Being a captain's wife is not always as glamorous as many people would like to believe. Spending nine months a year home alone, raising three kids, running a business and directing a fishing tournament while my husband is following his passion through the Atlantic, Caribbean and Pacific isn't as easy as it sounds. However, this past Mother's Day was a great reminder of some of the benefits of being married to a world-traveling captain with a great boss.
On Friday, May 8, I boarded a flight in Miami headed to Panama City, Panama. A good friend of ours, Capt. Roy Krum, met me at the airport upon my arrival. Roy is another reminder of how great it is to have such a close-knit community of sport-fishing friends.
On Saturday, May 9, Roy delivered me to another airport to take a small plane to Santiago. Once in Santiago, I boarded a chartered helicopter for an amazing 20-minute ride. We flew over miles of mangroves leading up to a mountain that once on the other side revealed the spectacular Cebaco Bay. I could see the boat I tied up to the mother ship, also called Cebaco Bay. I knew it would only be a short time until I was reunited with my fabulous husband, Capt. Ken Ross, of the 64-foot Hatteras Amirita.
The helicopter landed on the beach, where my husband met me, along with his boss, Jose "Pepe" Anton, and friends. As I was coming in, Pepe and his friends were boarding the helicopter to leave. Ken and I spent the afternoon on the beach. That evening we went after the roosterfish with Capt. Chris Zaskey of Cebaco Bay Sportfishing Club and watched one of the most incredible sunsets I've ever seen.
The next morning we left the mother ship at 8 a.m. headed toward Aguja Reef. I was tentatively hopeful yet a little anxious. We had heard the fishing was just OK the past few days, and I had been waiting to battle my first black marlin.
After a very short run, we immediately came upon the tuna we needed for bait. By 8:40 a.m., we had our first hookup! Unfortunately, it jumped off. My anticipation was growing with the fear that I had lost my one shot. Within about 15 minutes, I hooked another black marlin and was just amazed with the acrobatic nature of the fish. I released it in about 12 minutes, and we estimated it at 350 pounds. The trip was made before I had finished my first hour of fishing. Mates Eddy Larrea and David Hernandez were as excited as I was that "mama" had caught her first black marlin on Mother's Day!
As the excitement settled down, we filled the tuna tubes and set the bait back out. Within minutes of moving off the bait, the right rigger came down. I grabbed the rod, cautiously let the fish eat and slowly pushed up the drag. I took three or four cranks of the reel, and there she was - head and shoulders out of the water, and the bill windshield wiping. I stood in awe at the massive size of this fish. This was by far the largest marlin I had ever seen! David helped me into the chair, and Eddy ran up to the bridge with Ken. All Eddy could say in his broken English was "That's a monster!"
My heart was racing, and I had to remind myself to wind. It took us all of about 45 minutes to release her, as David did a great job wiring the fish. I ran up to the bridge to share the excitement with Kenny and thank him for putting me on this spectacular fish. It was the best hour and a half of fishing I've ever experienced! When I asked for a consensus on the size of the fish, everyone agreed she was more than 800 pounds.
The celebration back on the mother ship was filled with excitement and continued well into the night. I didn't even mind the ritual "splashing" I received once we were celebrating.
The next morning we did it all over again. We went 2-for-4 on blacks in less than two hours, releasing fish of 200 and 400 pounds. Next to my first Mother's Day with each of my wonderful children, this was the most incredible Mother's Day gift I could have dreamed of. First-class accommodations, four black marlin and some much needed private time with my husband. I want to thank my husband, Capt. Ken Ross, mates Eddy Larrea and David Hernandez, Capt. Chris Zaskey of Cebaco Bay Sportfishing Club and most of all Pepe Anton for the most incredible adventure of my life!
