August 14th

 

August 14^th I went fishing the other evening and was not out of the bay a short time, set my line in the water, sat back in my chair to gather in the last of a perfect day and perfect sunset.  The tip of the rod takes a dive for the briny and there is a scream from the reel as it’s spinning out at a smoking pace.  I clamp my little muckers on the old wood PEEZ reel (antique one) attempting to slow the pace lest it runs out of line. My fingers that are being use to brake its speed are now burning off with the friction of flesh on the rotating mahogany parts. I use my sweater to insulate my pinkies.  Soon the leviathan that I have attached myself to gives me some Mercy and slacks off the pace.  HE tugs, I burn my fingers again.

I am MAN he /she will not best me.

Now the nobs have rattled on my knuckles a few times and I quickly learn to not place them in the way. This goes on for some time and becoming closer to being an octogenarian am tiring quickly.  He must be a stupid big dumb fish as he swims in to my awaiting net then realizes mistake and almost drags my arm in the water.  I club him and all………is still. 

I rush back to the OA and want to weigh this brut that comes from the sea.  I think he must be 25 Lbs or I will eat it (evidently I will).  I hang him/her on the scales but………. Even when I put extra weight to it with my body it is Only 15 lbs.

 I think I have been exaggerating on the weight of the other fish I have caught on this trip for this one is double the size the minnows that I have landed earlier.  I think my Pinocchio nose is 2 inches longer on this voyage. 

I was talking about the alarm on the inverter earlier and now I know what the source of the problem is.  One of the 6 volt batteries has a cell that has shorted out.  It was merrily bubbling away gassing off and dragging down the whole bank of batteries.  One ground wire taken off, problem solved but the remaining PROBLEM is we have one third less capacity on everything to do with 12 volt system including starting the main engines.  We still have the genset battery that is isolated.  It’s back to Port McNeil, but we will hold off for a bit to see if we can be comfortable with that.  It is a lesson in survivability when cruising north. 

Hour after hour there are 3 large Ravens high in the sky.  I am sure that this is the kicking out of the nest ceremony I talked about earlier in Blogs.  Junior will not leave.  The old man Raven is pissed about that and flying inches behind screaming at him to “get lost”!  They pitch and roll about the sky with dad trying to take a chunk out of the young’un butt.  Mom is flying behind and I can hear her saying to the Old Man, “George he’s not ready yet, don’t hurt him he, is only a baby”.  There are a lot of human parents today that cannot fledge their young and junior is still hanging out at 33 plus.   SHAME, oh well. 

We were witness today to another mom thing. 

The sight was sweet, a mom bear and three little cubs came and frolicked on the beach close by.  Penny I am sure took about 300 clicks of on the camera, firing off like a Thompson Machine Gun.  I thought the lens was going to catch fire.  We watched for about an hour and finally mom sauntered of into the underbrush the little guys scampering behind. TO COOL again!!

Have never seen a Mom with THREE CUBS!!