Quite the change in weather today as we crossed the invisible threshold into the sublime beginning of the silky subtropics. That last trip in February boasted none of this climate. Cold water and wind had us feeling near gypped were it not for the tangible reality of actually being at the Revillagigedos catching yellowfin tuna and wahoo. Not entirely unusual, it was a little disheartening nevertheless. One of the sweet homecomings of the "islands", for me anyway, is the mild subtropical climate that welcomes any and all with stable air temperatures and gratifying warmth. Not too hot, not too cold; just right the vast majority of the time. By my estimation it appears that such conditions will reign during this voyage.

As the frigid wind and rude sea state subsided throughout the day a cheerful atmosphere dawned as the boys kicked into a whirlwind of action on deck preparing Royal Star for fishing following her maintenance hiatus. It is near impossible to not be lifted by such conditions. As such it was a good day of southerly travel getting plenty of things done.

And while the climate warmed dramatically the ocean temperature most definitely did not as we continued to push south dodging ice bergs until near days end. Fifty five degrees Fahrenheit at daybreak topping out around sixty three around nightfall - cold; very cold for this time of year. But, how it will affect fishing to come is completely unpredictable. I suppose on a good note we slid past one giant kelp in sixty degree water mid day hosting a fair colony of twenty pound yellowtail. In addition, especially prominent for the local half and full day anglers, was the significant sign of four to six pound Bonita we passed for several hours on day one just south of Ensenada. To be certain we have a long way to go before it matters to our late spring/summer voyages offshore. May is typically the transitional month so we have plenty of time to observe free of troubling thoughts or dire predictions based on what presently occurs.

For now the focus is rapidly narrowing to our present goal of continuing the colossal success of the Revillagigedo tagging project. On schedule to meet our group of eager, experienced anglers in Cabo San Lucas tomorrow, thereafter we begin the adventure with plans to commence fishing at Isla San Benedicto in short order. Needless to say after much time in maintenance mode we are ready to get back to the fun part of this vocation. We'll see if I still feel that way when the fishing is over and done. While the fishing portion definitely qualifies as fun, the catching, when in greater proportion to the fishing, is by far the better of the two.


Tim Ekstrom