Fishing For Dinner

“What do you feel like for dinner, I'll go spear something before we head out.”

Mike had taken to spearing with an Hawaiian sling like a fish to water.

 Snapper, yellow tail, Spanish mackerel, wahoo, lobsters and conch were all there for the taking in the gin clear waters of the Bahamas. A smorgasbord of fresh delicious fish. “Why don't we skip it today and try for a shark?”

The previous evening we had dined on shark, caught and prepared by a friend. I was surprised how good it was. “I've devised the best rig for hooking these beasts”, claimed Ron. OK, I'll bite.

On our sail over to Green Turtle the next day we scrounged through our stores of spare parts, paraphernalia and all the junk that you never know when you will need it, so it doesn't get tossed out, to find the needed items for our shark rig.

Within sight of the anchorage we couldn't help but notice the sea of sticks. Something was going on.

Our friends had always joked that Canadian Freight anchors so far out that they are half way to the next anchorage, and this time was no different. The hook was dropped and set, we had changed into our going ashore clothes and off we went into town to see what was happening. Much later heading back to CF...... “Timed that right didn't we, never knew they had a regatta week in the Abacos.”

“ And there's nothing a cruiser likes more that great music, free food and an open bar!”

“It's a little late but lets try for that shark, we have everything ready.”

Using 120 lb test line, a bicycle tube, a snapper we had kept on ice, a bleach bottle, a really BIG hook and a stainless pot lid we set the trap. Sleep came instantly and I would have sworn it had been only minutes, when we heard the pot lid skidding across the deck. Clamouring up the companionway, the effects of the rum punch ( Bahamians make a wick rum punch) could still be felt. With gloves on, Mike hand lined the thrashing shark, we are assuming it is a shark, to the side of the boat.

 Whoaa...a bit bigger than we had planned on. Rough guess 6 ft reef shark. Fifteen minutes of frantic tail lashing and banging it's head against the hull played him out enough for Mike to lasso his tail and haul him up using the boom which he had swung over. “ OK now you cut off his head and gut him.” Our arrangement when it came to fish was, Mike caught them and I cleaned them. I definitely got the short end of the stick on this deal.

Off with his head! A forceful plunge of the butcher knife into it's belly, than a quick downward thrust sliced him open. Job accomplished but what a bloody mess! Swinging the boom inboard we lowered the remaining torso onto the cockpit table. “Holy Shit!!!!! Did you see that, he's still moving.” This kinda freaked us out. Made my skin crawl. It was at this point we noticed 2 things....

1. We were covered in blood.
2. We were naked.

Several buckets of warm sea water took care of the blood and a long t-shirt took care of the nakedness.

I made quick work of cutting off thick fillets and tossing them into buckets of sea water, as to Ron's instructions. Job done, deck rinsed off, back to bed, instantly asleep.

Enjoying a very late morning coffee in the cockpit we noticed 2 things.....

1. We were no longer on the fringes of the anchorage but now surrounded by 20 new boats.
2. As early morning shoppers returning to their boats dinghied past us, our waves and morning greetings were met with half hearted responses and curious looks.

Yuck is how I will describe our lunch of shark. Must have done something wrong, certainly wasn't as good as Ron's. Our efforts of the previous night was now fish feed. A hamburger ashore hit the spot, no more fish for today.

Chatting and checking out other vessels on our return trip kept our attention off our own boat till we were almost home and that's when we saw it. Blood, lots of blood, a bloody massacre, all down the side of our white coloured hull where we had dragged up our midnight catch.

Ahhhhh.........so that's why the strange looks and dinghies taking a wide berth around us.

I think we may have to go around and do some explaining but than again maybe not.