[password] beeskiff
[position] 21 31.300s 168 55.200e
[status] You?ve got to love it when a plan comes together! Gemini seamount delivered a huge mackerel. We had given up on finding the shallow area (which is incorrect on the chart) and returned to course but shortly after the depth sounder started seeing 80 meter and we circled around until we eventually found the 40 m area. Almost immediately we started to get hits on the two lures, but neither stuck, one big one came off the hook close to the boat. On about our third circle back we finally got one. The biggest mackerel we?ve ever caught, about 1.5m long, there was a bit of pandemonium on the sugar scoop as Lyn tried to control it with her little fish towel as I held the line. Eventually the iki stick found its mark and after a lot of filleting work by Lyn we had fresh fish for lunch and a stocked freezer. We tried a few more passes and I?m sure we would have caught another but we are on a schedule to beat the South Westerly and had to leave. A little later we lost the successful lure, almost brand new. Oh well, fish 3 Jolifou 1.
Whilst all this was going on a 50m super yacht called Drumbeat happened to come past. They weren?t fishing and captain said he came a bit closer because he thought we might be in distress going round in circles as we were. Weird coincidence, the only other vessel we?ve seen apart from a Chinese fishing trawler in the distance.
Shortly after we left the mount the wind died to almost nothing and the day has been spent motoring on an oily calm sea. This is the next best thing to perfect sailing if you don?t mind the fuel bill. Perched on the bow with a drink in hand, headed directly into the setting sun and golden ocean, was one of those priceless moments you get out here.
110 miles to go to Havannah pass!
[speed] 6 knots
[heading] 243T
[weather] 0 knots SE, 10% cloud cover

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