Fishing world: Have gun will travel

East Cape weather for the first 3 weeks of January was pretty horrendous for fishermen. Air temps were extremely cold and the north wind ripped continuously for almost 3 weeks. The surf was pounding on our beaches and I was beginning to think it would never end.

The windy conditions turned out perfect for sailors competing in the Lord of the Winds kite boarding event. East Cape is known for good sailing weather this time of year and the timing was perfect for this event. Thank goodness it wasn't scheduled for this week as the wind has subsided and we are now enjoying warm weather and calm seas.

Gorgeous weather the last few days has allowed fishermen to get on the water. High spots off Buena Vista, La Ribera and El Cardonal have been producing snapper, humbolt squid and an occasional yellowtail. The yellows are coming on greenback mackerel, sardines and chunk squid.

We just completed winter projects on Jen Wren and she is ready to fish. With the yellowtail showing early this year we are anxious to go fishing. Last night in my mind I was going over what we needed to get on the water. Boat work complete check, fuel check, water check, fishing tackle OOPS! All of our reels went to Accurate Fishing Products in Corona California for an annual tune up and I haven't gotten them back yet. They have been ready for some time so it is just a matter of picking them up.

I have a trip planned up to Gringolandia at the end of next week to pick up some terminal tackle along with our Accurate Reels. During my visit I will be Pete Grey's guest on Lets Talk Hook Up talk radio show Saturday, February 9th along with Accurate Jack. The show is from 7 to 9 AM. Please tune in and listen. I welcome everybody to call in. There is a free app for mobile devices called TuneIn Radio. That is what I use to tune in from anywhere.

I'll be back the middle of February ready to fish if anyone wants to come down and take a wack at the yellowtail.

With Jen Wren ready to go my attention has turned to Jen Wren III. Complete hull restoration and installation of our new Simrad electronics package are the last 2 projects to complete.

The new Simrad touch screen plotter, 4G broad banned radar, auto pilot, sounder and satellite weather have all been installed. All of these electronics will interphase and work in harmony. A tech from Simrad will be here Tuesday to dial the system in and confirm everything is functioning properly.

Hull restoration has been a challenge. In fact much more of a challange than anticipated. Over the last few years I have tried every painter in our community for one project or another and have not found anybody I have confidence in. Okay I'm kinda particular. Actually my friends that know me describe it as anal. Be that as it may I want the best job I can get.

I was ready to import a painter from the US when it came to me. Right in front of my face the whole time was Caliman. He has an auto body shop in San Bartolo just 10 miles away. We have been friends for several years and his work is top notch.

Caliman came to look at the job and kind of shook his head and explained. First off he had never painted a boat or anything as large as a 35 Cabo Yachts. Secondly he is accustomed to doing his work inside a controlled environment not out in the wind and dirt with cars driving by and insects dive bombing the just painted surface. Lastly the Awl Grip paint chosen for the job is extremely temperamental and very hard to work with. Given my options and trusting my instincts that Caliman was good with a gun I made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

Day one Caliman shows up with a brand new high volume gun purchased just for this job. I mixed up the 2 part primer and watched him go to work. The new gun wouldn't spray and just spit the primer. After 3 attempts on the stearn the wind started to kick up so we aborted for the day and cleaned up the mess made on the back of the boat. Now the heat is on. The mixed primer only has a pot life of 16 hours so we need to get it on the boat.

The second day Caliman shows up early with his trusty top load pistol ready to rock and roll. As he works around the boat shooting primer I started to grin. The guy is a master and he is laying it on perfectly. After a short break for the primer to tack up he starts with the top coat. The stearn and port side are completed and look awesome. I'm starting to dance the jig as he works down the starboad side. All of a sudden I don't hear the spray from his gun. Caliman has stopped painting and is staring at the side of the boat along with my crew. Taking a look I see paint running down the side of the boat. It only took a moment for the master to figure out the problem and he explained. The starboard side is in the shade and the paint didn't go off like the side in the sun. I swear he stood there and stared at the runs for 40 minutes like he was trying to burn a hole in the side of the boat. There was nothing to do but wait for it to dry and start again.

Day three Caliman shows early again with his game face on. The sanding work is completed to remove the runs and he is laying on the paint hot and heavy. First coat looks great! Second coat I'm stoked. Caliman is done and tells me he is going to apply a third coat to give the shine more depth. I was very pleased with two and couldn't stand to watch as he went back to work but the master pulled it off. The boat looked like it just rolled (or floated) off the show room floor. We cleaned up the equipment and called it a day. The plan was to paint the black boot stripe the following morning. I went to town to buy some tape for the stripe. Upon my return I was horrified to find that a large piece of plastic drop cloth had blown out of the cockpit and was laying down the side of the boat stuck in the fresh paint.

Day four we had to do it all over again and finally got it right.