Here is the first official report from Panama and I must say there is plenty to tell. First off everything is fantastic with the crew, the boat, and all needed logistically for our voyages. Second and most significant to our fishermen on the inaugural voyage, we are LOADED with beautiful three to eight inch anchoveta we were fortunate enough to catch yesterday with the help of a few friends and the equipment we brought along. The learning curve with the new equipment definitely applied early in the day but we worked through the expected challenges and caught our bait in three beautiful sets by days end. What a fantastic feeling it is to have this load of bait aboard and now the true test begins with the next challenge being where to catch a load of fish. We have received some encouraging reports and Randy found some interesting indications while passing through one of last years hot zones as well. Only time will tell but for the moment we are basking in the knowledge that now when we find the fish we have the ammunition to work with. With our group of anglers arriving tomorrow and our departure on Tuesday morning, look for our daily reports to commence then.
Today's photo features the Royal Star crew hard at work in one of several bright afternoon moments. This set yielded about one hundred thirty scoops of perfect size anchoveta. How sweet it is!