The All Day Boat

This was a new experience. She had been fishing on half day boats but this was the first fishing trip on an all day boat. The fishermen and women boarded the large fishing boat the night before so that they could begin fishing at the crack of dawn. The boat headed down the coast. It would take a few hours to reach the specified destination, so many people disappeared below deck to sack out on the bunks.

She was too excited to sleep. One of the boat attendants was taking orders for breakfast or burgers in the galley. She was always up for a hamburger so she ordered a burger with grilled onions and plenty of French Fries. She ate French Fries every day and did not tire of them. She expertly mixed ketchup and mustard, swirling it with the French Fries.

At first light more people appeared topside. It was funny to watch some of the big macho anglers running to the side of the boat and losing their breakfast overboard. Her stomach was not the least bit queasy. She rested on one of the long fiberglass benches at the back of the boat, dozing intermittently. By the time the captain announced there was plenty of fish nearby, she was rested and satiated and felt a huge smile spread across her face. She sipped a cold Coke and unpacked her fishing gear.

None of the fishermen and women were professionals. For some, deep sea fishing was a new experience. Fishing lines became tangled and some people were still nauseous, unable to participate in the free for all casting off the sides and back of the boat.

She took her time and enjoyed baiting her hook and casting off the side. After bringing in a few fish, she felt the jerk of the fishing rod and knew this was going to be a big one. In fact, she brought in the largest fish with the highest weight on that all day boat. She won the jackpot of the day that more than paid for the cost of the fishing adventure. This was a far cry from her first time fishing when she casted from a boat and proceeded to throw the rod and reel into the water.

She rolled up the hem of her jeans, made arrangements for the cleaning of her fish,
and sashayed off the boat past all the powerful looking men who congratulated her as she left the boat. She was only nineteen years old and the only one on the All Day Boat who arrived without a companion. But she took home more than she had imagined.