Fish 3 Ty Dewi 4

15:30UTC 27/11/08 19'34N 65'03W

We've motored almost all night until a breeze sprang up from the east at dawn and we've held it for most of the morning so far with only occasional motoring to keep speed up. We are now in the home straight so no-one wants to hang out doing three knots!

Yesterday something very big grabbed our lure, span out all the line from the reel then a big splash behind us and twang, it was slack. At least we had all the line, only the lure snapped off the end.

Today, Yan and I have been up since 6:30 when the fishing line sprang tight whilst I was on watch. It was drum tight and looking ready to snap so I hove to to stop the boat. The line did go slack, but reeling it in there was clearly still a fish on the end. He would occasionally pull back so I let him have line then started again. After ten minutes, there is a tail and dorsal fin gently breaking the water about ten yards behind us. The fish is just gently swimming along with us as the boat jogs forward at about two knots. He's not fighting. This is one cool customer. Yan gets his camera and we gradually pull him closer and closer. He's blue, very blue, almost purple and iridescent, with lighter blue stripes. And he has a bill, a big sharp sword. This is clearly a marlin. He's about four or five feet long and looking every bit the natural born hunter that he his. He's still being cool and I know he's got lots of fight left in him.

He's too big for us to eat and, besides that, just too beautiful to even think about killing (and I'm scared of that sword) so we decide we need to let him go. But how? I don't want to cut him free and leave him with, and us without, a lure. We'll have to bring him aboard, get the hook out and throw him back. Yan gets the gloves and my boots, I don't want this guy taking a chunk out of my feet. We edge him closer, Yan gets some photos and I try to tug him aboard. He fights hard. We fight back. He leaps back and forth and suddenly, thankfully, the hook comes free and I am left holding our line, lure and hook, complete, and a wonderful fish is back where he belongs.

So since then, we've been sanding, and almost all the wood is back to bare ready for base coat. It's going to look good and so easy when there's many hands and some time.

We're having a breakfast break whilst Yan makes crepes and then we'll do the varnishing for today. And we'd like a tuna or mahi-mahi for lunch, please Neptune.

All's well. N.

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