![]() ![]() Back in the 1920s and ’30s, macho men caught billfish in small boats, sometimes landing huge fish using just a handheld line and fishing their baits hundreds of feet deep. They decide to venture out 50 miles from the coast-the farthest allowed under tournament rules-where they believe conditions look right for hooking into sailfish and hopefully, a prized blue marlin.įishing at this level does not come cheap and the sport has changed quite a bit since the days of Ernest Hemingway and Zane Grey. He and his team of anglers, friends from Savannah and Cape May whom he has known for years, discuss their game plan. In bright colors, it shows detailed satellite images of the Costa Rican coast complete with current movements, plankton, and water temperatures. Smith checks the large flat-screen TV in the cabin on the ship’s starboard side. Uno Mas eases out of her slip, one step in an almost automatic routine Smith performs more than 100 days a year. As he sits down in the sleek, teak stateroom (accessed through a push-button, air-powered sliding door), his crack team of deck hands have already released the lines. At the end of the dock, Smith bangs a quick left and steps aboard his 60-foot Bayliss yacht with the name Uno Mas airbrushed across the back. It’s early, 6:15 a.m., and the sun is just starting to hit the spotless stainless steel and glass of the fleet, giving the marina a magical glow. Soon this place will be empty and all these ships will be trolling the calm, warm waters of the Pacific to compete in one of the most famous billfish tournaments in the world-The Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown. Catchy names like Big Oh, Reel Pushy, Morgasm, and Pelagic Magic are painted in elaborate designs on the transoms of the docked vessels. Tall, tanned, and sporting polarized sunglasses, Brooks Smith strides past dozens of multimillion-dollar billfishing boats docked at the packed marina in Los Sueños, Costa Rica. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |