The GRANDER is caught!!!!!

June 12, 2008
We are finally in Madeira. The crossing was very easy…downhill the whole way! We travelled 520 miles in 36 hours. The guys left on Wednesday the 11th, chugged at 8 knots for 24 hours, and then at 28 knots for the last 12 hours. We burned 1800 gallons, or a little over 3 gallons per mile. Not bad if you say it fast. The guys arrived about 6:00 PM, cleaned the boat, and hit the sack.
The boat is in Calheta, about 20 miles from the capitol of Funchal. We are in a very well protected little harbor that has a very nice little hotel and about 6 little restaurants. There is a grocery store right across the street (which has Ellen very happy), and the only beach on the island is here…of course the sand was brought in from Africa!! Can’t wait to fish tomorrow!
We have a little power problem…this marina only has 32 amp stations, and I can not hook up 2 in tandem as I have done in other locations…so…..we have gotten creative and are taking 32 amp into our converter for the 60 cycle items, and I am running the other side of the boat directly to the dock with 50 cycles….our A/C and water heater will run on 50 cycle, so we are all set!!!

June 13, 2008
Time for tackle. The guys have just about got it all ready to go…2 weeks in Vilamura waiting to come across left plenty of time for tackle work! We went fishing at 1:00, put the lines in at 1:05, literally, and had a 800+ fish come up about an hour later! It ate 3 teasers, and but ignored my pitch bait!! Oh well, but what a way to start. The sea is flat calm, and we are 1 mile from shore….truly an incredible place to fish. We came back to the dock at 6:00, and can’t wait till tomorrow!!

June 14th, 2008
Left the dock about 9:00, and again were fishing by 9:05….I love this place! The seas are again flat calm…..the prevailing winds here are NE, and we are on the SW side of the island…it is a beautiful thing. The water is 76 degrees, there is bait everywhere. There are only about 6 other boats that fish here….plenty of water for everyone!
Unfortunately, we did not see a fish today. Back at the dock by 5:00, and ready for tomorrow.

June 15th, 2008
Out about 10:00….hooked up by 12:00 with a sea monster....I released a 800+ 20 minutes later….in, again, flat calm seas….this is truly Jurassic park.

June 16th, 2008
Got fuel this AM, 1000 litres….1.30 per litre, but using only about 60 gallons a day! Left a little later today, but by 11:00 David released a 900+ , again in flat calm seas!! The only miscue was my pitch…I pitched a split tail mullet to this monster….after a spectacular bite about 10 feet off the transom, he dropped it! Fortunately for us, he went back and piled on a long rigger that did have a hook in it.

June 17, 2008
Off the dock about 10:00 there is a little wind out of the south…we would rather see NE. No bites today…looking forward to a scotch and a grilled something on the boat tonight. Jeremiah and Cory have an apartment about 5 mins. walk from the dock…..they are very satisfied, as it has TV, 2 bedrooms, a full kitchen, and a washer…..good set up.

June 18, 008
Today takes the cake so far….we left the dock at the gentlemen’s time of 9:30. By 11:00 we had raised a double, and released a 400+….a rat here. At 12:00, we hooked a monster that went crazy, and David was in the chair…..we ended up chafing the leader off….600 lb. mono chafed like nothing! The fish jumped all over the ocean….easily 900+, maybe the first grander…..in this place we will get another chance.
Tomorrow our dear friend Lois Davis shows up, and Web leaves…..great to have him here.

June 19, 2008
Caught the GRANDER today!!! Went out for a half day so we could be back to pick up Lois, and we hooked the mother of all marlin!! I got it to the boat in about 12 minutes, and when Cory grabbed the leader, it went nuts! We got the leader 10 times in the next 1.5 hours (we wanted our lure back), and finally, Cory broke the 600 lb leader.....he then jumped in to get back the lure...which, unbelievably, he did! The fish was well over 1ooo lbs....an incredible experience.