Back to the States

Yesterday, we bid a fond farewell to Bimini Sands- but not before Terry got to complete one more item on his checklist for this visit. He speared a lionfish! Of course, in usual LUX style, it was not strictly according to plan. It seems that young lionfish liked to hang out around the docks at Bimini Sands. So, Terry walked along the dock and landed two of them. Unfortunately, he did not get to clean them for dinner- they were too small. They ended up in the trash. Terry's official count is 2.5- he believes he mortally wounded the third, but he was unable to retrieve it.

Even with the lionfish adventure, we were able to leave at the crack of dawn.

It took no time at all for LUX to reach the waters where the depth sounder reads ----. Since we were in really deep waters, Terry asked if we were interested in fishing on this fine day. Alas, Dear Readers, poor Terry is stuck on a boat with crew that look at him blankly when he asks about fishing. After a moment, we regroup and say the same phrase each time that question is asked - "If you wish to fish, go right ahead and do it." The words had barely escaped our collective mouths before Terry had the gear spooled out.

And so we waited for a while. Those of you that know me realize that patience is not my strong suit. So, I wandered out and tugged on the line. Let us take a moment for a flashback--  When we caught the Mahi, I received a lot of grief. I had been asked, as you might remember, to call the fish. The crew appears to be under the misapprehension that I have mystical fish powers. I don't think I do. However, I no sooner gave a tug on the line than something happened. I turned to Terry, who was at the helm. I tried out this line, "Okay. Would it be better if I said you appear to have a fish on the line on this side of the boat."

Excitement broke out on LUX once again. However, the fish on starboard escaped. But, the port lure had picked up one in the meantime. It did not escape.

Terry had captured a tuna. 

Once on board, Carol threw the towel over it. We then learned that tuna do not fall for the towel trick as easily as the Mahi. In fact, I have a great video clip of the fish literally drumming on the deck with Terry's arms vibrating along. So, we also offered it a shot of vodka. That went a long way to calming it down. It worked so well that Peggy offered the suggestion that we buy some cheap fish booze to have on board in the future. 

Yes, it is a good size for a tuna. That looks like several meals. Terry cleaned it up, and we tossed it in the freezer.

We finished the crossing in time to prepare some of the tuna for dinner in our anchorage in Lake Worth. (No, Dear Readers, our freezer does not work that fast. The tuna was not frozen yet.) We fixed the tuna in aluminum foil packets. It had the tuna with pineapple on top, frozen veggies on one side, and some leftover couscous on the other side. It was topped with Asian Sesame Marinade from Safeway. Even the non fish person (that would be me) thought it was tasty.

We left the Lake Worth anchorage around 8 this morning. It's obvious that we are back in the states. There may still be palm trees, but the architecture and population density has certainly changed.

Today, we are motoring up the coast of Florida toward Ft. Pierce. Yes, Dear Readers, we are back on the ocean. However, it is a Peggy and Gee kind of day. It's flat out here. We should reach Ft. Pierce by this afternoon.