ease of use, and it keeps the dreaded gut hook from occurring most of the time. Sometimes you get a little sidetracked watching nature around you, and when you look back for your cork. It’s gone. AAAHHHH! Just reel tight and move the rod in a constant and fluid motion away from the cork, and you’ll usually set the hook, and it’s right in the corner of the mouth.

My bait of choice in the early spring is a mummichog. What’s a mummichog, you may be asking? Well, it’s a mud minnow. It is a natural and abundant little baitfish of the salt marsh. They are very hardy and resilient bait. I also use small finger mullet and small or peanut size menhaden. Of course, one of the best baits is a live shrimp. But, everything eats a shrimp. Including the fisherman. When the water temperatures warm to the high 60’s, the trash fish move in and kill and eat your shrimp.

Hooking your bait to keep them alive is key. Hook the mud minnow through both lips, the finger mullet through just the top lip, and the menhaden sideways through the nostrils. The shrimp can be hooked through the tail or through the horn just in front of the dark areas in the head.

To complete the SC rig, I create a small leader section about 12” long, 20lb leader, with a 1/0 circle hook snelled to the leader. Then I use a Palomar Knot to secure a size 12 barrel swivel to the other end of the leader. The bobber stop knot, small bead, and cork are threaded onto the mainline, and then a 3/8 ounce egg sinker is added. Then I place a small bead on the mainline below the weight to protect the knot and finally secure my mainline, which is a braided line, to the leader swivel with a Uni Knot. Set the bobber stop knot such that my bait is just off the bottom, hook the bait and then work the structure using the current to deliver the rig. Again, use the current to your benefit. Pull the rig away from your fishing target and let the current naturally present your bait to the structure and the red drum lurking and waiting for a meal.

murraydevelopment . 8/13/21 murraydevelopment . 8/13/21

Trip From Goose Creek, SC to Hope Town, Abacos, Bahamas

An adventurous trip from Goose Creek, SC to Hope Town, Abacos, Bahamas

On an early Thursday morning in late June 2014, I hooked the boat and trailer to my truck and began a long ride from Goose Creek, SC, down to Ft Pierce, Fl.

About 8-hours later, we finally made it to Ft Pierce. After our arrival, we launched the boat at one of the local ramps and motored over to Harbortown Marina for the night’s stay.

Now that we’re in the water, I can fill you in on the destination: Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas. We’re just about ready to go, but we need to fill the boat with all the necessities for the 10-day vacation. Through the magic of writing, the boat is cooler’d out with what we take for granted every day: groceries.

We made it down to the boat around 4:30 Friday morning, and needless to say, I didn’t get a lot of sleep. Quite a few things go through your mind on a trip like this. You think of what can go wrong and hope nothing will.

The spreader lights laid a perfect light stream in the cockpit while we made final preparations. I turned off the lights after everything was stowed and illuminated the cockpit in a cool glow of blue. We made our way out of Harbortown Marina at 5:30 am toward the Intracoastal Waterway. I put the Tiger IV on top of the water, and off we go. With the autopilot set, we cruise at 30 knots for 1 minute, and then we turn to the port at marker 187, passed buoy 16, and slow to no-wake speed. That was fun. We now have to fight the fast incoming tide for a couple of miles. After a while, we pass the end of the no-wake zone, Buoy 9, and I push her back on top of the water at 30knots, and now we’re off. We cleared the Ft Pierce jetties at 5:55 am, and our heading was slightly south of East. We were on our way to the White Sand Ridge on the Bahamas Bank.

**On our way out toward the Atlantic Ocean**

The boat is so new that I’m learning the autopilot on the fly. I finally found the waypoint, push a button, and the Garmin system sprang to life and held her course. The course was 1010, and in no time, the side-scan sonar was just blinking as it searched for the ocean floor.

The sun began to make her way over the horizon, and the ocean began to show herself. She was somewhat flat with a mild roll and a slight breeze from the Southwest. The radio rang out with a classic Jimmy Buffet tune: Cowboy in the Jungle. With the first leg of the trip was closing in, and with the sun finally over the horizon, we finally hit the bank after 2 hours and a 20-minute trek—twenty-eight feet of water from 1,000 plus.

Yes, we made it across the Straits of Florida.

I pulled her back, looked around, and discarded the morning’s coffee, all around 8:30 am. Sitting back and taking it in, I decided it was time to crack a cold adult beverage, and I did.

Now our next leg of the trip is up, clearing customs at Walker’s Cay. I pulled up the Triangle Rocks South waypoint, and the autopilot grabbed the helm, and the boat made her way across the beautiful and crystal clear green water at, again, 30knots. We moved effortlessly across the shallow and slightly bumpy water. It’s a neat and somewhat awesome experience being in that clear water when you come from a muddy water environment as we do. Seeing the orange starfish as you scoot across the surface of a great aquarium is just cool.

Our second leg lasted about an hour and twenty minutes; Triangle Rocks. We pulled up the third waypoint, Walkers, and Mr. Garmin moved us about 6 miles closer, and at this point, I took control of the helm. The Walker’s Cay entrance can be tricky, and I would suggest purchasing one of the up-to-date cruising guides. Mine let me know that the channel had shifted, and we followed the recommended course and made it to the harbor entrance.

Walker’s Cay, at one time, was one of the great sportfishing destinations in the world. But now, it is only an abandoned outpost and a point to clear Customs: at the time of publishing, the Customs and Immigration office had moved to Grand Cay. The marina was decimated by two back-to-back hurricanes and just has not recovered, which is a shame. We motored around looking for some direction to the government office, but there was none. We did see someone sitting at an old picnic table under a tree atop the seaplane ramp. So, we moved up to the ramp, and my son jumped off and walked up to her and then came back. That was the customs agent, so I tied the boat to the sea wall and all of our papers in hand, we made it up the hill and into the office. I no time at all, we were legal and had a fishing license—now we’re ready. Well, almost. Hungry and ready for some cracked conch, we leave Walkers and head east toward Grand Cay and Rosie’s Place.

We topped the Tiger IV’s tank off, and after running close to 120 miles, we put in around 40 gallons of ethanol-free gas. With the boat full, off we went to Rosie’s Place for a couple of cracked conch meals, and a few goombay smashes. It was great to be back, oh, and the conch was awesome. There is something about fresh conch.

Back in the Tiger IV, and with full stomachs, we made our way back to Triangle Rock for a little fishing. Before we left Ft. Pierce, I stocked up with blocks of chum and ballyhoo. This is a necessity since there are no tackle shops close by. You need to bring everything you think you’ll need and maybe something you don’t. I also brought some good ole’ Lowcountry shrimp from home.

We anchored up to the south side of one of the big rocks and dropped a block of chum over the side. The current began taking the ground-up menhaden from the boat to the rocks. We stowed the jump seats under the gunwale, which gave us full access to the stern for fishing, and we broke out the light spinning outfits. Our rigs were very, very basic: small 1/8 oz egg sinker, size 12 barrel swivel, around 12 inches of 25-pound test fluorocarbon leader, and a snelled size 1 Gamakatsu octopus circle hook. In other words, a Carolina Rig. I, on the other hand, used the same setup but no weight.

We both took our spots in the cockpit, baited our hooks with small pieces of Charleston shrimp, and tossed them back into the chum slick. Mine slowly drifted back with the chum, and I soon caught the sight of a dark shadow dart across the slick. Dang it! A miss. Bait again, and drift it back. Then the boy hook hooked up with a nice Queen Triggerfish. Then another and another. After a while, the yellowtail snapper grew brave, and BAM! Fun times. We landed quite a few nice fish but also left a few rigs, thanks to the sharp limestone outcrops. But, fresh yellowtail, thinly sliced with soy sauce and a little wasabi... it doesn’t get a whole lot better than that.

My son decided to break out the snorkeling gear and take a look at what we were fishing around. That’s another thing cool about this place. Just jump in and look. I kicked back, enjoyed the warm breeze, cold adult beverage, and took in the day.

With the boy back on board and rinsed off with fresh water, it was now time for the final, long leg of our trip. Destination: White Sound, Green Turtle Cay, next to the Bluff House.

With the F250 cranked, quietly purring, and motoring away from the rocks, I set the route from Triangle Rock to Green Turtle Cay on the Garmin. I motor out and up to 30-knot cruising and set Mr. Garmin. At each leg on the route, Mr. Garmin steered the Tiger IV around and through the Sea of Abaco. 70 or so miles later, we make the call to the property management group and made our way into White Sound. We pass New Plymouth to the right as we enter the sound and move through the small channel. Many transient boats from all around our globe were at anchor. We motor west, and on the right is the famous Green Turtle Cub, and to the left, we move past the Bluff House and toward our dock. Finally, we have made our trip from Goose Creek, SC, to Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, Bahamas.

We slowly move all of our belongings into the Indigo House. Oh, guess what? The phone number had an SC Lowcountry area code. It kind of felt like I was home. Anyway, as we are moving our stuff, I noticed a small rental boat cruising around the front of the dock, pointing at our boat and talking amongst themselves. Then, a voice moved across the water, and it was very familiar. It was my uncle. Wow. How about that. This was a small community dock, and they had rented a house just around the corner from us. It just shows that you better be on your best behavior, ‘cause you never know who’s watching. That was neat. Being in a foreign country with family almost next door makes you feel good.

My wife and daughter joined us a couple of days later. We hopped in the boat the morning of their arrival and took off toward Marsh Harbor and Curly Tails, which is a neat little bar and restaurant. It was a rather long journey, but again, the Tiger IV moved through the clear water with ease and dryness. There was a chop over the Sea of Abaco and a crosswind from the Southwest around 12 knots that slopped the water surface. We passed Don’t Rock to our starboard side and across the crystal clear, light blue water, and 12 miles later, we were entering Marsh Harbor. We had to navigate around the many moored vessels hailing from ports, again, all around the world, and when we pulled up to the dock, we were greeted by two happy ladies. We tied up, loaded their luggage, and made our way back to grab a bite to eat at Curly Tails. Guess what I had: Cracked Conch and a Goombay. As we waited for lunch, the clear water beckoned us to watch a school of small baby barracuda swimming around the dock and shore. Standing on the side of an aquarium, again, is just cool.

After lunch, we made our way back across the Sea of Abaco as the winds began to ease, and the water surface calmed itself to a smooth and mild chop. The sun began to make its exit for the day, which made for a beautiful ride home. The boat-generated breeze was cool to the skin after a hot day, and we entered White Sound as the sunset.

The next morning, we had a cup of coffee while sitting on the screened porch by the pool planning out the day, which was hopping in the boat, grabbing a dozen ballyhoo, and looking for some fish. We cleared the White Sound and made it out into the Sea of Abaco. We turned to the East and made our way toward No Name Cay and Whale Cay Passage.

Out through Whale Cay Channel and into the Atlantic we go. We pass Chub Shoal to the port side and the patch reefs off Great Guana Cay to the starboard and scan the flat smooth ocean for any signs of life. There were birds working off Guana in 600ft of water. With the birds working and fish busting bait, we moved closer to the action and saw that the fish were blackfin tuna. We set the outriggers and ran the line way, way back. In fact, about 300 ft to 500 ft. These fish have been pressured quite a bit and wouldn’t allow us to get anywhere near them. We work around the diving schools hard and only hooked up with a couple of small tuna.

With the fishing day done, we headed back to Whale Cay passage and turned toward Great Guana Cay. We move in the middle of the old cruise ship channel and set Mr. Garmin. Then I cracked a cold beverage as the ladies took advantage of the bow cushions.

The sun was high and hot, and the water green and clear. One thing about the cruise ship channel, there are reports of a couple of steel piles that have eroded and have broken off just below the water’s surface, so be careful at the East end of the turning basin if you’re cruising off the west end of Guana.

We had a nice easy ride down to the public dock and began to tie up when we ran into a boatload of friends from SC. We all made it to the end of the dock and hopped on a golf cart taxi out to Nippers on the front beach. The ladies were the ones who actually rode the taxi. There wasn’t enough room for all of us, so the boy and I used our feet to get us there. We made our way down and took a left at the Nippers sign, and moved through the palms, brush, and the warm shade. We meet quite a few curly tail lizards running across the sandy road, and those little brown buggers are everywhere and lightning-fast.

A view of the Barrier Reef From Nipper’s

We were meet with a light breeze that added a little bit of coolness, but nothing worked better than the ice-cold Goombay Smash. Nippers is a unique little establishment with multi-level decks, a pool, restaurant, gift shop, and yes, a bar. The family and our friends, after our cups were filled, headed down the steps from the bar to the beach and grabbed a couple of umbrellas, and created a little SC village at the water’s edge. The kids went snorkeling around the third-largest barrier reef in the world, and the adults did what we do best; run a bar tab. Food and drinks were plentiful, and guess what I had? Yep, Crack Conch.

We had a blast. After a day of fishing and hanging out at Nippers, we finally left Guana. The sun was starting its dip toward the horizon, which gave us a nice, quiet ride back around Whale Cay and back to the Indigo House.

The next few days were pretty much the same. Our daughter spent the night with our friends over in Hope Town, and the next day we all met up at Tahiti Beach. Another beautiful spot to hang out. Again, the kids went snorkeling while the adults kicked back on floats tethered to the boats. After a while, we pulled the anchor on the boat and motored over to Lubbers Quarters and Cracker Peas. Another round and snacks. Oh, by the way, they have a great hot sauce at Cracker Peas, and it’s made right there on Lubbers Quarters. Our next stop, still on Lubbers, was Lubbers’ Landing, where the kids were jumping off the dock tower and then were able to hop on a couple of the paddleboards and have fun. I thought my daughter was going to walk on water when a small shark swam by her. That was funny.

We grabbed diner and, guess again what I got, I grabbed another cracked conch and peas and rice, and my wife grabbed a batch of buffalo cauliflower. She loved it. That’s not for me.

The day was coming to an end, and we loaded the Tiger IV up and made our way back to Green Turtle Cay: a beautiful hour and a half ride.

The trip was nearing its end, and we decided to head west the next day and made our way to Powell Cay. We anchored off the seaside of Powell Cay and broke out the snorkeling gear for a look around. I came upon an old tree that was covered with brown grass and many small schooled fish. Around the tree were small blue aquarium-type fish and a host of angelfish. Under the tree was a washed-out area, and resting was an alien invader: the lionfish. Every time I got close with the GoPro, it puffed its spines out in a defensive posture which made me a little uneasy. Then my daughter swam up behind me and grabbed my foot. Well, I thought the queen mother of all lionfish had me, and I’m sure a brown cloud quickly created a barrier similar to that of an octopus and its ink. I guess she got me back for laughing at her and the paddleboard shark experience at Lubbers’ Landing.

We then moved around the west end and anchored in shallow water. The kids and I walked around the ocean side and found ourselves 6 nice conchs. We cleaned our conchs and then loaded ourselves in the boat and ran away from a small storm that popped up. We made it back to the house and just hung out. We swam in the pool and just relaxed.

The next day was Election Day, and no adult beverages could be sold until the polls closed at 6 pm. We found that out after we made our adventurous golf cart ride into town and to the Wrecking Tree. The Wrecking Tree is a neat little restaurant set under a tree where the wreckers from years gone past would deliver their spoils recovered from shipwrecks. The government would take its share, and the wreckers would take theirs. This is a neat piece of history. Well, the locals were ready for 6, and so were we. The Goombay’s came out, as did the conch. We had a very fresh diner. Across the road is a dock, and we could hear hammering going on, and we were trying to figure out what they were doing. Well, they were cleaning conch. The next thing we know, one of the conch fishermen made his way from the dock to the Wrecking Tree with a 5-gallon bucket of conch, and then the diners began making their way from the kitchen. Truly a fresh diner. This is the best cracked conch I’ve had in the Bahamas.

Wrecking Tree Cracked Conch with Peas & Rice

After diner, we headed over to Miss Emily’s for another round of Goombay’s. These are the original Goombay Smashes. They were invented right here at the Blue Bee Bar. The kids found ice cream and milkshakes down from Sid’s grocery store, and as we were walking around, the newly elected or re-elected officials were getting their pictures taken.

The day was coming to an end as we stood at the public dock between two canons salvaged from the USS San Jacinto in 1865 after it struck a nearby reef. We ended the day with another adventurous golf cart ride back to the house.

Well, the vacation is a day away from ending. We loaded up the ladies the next morning and headed over to Marsh Harbor, had lunch, and loaded them into a taxi for the airport. The boy and I left and made our way over to Nippers on Guana one last time for cracked conch with peas and rice on the top deck looking over the massive, sprawling reef.

We made our trek back through and around Whale Cay and passed No Name Cay for the last time this year. We slowed as we closed in on White Sound’s entrance and watched New Plymouth fade away. We tied up to the dock and then began loading the boat for our early departure in the morning. I kept an eye on the weather for our crossing, and it looked like it would be decent. The Garmin XM Weather was showing normal winds and a normal sea state for tomorrow.

After our final preps in the house, we loaded ourselves in the golf cart and headed over to the Bluff House. This was our first trip to the Bluff House, and it was very nice. It was open to the sound with a beautiful dining room and bar. My son and I bellied up to the bar and placed our order. Guess what I ate? Ha! Nope, not conch. I actually had a nice steak, but I did have another Goombay. Lord only knows how many I had over that 10-day vacation. Sitting at the bar, they had the Weather Channel on, and that’s when I realized that there was a Hurricane to the North of us. Great. Hurricane Arthur. It was a Category 1 at that time and kind of stationery. Anyway, the boating report looks OK. Also, I was introduced to the Weather Channels spearfishing show and actually enjoyed it.

We headed back to the Indigo House, and I walked down to the dock to check on the boat and looked at the weather one more time before hitting the sack. No Change. Good.

4 am came quickly, and we loaded the final pieces to our departure puzzle in the Tiger IV. I topped off my coffee cup, rinsed out the coffee pot, locked the doors, and said goodbye to the Indigo. We cast the lines, placed the Yamaha in reverse, and made our way to the Sea of Abaco. Time 4:40 am. At 4:48 am, I slowly moved the throttle forward, and the boat sprang to life and on a plane as we set the cruise at 30knots. I pulled up our return GPS track on the Garmin and set the autopilot. Mr. Garmin took control, and we were off.

The morning was as forecast: light winds. We could see lighting far to the North as it lit the sky. That was Arthur. A little nerve-wracking, I must say—what a beautiful morning ride. Jimmy Buffett was set on the iPhone and singing away through the speakers above my head.

We were making great time, and then we noticed the bank was beginning to become a little bumpy. We were closing in on Great Sail Cay. This was the area where the land ends, and the bank opens up to a large shallow sea. That’s when I knew we were in for an achy and somewhat rough trip. The first hour and a half were nice. Now we have a chop coming from the South West and the North East.

Needless to say, the trim tabs and throttle became an intricate part of the return trip. The boat just kept moving toward Ft. Pierce. I can say she was doing a heck of a lot better than her two crew. I could see the larger sets of waves as we were approaching them and was able to slow us down for an easier ride. The trim tabs were set such that the bow was down, which allows the bow to enter the waves first, helping with a smoother ride. This really helped out, and I would recommend to anyone to add them to their options list. This type of tug of war with the ocean went on for close to 4 hours. Really, really fun. Oh, by the way, the ocean was not what was forecast for those 4 plus hours.

We were closing in on the final 20-30 miles of our trip, and I was noticing that the seas were not as violent, and I did not have to play with the throttle as much. Then just like a switch, the ocean flattened out, and we could see the wind line on the water’s surface. The forecast was correct for Ft. Pierce. Our final hour or so run was unbelievable; 30knots, no wind, and a lake-like surface. Weed lines were everywhere, and I was dying to set out a spread to troll, but I knew we had to clear US Custom, put the boat on the trailer and make our trip back to Goose Creek. So, we motored past those large mats of Sargasso Weed and made it to the Ft. Pierce Jetties. About 7 or so hours later, we made it safely home to the US.

As before, we hit the no-wake zone and a strong tide. I called the US Customs office, received my number, put the boat on the trailer and made our way over to the airport, and cleared customs. A quick stop at Burger King, and we hit I-95 North and set the cruise control for an 8-hour trip home. What a long day. 18 hours earlier, we were in the Bahamas.

Somewhere around 9:45 pm, we both walked into the house in Goose Creek, SC.

What an unbelievable trip and vacation, and we’re looking forward to this summer.