April 29, 2009: Treasure Cay, Abaco, Bahamas

Tom and I got up early to see the 33 fishing boats slip quietly, in single file, out of the harbor at 6:30 AM this morning. The Blue Marlin Fishing tournament has begun. We decided to spend an extra day here having discarded the possibility of snorkeling again do to the high winds. So this morning we are spending lazy hours by the pool at the marina. Some local yardmen were carefully edging the grass along the sidewalk, swinging machetes so reminiscent of Central America. It is very quiet at the pool this morning. This was really a day of rest.

Mid morning a long white Hatteras 60 GT fishing boat with an enclosed fly bridge pulled into the marina. This beautiful boat is built in my hometown, New Bern, North Carolina and is a very high end fishing boat. Tom walked by the dock and said that the outside fishing decks were all sleek fiberglass, but through the salon doors, he could see very plush interior. They were offering demo rides to the fishermen on the Hatteras on the layday of the tournament.

Tom and I ate our lunch on the patio under a model of a 1030 pound Blue Marlin which was caught in 1996 and the largest that they have on record. It was huge shiny blue and white hanging form the ceiling. We whiled away the afternoon and around 5:00 fishing boats began returning to the marina. It was interesting to us as non-fishermen on the logistics of the tournament. The fish under 9 feet in length were caught and released after taking a video of them including a colored ribbon to guarantee the day that they were caught. There were 15 marlin caught and released today plus fishermen were coming on shore carrying bluegreen dolphin fish caught for their supper. The buzz around the pool was that someone had caught a blue marlin large enough to weigh in. So we waited to see the boat, Daymaker, out of Georgetown, SC come in with her catch.

The winning fish for today was a 10 foot long, 576 pound billfish. The blue shirted Tournament Official boarded the boat for the official measurement before they hoisted the huge fish onto the dock. It was amazing to us to see a fish that large in the real although clearly it was not a record setter. It is the first Blue Marlin I had ever seen – amazing. I am glad that they catch and release the smaller ones so as to not decrease the population in the environment.

Tom and I headed back to our dinghy and enjoyed watching the sky over the boats in our anchorage. The sun sank quickly making a beautiful dramatic contrast with the clouds.