A Fishing tale….

It was definitely the highlight of the day for me when I realized that there was a fish on the end of the hook. I could see him jumping 300 feet behind the boat, gracefully arching in the air and tugging on the 300 lb. test line. New at catching fish meant that I had to research this beforehand so that I would be ready for this momentous event. I imagined myself free of the chains of domestic urban grocery shopping and living on the delicacies of the sea. At this point I had been on my 51 foot sailboat Ileana in the Bahamas for about a month and was settling in nicely to the relaxed lifestyle, the glorious sunsets and the endless deserted beaches. All that was missing for me was the freedom I imagined that comes with successfully negotiating with nature and living off the plentiful sea in perfect harmony with mighty sea.

While researhing this back in October, one of the Salty Dawg Sailors gave me advice on how to fish while sailing. When he said that you need 300 lb. test line I have to admit I was a little shocked. I could not imagine what a 300 lb. fish would look like and whether it would be worth risk damaging the sailboat landing something that big while at sea perhaps hundreds of miles away from the closest emergency room. The massive size of the hooks and lures looked ridiculous to me….. I’d be happy with a 2 lb. Mahi Mahi, or a delicious grouper. The Salty Dawg Sailors had given me great advice up until then, so I was reluctant to question their wisdom so I went to Pro Bass in Vaugan Mills to get the necessary fishing supplies. When I mentioned to the fishing expert in sales what I needed….300 lb. test line…. he said “you’re joking!” When I started down the convoluted path of my proposed sailing trip to the Bahamas, the advice of the Salty Dawgs, the size of hooks I needed, he burst into laughter and started calling over to his friends. They all started laughing and making jokes about my fishing aspirations slapping each other on the back. I slipped out of the side door hoping that no one would recognized me…..

I emailed my fishing contact from Salty Dawgs and he confirmed that yes indeed I needed 300 lb. test line and all of the lures and hooks even though they might look huge. He reassured me that the size of fish would be between 2-40 lbs and that I should trail the line behind the sailboat tied to the cleat at the stern of the boat. He gave me the contacts in the USA where I could buy the supplies and they would send them to me. The supplies arrived on November 3, 2021. The online fishing supply store thanked me for their business. There were no snide comments or disparaging remarks, just the usual friendly banter that fishermen talk among themselves such as wishes for good luck. I felt like one of the group! Unfortunately the supplies arrive 3 days after I left to sail from Annapolis to the Grand Bahamas last fall, so I did not get the opportunity to try my luck on the open ocean until a yesterday.

Having done some research ahead of this momentous event, we were prepared. If alcohol is administered directly into the gills of the fish, the fish becomes immobilized. Auke was up to the task of administering 40% rum directly into the gills of the beast. It was not as easy as you might think because the fish was flopping around and had huge teeth. After using up 1/2 a bottle of the Bacardi and the fish was still madly flailing in the cockpit Auke took the immobilization tactic to a new level that had not been described on the internet. He used the bottle to beat the head of the fish until he stopped moving. This was quite effective if you ever find yourselves in the same position…..

Not sure what exactly we caught and out of internet range for a google seach, we thought that we should check it out before we fried it. We put it in the freezer. We were on our way to Staniel Cay from Georgetown and when we were in internet range it turns out that we caught a baracuda! Marlo did a google search on how to cook Barracuda. He came across this article….

Bahamas Wellness Health Systems president says the time to fear barracuda is when it is on your plate

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A leading doctor is urging folks in Nassau and the Family Islands to stop eating barracuda, warning that a moment’s sweet taste can turn into a year-long sour battle to recover.

Dr Arlington Lightbourne, president of Bahamas Wellness Health Systems, with three clinics on Eleuthera and one on New Providence, said: “Every summer, we see an increase in large fish consumption with more people going boating and fishing.

“This year, the boating scene has been particularly active with people looking for things to do when many places are off limits and events canceled due to COVID restrictions.”

According to Lightbourne, barracuda is the most common source in this region of a neurotoxin called ciguatera, though any large fish, including grouper, can contain it. It is caused by eating fish contaminated with ciguatoxins which are produced by dinoflagellates – small marine organisms living on or near coral reefs – belonging to the species Gambierdiscus toxicus.

According to Lightbourne, barracuda is the most common source in this region of a neurotoxin called ciguatera, though any large fish, including grouper, can contain it.

“At best, the symptoms can involve extreme discomfort, a day or two of gastrointestinal pain with vomiting, diarrhea, a low heart rate, low blood pressure, but if the symptoms are not treated right away, they can lead to far worse, long-lasting conditions,” he said.

“We’ve had patients who had to be hospitalized and end up in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) because their blood pressure is so low it becomes life-threatening. You can suffer from neurological impact, experiencing dizziness, numbness, loss of feeling in the fingertips, itchiness in feet.

“It can literally change your life and these symptoms can last up to six months or even a year.”

I think that we all agreed that we would use the perfect filet that we had so skillfully harvested from the ocean as bait for our next attempt at living in harmony with nature……

Marlo, Auke and Doug all arrived this week to help me sail the boat back to Toronto. Although we considered trying to live on only what we caught in the ocean we recognized early on that this might be a risky way feed ourselves on our way back to New York and then to Toronto. We made plans to feed ouselves for 2 weeks, made a menu and the went shopping to Georgetown. The plan was to head up the Exuma chain to Staniel Cay (they had all heard stories about the swimming pigs but wanted to experience this Bahamian cultural event themselves….)

We had a bit of time on our hands so we trekked across Stocking Island and up to Monument peak.

At some point after snorkelling with Marlo I realized that my cellphone was gone. I had no idea to where it had disappeared. I had been using it as my conduit for the satelite phone, checking the emails from the hospital, checking the weather. Doug was kind enough to let me use his phone so I could call Ileana and let her know that it was probably at the bottom of Elizabeth Harbor so she would understand if she was having difficulty getting a hold of me. Her response was understandable. “You moron! The longer you spend in the Bahamas, the dumber you get. By the time I meet up with you in New York you will have the intellect of a chimpanzee!” When I told Doug, Marlo and Auke her response upon learning that I had lost my cellphone we were rolling around the cockpit laughing and laughing perhaps not because it was so funny but because it is true! I was not particularly fussed that I had lost a $1500 phone and that my connection to the real world was severed. There is little to worry about after a month in the Bahamas….. except perhaps eating the wrong kind of fish. We went to the Chat ‘n’ chill and had dinner before heading off to Staniel Cay in the morning.