Admittedly, we were hoping the sharkless waters of San Benedicto would be a trend that followed us to the west. But Roca Partida, as a irresistible beacon for every form of life in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, has a healthy population of "grinners" that were ready and waiting to challenge our tagging efforts and share in the spoils. That is not to say however that we did not have a very productive, action packed day of yellowfin tuna tagging; we did, anglers simply had to button down the drags, and dedicate themselves to pulling for all they were worth in order to succeed against the omnipresent, voracious "tax collectors". In the process of tagging well over one hundred yellowfin tuna, approximately twenty of which were one hundred pounds or better, history was made once again on Royal Star as we are the first vessel ever, to our knowledge, to participate in the tag and release of a yellowfin tuna in excess of three hundred pounds!

I have to slightly downplay our part as long time Royal Star and long range veteran Doug Taylor deserves majority credit doing a fantastic, exemplary job of subduing the 324# behemoth, but the triumph and victory no doubt is shared by all. As far as the actual weight goes I suspect that many of you may wonder how we arrived at this number considering the fact that Doug's monster fish of a lifetime was tagged and released. Doug's trophy, as well as two other big bomber two hundred plus pound yellowfin tuna yesterday, were gently scooped in a large brail, lifted on board and placed on soft padding, accurately measured and tagged, then photographed before we slid them back into the ocean to continue their doings in the Roca Partida region. The new process has not only enabled us to very accurately estimate the size of our angler's catch, it adds an indescribable element of awe to witness these amazing beasts being tenderly handled throughout the process then released in the name of science. There is one more comment I must make as to the validity of the taped weights of these beautiful trophy yellowfin and the process on Royal Star. We have never, in twelve years, had a taped weight estimate be lower than the actual weight when the fish was returned to San Diego to be weighed on a certified scale. We are always conservative when we take measurements, never "stretch the tape" as some have a tendency to do, and are very confidant that these weight estimates are either at or below the actual weight of the fish. In the case of Doug's monster I wouldn't doubt if it was bigger as it was a genuinely huge yellowfin tuna.

Enough of that now however as two other anglers made the trophy category with fantastic catches of two hundred forty six and two hundred thirty one pound yellowfin tuna yesterday. Corbett Wright, a.k.a. Sharkus Orelius, released his second two hundred pounder of the trip with the two forty six being tagged and recorded from our first stop of the morning. First time Royal Star angler Pete Aviadjian also achieved hero status with a mid day two hundred thirty one pound trophy yellowfin that slurped down his bait in plain view a mere few feet from the hull.

We had a big day at Roca Partida and are understandably energized as a result. Huge congratulations to Corbett and Pete and especially Doug Taylor who has spent many years long range fishing for this exact catch. Not only does Doug have the memory of the battle, incredible photos, and the unforgettable scene of us lifting and tending to his massive catch on board, he has the distinction of being the only angler in history to release a perfectly fit, gigantic 300 pound class yellowfin tuna that is now cruising the deeps at Roca Partida with a new body piercing as this is written. What an experience and a memory to last a lifetime.

All that said we are now continuing the westerly trek with plans to check Isla Clarion for a few days before likely, for obvious reasons, returning for a final round on the inside. With six full days of fishing time remaining however, we will give Clarion a thorough exam before considering future options.