tuna outing this Sat ??

[oldbluesplayer]

Looks like the weather and the fishing is lining up decent, so I'm looking to trailer down to Sandwich and head for Race Point, Peaked hill bar, and the SW corner of Stellwagen, with the hope for chasin tuna.

Anyone interested, or also headin that way ???

Bill

[cSickNick]

Hey Bill,

Why drive so far? Head to Gloucester and the NW corner.
If nada, use the fuel saved to head south down the bank.

Can't do sat, i "may" be out early Sun between commitments if the weather holds ...

Good luck,

- Nick

[riprunner]

I plan on doing the same out of Sandwich, but on Sunday.

[oldbluesplayer]

Nick - I'm still just put off a bit by crossing that much open water, coming down from Gloucester - if I go to Sandwich, being inside the bay up to P-Town, feels better - if it's rougher than I like I'll just stay south and hit the fingers, or Billingsgate, if I get up to Ptown, I can poke outside before I decide to go to SWC, or not, I can stay inside the corner at Race Point and hit the blues pretty good right there.

Sat looks best to me - weather looks decreasing on Sunday, with the edge of Florence starting to encroach on Sunday, swells increasing to 4-7's by Monday.

A couple weeks ago I trailered down to Falmouth and went over to MV to join up with my brother for a couple days - had a nice crossing over on friday, fished the shoals on the way over, we chased around middle ground and over to Cape Pogue, no problem, listen to the NOAA weather Sat afternoon, thinking go back Sat eve or Sun ? the weather sounded okay for Sun, so we stayed over - just supposed to be 2-3's developing with a S wind in the afternoon - head out of Vineyard Haven about 10am Sun, nice inside, as we cleared the lee of the island it starts getting snottier - by the time I turned the corner at L'Hommideau Shoal and headed east for Waquoit, I was in 5-8's, close coupled, with a 45 degree cross swell mixed in...

Let's just say I was very, very glad I was in the Seafari, with a closed bow, and not an open CC, cuz I took a few right over the bow - got to the point I had one hand on the wheel and the other on the throttle, and at every crest I decided whether to go over and down into the next one, or back it down and ride the rear, or turn onto a converging crest coming in at an angle - I was sweating when I finaly got into the breakwaters at Waquoit bay - about 300 yards out I said phooey and gassed it up and ran in, surfed right on into the entrance !! It all made me glad I've run the Mouth of the Mac a few times against an outgoing tide, when it gets the big standing waves going, and crazy reflections off the breakwaters.

All I got to say, is that little 20' Seafari, is one tough little boat !!!

and I'll take calmer water anyday !

Bill

[rockdoc]

Let me tell you guys, talking about going out in some fairly rough stuff to chase tuna around, has been getting me pretty psyched to start in on my Seafari's resto. I need to redo the transom and replace the Mercruiser engine and outdrive, since they've gone into the 19' bowrider. Thanks for the inspiration! And good luck if you get out this weekend!
rockdoc

[Jon G]

Blues where did you park in Waquiot bay overnight? did you have any problem leaving your rig all night? Thats where I run out of when going to the Vinyard, short trip to when its nice Must be nice to have the windshield to get behind. Gotta love the standing waves at the river mouths, we ran out on the forth of July, not a nice day if you can remember, we ran up to Herring river from Whychmere and when I got a hundred yards from the mouth all I saw was 4 foot standing waves right on top of each other and the tide pouring out of the river right in to the 15-20knt winds, I got on the horn to the fisherman on the jetty and let then know I was not slowing down at the enterance which is very narrow, so narrow you can easily cast from on jetty right over the jetty on the other side I didn't want to get some twenty pound mono in my teeth if ya know what I mean glad the wind was at my back, leaving was even dryer running right in to it. We passed five or six other boats that morning, four of them were SeaCrafts, Imagine that!

[oldbluesplayer]

JonG - re Waquoit - we launched up by Edwards Boatyard, at the town ramp - I'd called the Falmouth Harbormaster, he said the ramp in Falmouth Inner Harbor had no overnight parking, and to use Waquoit, no fee - but a lame ramp, lopsided, a little tough to get a clean retreive on, but at least there is a dock alongside. Plenty of parking for the rig at the head of the road, no problem there to leave the rig. We went over to MV and stayed over there for three days, putting the boat on anchor at Town Landing in the Lagoon (off Vineyard Haven Harbor) at nights, so I never stayed overnight in Waquoit.

I hear ya on these stone jetty boundaried inlets, though 4 ft standing waves isn't bad, I've seen and come thru 6-8 ft standing waves in the Mouth of the Mac - that's eye opening !!! Right smack in the middle of the outgoing tide is not a nice place to be trying to come back in, if there's any swell coming in off the ocean, and the river flow + tide coming out - I've learned to pay real attention to tide charts now !!

Bill

[oldbluesplayer]

Well, no joy on the tuna, but a great day on the water, and further new respect for SeaCraft handling.

We launched (my son and I) in the am at Sandwich, made the run up to P-Town in a light, mild chop and limited visibility, maybe three miles max - based on how close we were to P-Town before we could see the monument. Did that cruise mostly at about 22-23 mph, but as we got closer I was gettin kind of anxious to get fishing, so I gassed it up to about 27mph - and instead of slogging thru the chop found the boat reacted by getting up on top of it even better, skimming the top of the chop, and a much smoother, better ride.

Put lines in at Race Point and picked up a quick big bluefish, got the skunk off the boat while we eyeballed conditions outside, and then headed for the SW corner of Stellwagen, another 6 miles out.

Trolled around out there for several hours, decent conditions, alot of boats out there, some at anchor, chunking, some flying kites, alot of trollers, a few doing the run and gun whenever a flock of birds congregated anywhere - but overall no action for us, and nothing seen happening on any of the other boats, so we pulled up lines and headed back to Race Point.

Did some more bluefish damage there, till after the tide turned, and about 2pm the breeze kicked up, RP got a good case of the rip it's noted for, real snotty, and we had fish in the boat, so we headed for home, straight into the face of a stiffening SW breeze and swell.

Going south it was mostly continuous 2-3's, cruising at about 15-18 mph, but every so often we'd hit a set of 4-5's, closely coupled...

It is a very interesting feeling, to take a boat airborn...

one of these days, I think I really need to slow down.

Need more than a 115 hp on a Seafari - I don't think so !!!

Bill

[oldbluesplayer]

Just thought I'd throw up a few pix from the recent fishing outings -

My brothers 72 Seabird, 23', 225 Evinrude:


Took the pup with us to MV:


approaching Cape Pogue, MV


the Tuna fleet on the SW Corner of Stellwagen-


Fish On !!!


Yes, we got the blues


Last year, CS-Nick and I had a thread going about means of closing up the motor well on our Seafari's, something to provide a little more security in a following sea, as we both seem to get out in some nasties up here in NE. I originally had in mind some major surgery, but didn't want to take the boat out of comission, so I came up with this box to close the splashwell - fits up tight to the inner transom, hinged on some motor box type hinges for easy removal, and adds a place for some additional rod holders -



Tite Lines - All

Bill

[cSickNick]

Hey Bill,

Like the solution you came up with!

Did you modify the original or is that home grown. I still have my original that have been thinking about doing something simular, but never liked that front angle on the original since a cooler would hit and take up more valuble space. Squared off and hinged is the way to go.

Also looks like you are beating your Seafari and catching fish like mine. Good for you.

I tried to get out on Sun morning, but too many 2's were riding on the backs of 4's!!

- Nick