Gulf of Mexico - 05/2008

Ahhh! The end of exams, and the RTS boys are in celebration mode, heading south to Grand Isle, Louisiana to catch the big ones. Daniel drove the guys down from Jackson, and I left from Hattiesburg. Grand Isle seems to be at the end of the world, took forever to get there. We checked in to the Sand Dollar Motel to get a good night's sleep before an early start in the morning.

Justin, Dan, Daniel, and Ricky watching the basketball game. Can you tell this motel is not up to my usual standards?

Doesn't seem to be any coins or chips on the table, so they must not be gambling.

Ricky called with bad news just before we were to leave - the boat we had chartered had hit something and was out of commission. Fortunately, the only other charter boat with a cabin in Grand Isle was available, and since the boat owners worked together, we were still able to go out on the Different Drummer.

Ricky and Daniel are enjoying the comfortable cabin before we set out.
Ricky, Justin, Ben, and Dan climbed up to the flying bridge. Looks like Justin is having a bad hair day. They were warned that it was OK during the slow run out through the passage, but that it would be a rough ride up there once we hit the Gulf. No one climbed up there once we hit rougher waters.

Once we got out in the Gulf, there were oil and gas platforms everywhere.

Must be the funny hat, as Ricky brings in the first fish, a Kingfish. Ricky didn't make it back to shore with the hat. It was reclaimed by the sea.

Here's Ben bringing in another kingfish, but this triumph does not last long, as he soon after succumbs to the rough seas and kneels at the Altar of Barf. Maybe it's caused by that strange hat.



Daniel brings in another Kingfish. That's the fish's blood on the deck, not Daniel's.


The seas were pretty rough. Most of us got by with just being a little queasy. Daniel had it really bad.








Dan is bringing in the mahi mahi.

Justin joins in and doesn't let Dan out do him.

Ben has recovered and shows off one of the mahi mahi that we hauled in.

Justin shows off yet another mahi mahi that succumbed to the fishers of men. Matthew 4:19

Ricky and Ben sack out, exhausted by their exertions.

Here I am, doing what I do best.

Dan is checking out the day's catch. It was a pretty slow day, till we hit a school of mahi mahi, so we fished as long as we could. This resulted in us getting back to the dock much later than planned. We got in at 8 pm and didn't leave with the cleaned fish until about 10 pm. The RTS boys drove back to Jackson, arriving at about 3 am. I made it back to Hattiesburg at about 2 am. A good time was had by all.