Day 213, Year 5: BFAFM-Big Fish And Full Moon
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010
Weather: Sunny Day, Cloudy Evening, SE Winds 8-10
Location: Ile Fouquet, Salomon Atoll, Chagos
The fish and the fishermen’s stories just get bigger and bigger. Mark’s lucky lure did it again today. Just after 8 am, Mark looked out and saw the Sooty Terns hovering over the water between us and the bommie to our south. He yelled “bird pile”–and we both jumped in the dinghy and sped over there. The fish that have been coming in here are small Bonito and you have to go fast to catch them. I couldn’t see the bommie because of the early morning lighting, even though it was a very low tide, so I just had to guess at where it was and speed around in circles. On the third pass, we got a hit and it was one of the larger of the small Bonitos. These are a pinker meat than the ones caught outside. I decided to use the whole fish to make marinated fish kabobs for the Full Moon Party tonight. So that was one success.
Closer to noon, Mark and Ed went outside the atoll to try an catch a Yellowfin or Wahoo for dinners for the next few nights. Rachel and Elizabeth of Ventana took their dinghy and followed. They had gone outside fishing the other day and caught nothing, so they wanted to watch Mark and Ed and learn how to do it. All of a sudden, Mark and Ed are the veterans. We are going to have to buy new hats for them in Madagascar as I think their head sizes have grown as a result of this new reputation. This time they returned with the biggest Yellowfin yet. It was a beauty. Wolfgang on Galateia wanted some fish to prepare sushi for tonight’s party, so now he will have Yellowfin from us and Bonito from Kea, and Constance and Windbird will have fish for dinners for the next few days. I can freeze small amounts by wedging it between the cold plate and the basket that holds things in the top of the refrigerator and put the rest in Constance’s freezer.
It is 5 pm and we are getting ready to head in to the full moon party on the beach. I’m sending the log now as I might not get home before 7:30 and that’s about the last time we have radio propagation that allows us to send a log until morning. There have been a couple of nights recently when I waited too late and had to send in the morning. So you’ll have to read about the Full Moon Party in tomorrow night’s log.
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| 100527 Day 213a Salomon, Chagos–Two Fish Day |
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| 100527 Day 213b Salomon, Chagos– Full Moon Party |
