Jan 19, 2006

I'd Rather NOT Be Fishing

So, I managed to organize a fishing trip. I rented a charter boat, and one fine Tuesday morning we set out for Fort Lauderdale. The weather was warm and sunny, and I was excited; fishing was one of my most enjoyable things to do. So we got there and boarded "The Shooting Star" The assistant/helper (I don't know what you call him technically) told us about the bait and type of fishing we were going to do. Kite fishing. It's a technique used with an actual square kite, it dips and dangles the live bait over the water. When the poor unsuspecting fish takes a bite, he doesn't realize there is a hook attached and he gets caught.

The first hour of the trip was very enjoyable as we admired the houses by the marina with docks and the crystal blue ocean below us. We passed the Queen Mary 2 which was docked nearby. Then as we drove deeper out into the ocean, huge gigantic waves formed, and suddenly we were climbing high waves, and as we passed each one, our boat rocked and dipped steep lows. You could hear the boat struggling with each wave, the strained acceleration. My Aunt suddenly dropped low to the floor, afraid of the boat jerking violently and tossing us overboard. As she closed her eyes tightly and began to pray, I took one look at the waves ahead and could also look no more. The waves loomed ahead, looking terrifying and overwhelming. I looked at the side of the ocean and kept my eyes in that direction. I could not believe the way our little boat was being rocked and tossed about as if the ocean were playing tennis with our boat being the ball. I was terrified, scared out of my wits. But I realized the way I deal with my anxiety is purely internal. I am so afraid of making a fool of myself that I won't voice my fears like my aunt did. I would calmly ask the assistant/helper if the waves were normal and if they were dangerous. Turns out, there was a storm in Cuba which caused these waves. Just the day before, the water was smooth like glass. Too bad the waters were rough on the day of OUR fishing trip. As my aunt gritted her teeth, and I held my anxiety inward, Anthony and his cousin Carli were laughing uncontrollably at my aunt which I found to be mean, but typical of Anthony. (We all had a laugh later, when Anthony's face lost all it's color when he eventually got seasick). Anthony's aunt Anita kept saying "Pobrecita, ella es una persona nerviosa." She felt bad for my aunt, and kept saying her jaws were going to lock! Ha ha ha!

As we neared the fishing area, we stopped, but our boat rocked on with each wave rocking us, dragging us further out to see. The assistant/helper guy appeared again, and set up the fishing rods. He caught one, then gave the pole to me and told me to reel, and I thought to myself - this form of fishing was really cheating. With live bait, it is almost a guarantee you will catch something. The poles were set up in their holders, and once he saw that a fish was caught, he would hand the pole for us to reel them in. After I got over that thought, I figured, let me make the best out of things and I happily reeled in a Dolphin fish. Not flipper, but a fish called Dolphin.

Anthony's cousin Christian was throwing up - non stop. Anthony's face lost all it's color and he was seasick, my aunt was terrified and Anthony's aunt was seasick too. After two fish caught, we called it a day and headed back. The boat's rocking also made me nauseous at the end of the trip, but I think that it was probably mental after seeing all different kinds of throw up on the boat. Has anyone heard of throwing up overboard?

When we reached the shore, everyone was relieved. I was disappointed that my little trip was ruined by the rough waters, but what can I do? I still want to go again, when the sea is calmer. Now I'm looking into going canoeing. A much calmer, relaxing activity!

2 comments:

k said...

so dramatic!

once I went on a fishing trip and this guy tried to throw up overboard, but it was so windy that all of it ended up going back in his face. now THAT was nasty. but funny...in a sad sort of way.

Anonymous said...

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Thank You,
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