Sea Ox and My First Fish!!!

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Sunday 5th April 2009

Whilst most people were enjoying the fact that the clocks went back and everyone could stay in bed an hour longer I was up with the birds at 0530 this morning!!! I had left a perfectly good BBQ with perfectly good wine and company so as to be bright eyed for this trip the night before but it was more than worth it!!

We set of from South Auckland on Sea Ox and its proud owner Graeme (Cox hence the name - ahh clever eh?) around 7am (this is why I'll probably never take up fishing as a serious hobbie). It was a perfect day for fishing and I was all geared up for catching my own dinner!!

We powered on up the Huaraki Gulf to North West Waiheke Island and anchored for a bit there sitting in the sun envying all those owners of the massive glass fronted island houses with views over the water and vineyards in their gardens........one day.....

Then we went a bit further up North and it took me...ooooh about 30 seconds to catch my first fish - a snapper - just big enough to keep at 27cm! I was sooooo chuffed with myself and was positively gleeful until Mr Sea Ox rammed a knife into the poor little fishy's brain. Hmm that put an end to my joy and took the sheen of this fishing malarky.

But it wasn't really enought to put me off and after moving even further up North to the Noises Islands where the big fish are I went on to catch some pretty big Kahawai. In fact they even won the biggest kahawai fish of the day in a competition we had entered!!

Shame I then contracted severe sea sickness for most of the afternoon on a boat with no loo....not the most enjoyable experience but it miraculuosly cleared for the competition weigh in and BBQ on beautiful Motuhe Island!!!

Our little team won prizes galore and we were so excited that we didn't notice we hadn't anchored Sea Ox properly and she was drifitng off to sea. Its always funny seeing your male colleagues in deep panic swimming out the sea fully clothed chasing after a boat!!! tee hee.......

It was a great day and I feel I am a fully fledged fisherwoman now (just no knifing or gutting thanks). The snapper was very tasty and the Kahawai that Graeme smoked with honey was a very popular in the office where I proudly boasted to everyone within ear shot "thats my fish you know" - Can you tell I was proud???

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