The mood on our final morning of travel was a bit subdued but even the merriest of revelers from the previous night bounced back by noon continuing the festive trend through the traditional send off dinner of roast prime rib. The amazing weather of the previous day held for the entire ride and our beloved Royal Star, who proved herself so worthy in the extreme conditions upon our departure, never so much as bumped, banged, rolled, or jerked during the past forty eight hours. This is especially remarkable when passing through the final eighty miles to Cabo San Lucas that are so well known for consistently sloppy conditions, and many a difficult ride.

So concludes our first long trip of the 2005 season and following this voyage we will take a maintenance break to replace some tired machinery and mechanical components as well as tend to many cosmetic details. With the departure from our original schedule that included four trips to Panama beginning in March, we will have a little more time at home this season to focus on the needs of Royal Star. I can't say that a few of our needs won't be focused on as well as Randy and I have not enjoyed a stretch at home like this since acquiring Royal Star in June of 1996. We will be back on line with a couple of Clipperton trips beginning in early April then continue our pursuit of big fish with a final May sixteen day run before our summer schedule begins in June.

This long stretch of time in, again unique to us on Royal Star, will also enable Randy and I to make a stronger promotional effort together and we hope to see all of you either at the San Mateo or Fred Hall Long Beach shows to express our appreciation in person and/or become acquainted if you are considering a long range voyage on Royal Star. On that note, we will be returning to San Diego with a beautiful load of 140 - 250# yellowfin on Saturday, January 22nd for any of you interested in making a trip down to see the catch. Unfortunately for sightseers, the premium quality of our fish held in the fresh tanks prevents us from stacking them for a spectacle across the stern but they will be much prettier, and tastier, as a result.

In the meantime look for Captain Toussaint to continue his reports while traveling up the line towards San Diego.