Salty's Baptism

[Capt Josh]

Well amigos third time is certainly a charm!!!

I am so freaking tired right now as i write this i can barely put two thoughts together but here goes...

We loaded up Salty yesterday afternoon in preparation for our third consecutive night of swordfishing and left the dock with high hopes, despite the lack of action during the previous two evenings festivities. I ran south of Miami once again to the area we had a nice knock down near with Alex during our first night out there.

The weather was terrible for most of the day in the marina, with squall after squall berating the coast, but the mojo was battling the weather and as we cruised offshore at sunset you'd be hard pressed to procure a more positively charged crew than us. Sometimes, despite all indications, you just KNOW.

It was a long night of diligent drifting. We manipulated lines nearly non-stop for over eight hours, changing drift patterns, depths, baits, until at just over 4 in the morning as a nearly full waning moon dipped behind an ominous looking cloud bank that the mid-depth bait went zip. Zip - ziiiiiiip....

I was fighting consciousness in the helm with Tim when the line barked once, then twice briefly before falling silent. I knew it had to be...

Vaulting from the helm chair i sprinted down the ladder to the cockpit and immediately began cranking the 300' line as fast as i could. After 100' the rod started to load, and as i increased the drag the fish answered with abandon...

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzz.......

After 24 hours of combined drifting over three evenings i don't have to tell you how LOUD i yelled:

"BENJI!!!! MICHELLE!!!! FUUUUCK!!!! ANYONE!!!!!! FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH OOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!"

This fish did not fuck around, dumping over 300 more yards on top of the 150 that were still in the water from the boat to the buoy and then the buoy down to the deep. The 2L soda jug swirled once and then disappeared with it's light stick - it would be over an hour before we would welcome the sight of it back.

Michelle, who was asleep in the helm area on one of the benches just moments before, pounced to the cockpit with a quick agility that gave her ferociousness away. For those of you that remember Michelle's previous catches with me in PV and Los Suenos (where she released a 650# blue marlin among other things) this chick means business. After three nights of patient, diligent waiting she dashed to the stand up harness, strapped in the gear, and put the pedal down as i hammered the throttles backwards in hot pursuit of the fish.

Michelle is a demon - do not let the face, soft translucent voice, or bikini model body fool you. She cranked the drag up and went to work on the beast, willing it to the surface within 30 minutes whereas the fish charged the boat, made one spectacular leap as if to catch glimpse of it's opponent, and then tore ass once again for the horizon and then for the deep.

Back and forth the battle went past the 1hr mark, and then that's when the chit happened. Much to my chagrin a 15 mile wide swath of hell was approaching. Wind, lightening, driving torrential rain - there was no stopping it. The force of the storm hit us with vengeance. Michelle, just put her head down and kept cranking while Benji, Tim, and I traded looks of amazement. WHO IS THIS GIRL?!?!?!

Salty gathered herself and charged into the maw of the dragon, throwing her shoulder into the madness, cradling her crew in pursuit of the monster. It was a magical 45 mins in seriously adverse conditions where crew, boat, fish, and angler danced in the thundering darkness.

The fish wanted freedom but Michelle wouldn't allow it. As the LP light inched it's way towards the surface Michelle would aptly inch it's stubborn ass forward with each herculean crank of the reel. Non-stop, no mercy...Benji reached out into the crackling fury of the squall, nearly blind from the driving rain, taking his cautious, calculated wraps. Tim shut his eyes and reached with the flyer, as i spun Salty down sea trying valiantly to keep Michelle in the game.

If you'd have been there you'd of believed that God wasn't happy...with a biblical crack of thunder and lightening the stern of the Salty rose up and the sickening point of the flyer came down....in an explosion of emotion, spray, lines and leaders the fish lurched one last time towards freedom but felt the suffocating blow of the steel. SHUCK. You're dead.

There was an odd moment of silence where it seemed even the wind and the rain ceased to exist. We'd done it. Finally...exhausted, bone drenched and chilly, five great warriors celebrated battle as only we can - screaming, drinking, high 5's and bear hugging, a celebration of accomplishment with fresh blood on the deck.

Yes, goddamn it we deserve it. There's no shame in me saying that everyone, particularly Michelle, did one HELL OF A JOB.

After two hours of sleep the preparations have started. Time to get our crew together and head out there again.

[johnnywalker]

There you go Josh, great efforts and final results...Go get another one. Looks like good times being had down there.
How did the new boat handle the conditions?

[Capt Josh]

Like a dream Johnny..sits flat as a board, easy to nail, in the beam seas while drifting. Weaver builds one BAD AZZ machine.

[chumslicker27]

Hell yea man.. nice work.. Michelle is NICE too

[gottaflylee]

JT, I think you can say that Salty has delivered... Great job to you and the crew...

[Capt. Michael Mata]

Nice job guys. Wish I could have been there but not for the ride down. Tell Ben crack kills and to pull his shorts up Glad to see you guys are having a good time in Florida. Congrats on the Baptism of the SALTY I'm sure in more ways than one

[Franticpace]

Congratulations Josh, having been at the helm while Michele tackled a big one, I know the joy of watching her work a fish. She is racking up her own waypoints on Google Earth. Nice work Michele

[Asylum]

Hot damn! Nice work Michelle!
Glad several of the 'firsts' were handled prior to going on Yacht Path. My knuckles are still on fire from cranking on that runoff Thursday nite.

Nice job!

[mozza]

Nice work boy's

Catching swords vs ujena costume party ......big call it was insane!!!!

[Charl]

Well done JT and Crew.
That is a good fish. It always pays to be patient.

I'm sure there is no doubt that Michelle is getting the best off attention from all the crew.
She sure is a Fine looking Lady and by the sound of your report she sure has the hart off a tuff and harden fishing girl.