The saying about “What a difference a day makes” had to be coined by an old salt. There is simply no other earthly environment that can change so much, on so many levels, as the sea.
I spend plenty of time on dry land, so I do know that one day can be very different than the next, but it is never very extreme. In fact, watching our local weather news is often slightly more interesting than waiting for paint to dry.
On the ocean, 24 hours can change nearly everything about how we experience the environment. This last week was a prime example.
I was supposed to pick up a group of dads and kids from the mainland and bring them to Two Harbors for a weekend camping experience. I began watching the ocean forecasts very carefully in the week prior to the trip.
The conditions were not favorable. We had a series of fronts rush through our area leaving windy conditions and high seas. Although I looked for an opening that we might be able to slip through, I could not find a weather slot that would be kind to our group.
I contacted the charter master to let him know we would have to postpone the trip 24 hours. That is a very difficult call to make.
Although he had some boating experience and could fully understand, he had other dads to deal with. I finally had to simply say we could not safely make the trip. Period.
The seas had built to eight feet with a two-foot wind chop and 18 knots of wind gusting to 24 knots. The kicker is that the intervals were only six seconds apart. Basically, an out-of-control, super-sized washing machine.
I have made runs in such conditions and it is simply terrible even on a 50-foot boat. There is no standing allowed. You have to find a seat and try to stick to it for the duration and hope that nothing goes wrong, the boat doesn’t break and nobody gets hurt. Not fun or safe, especially with hyper-active little ones on board.
I picked up the group 24 hours later to a calmly rolling sea with virtually no wind. We stopped on a pod of dolphin and had a sweet trip with the kids in constant motion exploring every part of the boat.
One day can also change the fishing landscape dramatically. This week I picked up a group of four repeat customers for the first of two days of fishing. We had some remnant weather, but we had the advantage of staying close to the island and fishing in semi-protected coves.
The weather was not terrible, but it did limit the type of fishing we could do and it did add a bit of drama to the activity. It is much easier to fish when there is no effort involved in simply staying on your feet.
We had a crummy day. We caught a few fish, but the trip was not a top ten moment for my customers. They asked, “So, what are we going to do tomorrow?” “Tomorrow is another day, and 24 hours can make a big difference on the ocean.” I replied.
The next day was markedly calmer. We were not limited to coves and could fish pretty much anywhere along the coast although we still had some surf along the beaches.
We caught some really nice fish, including a couple of halibut which had been a target fish the day before. All in all, a very nice day of fishing.
What a difference a day makes.
Capt. John runs Afishinados Charters and Catallac Tours – 888-613-7770 – john@afishinados.com
