 BLACK SUNDAY — Three men battle with a marlin off Cape Point — by Daniel Hughes
• Date: Sunday, 1st February 2009
• Co-ordinates: 34˚ 40’ S and 18˚ 13’ E
• Boat: Relentless, Kei Marine 7.14m
• Owner/skipper: Daniel Hughes
• Crew: Julian White and Fred Brouns
BEFORE we begin this tale, it must be noted that the landing of this fish was a complete team effort. No one person on the boat that day can claim any more credit than the next. Between Julian, Fred and I it was as if the day had been scripted and the roles that we undertook had been created for us.
Without Jules’s experience on the controls, Fred’s calmness in the initial part of the fight — and the liquid support and camera work which allowed us to document the fight — I would not have been able to land the fish. All possible problems were solved by both mates, and I was left to concentrate on what I was doing without any interruptions or mishaps.
HOW IT BEGAN
Telephone call, Saturday night: “Hi, Jules,” I began, “I have a good feeling about tomorrow.”
“Hi there, Dan, for some reason I have the same thing!” No further discussion was needed — our plans for the next day were set.
5 AM
Come Sunday morning at Simon’s Town, while talking to the other skippers, doubt started to creep in. Maybe we should rather go for the geelbek — there were very few tuna the day before. But instinct won over: “Bugger it, we’re not here for a haircut — to the deep, boys until 11am, and if nothing happens we’ll come back to find the ’bek.” All agreed. But the doubt weighed heavy on my mind.
After a rather bumpy ride into the deep — those who know Kei monos will tell you they make even a calm sea bumpy — we decided to drop our lines in at about 43°13’.
After hearing that a good mate of mine, Mike Howlings, on his boat Online, had just boated a longfin at the top of the canyon, we did an about-turn and headed in his direction. Of course when we met up with them all was quiet. What now? Mike decided he was going to head west, but we decided to stay in the area owing to the presence on the longliners.
After an uneventful two hours which brought the time to 9.30am, we started seeing fish jumping on the surface. Anticipation was high and the nerves were set. Nothing happened though. There were schools of baitfish, and marks on the echo, but nothing was biting.
Someone commented that the water looked great for marlin, and we all agreed. Dumb hopefuls.
11AM
“Guys, if this was going to happen it would have happened already.” At this stage I could not get any information from the lighthouse regarding what was happening in the bay, and told the boys that we would troll to 1.00pm and then lift our lines. We decided it would be pointless to run to the ’bek as there seemed to be a lot of east wind on the mountains in the distance.
Read the full story in the May/June 2009 issue of SKI-BOAT.
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