Position: 23 degrees, 44 minutes south; 178 degrees, 56 minutes west

Amazing sight, but I’ll tell you what I saw in a moment. To set this up – it’s getting warmer (finally) and the waves and wind have gone down, so this morning at sunrise I decided it would be a good day to start fishing. Out goes the handline with a squid-like lure.

Not 15 minutes from when I dropped it the indicator (a used clothspin) snapped off the lifeline indicating a fish on. Pulling in the handline I found a lovely looking but small Mahi. Too small I felt (about 2 feet) so I shook him off the hook and back he went. I held the hook out for about five minutes to make sure he was long gone – I’ve caught the same fish before.

OK, the amazing part. About fifteen minutes (around 0700) after I caught the first Mahi I’m just sitting enjoying the morning without lightning, rough seas and high winds and I’m just staring out at the water in the vicinity of the lure when I saw something that in 20,000 more miles of sailing I’ll probably will never see again. We were doing about six knots sliding down 6 foot waves and as I’m looking out at the water I saw a three to four foot Mahi come completely out of the water surfing toward the squid (my lure). He popped out about ten feet behind it zooming down at probably 20 knots. The rational side of my brain couldn’t even process what was happening, it was taking place so fast, but the emotional side was enthralled. “Big fish. Mahi. Dorsal fin fully extended. Irridescent blue and green glinting in the warm morning sunlight. Cavernous, gaping mouth fully open (in appearance, not unlike the front grill of a 1950’s Buick)”. Just before he hit the lure I remember the rational side of my brain catching up and thinking. “He can’t be on the line, it didn’t click!” Just then the clip snapped and the line slapped to the deck (later I found the hit had even bent the steel spring on the clip). Yes we had a fish most definitely on the hook.

The aftermath. The one problem is that it’s been six months since we’ve been fishing off Charisma with a handline. I forgot that I have to give the handline a “tug” to set the hook, so while I was busy furling the jib to slow the boat down and waking up Ann to help land Mr. Mahi…he jumped the hook. Oh well. We’ll keep fishing and hope for another one. In the meantime, hey, we have rice, dried peas and canned chicken for dinner.

The second “natural” event of the day was later in the afternoon. We’re 500 miles from any sort of land whatsoever (OK, there’s a reef that we’re passing right now – Minerva – but that doesn’t count) when a large bee comes flying in and lands in the cockpit. I’m thinking, “Hmmm, not many flowers out here, this guy’s a long way from home”. Anyway, he looks around a bit and then flies off. That was it. Nature messing with my head today.