Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
she was going to be just fine and was in a good hospital in Honolulu. It was a lovely night;
the cool breeze felt wonderful, and the blackness of the night displayed the sky's jewels
exquisitely as it also made our little party on-board so much cozier in the merry yellow
paraffin lamplight.
All too soon we were bidding them a great night and rowing noisily back to Déjà vu; the
row locks knocking and creaking alarmingly as Gavin ploughed back through the black
water.
“Seems like Penny was all over you,” I said to Gavin, a little miffed when we were out of
earshot.
“I don't know about that. I got the feeling she was just being polite.”
“C'est la vie,” I said sleepily.
I slept fitfully most of the night and in the early hours woke up with the sound of a sheet
winch in the cockpit ringing out into the stillness of the night. Gavin obviously heard it as
well and thundered up the stairs like a spanked cat. He grabbed the line and took a few
turns around his hand then slowly started to pull it in.
“This is a big bugger!” he shouted joyously as he puffed and pulled.
“Keep the tension around the winch!” I warned him. All we needed was a really big fish
or shark to suddenly take off; it would either cut his hand badly or pull him into the drink.
After a mammoth tug of war, the fish neared the surface of the water. I had a flashlight
ready and shone it on the fish. We were amazed to see a large manta ray.
“Hoo, that's a big bastard,” panted Gavin in delight; his face red with exertion. “Quick Jon,
jump in the dinghy, and grab it before it gets away please!”
I jumped into the rubber dinghy that was tied alongside the port side, where Gavin was
working the hapless ray. I grabbed a gaff hook on the way, and when it surfaced again,
struck it with the big hook and was able to jerk the fish onto the floor of the boat. Its wings
skittered and flapped about wildly, and it bucked from side to side.
“What are you going to do with it?” I asked him.
“Eat it, of course!” he replied indignantly.
“Yeah, but how much of him can you eat? Just the wings right?”
“Well, we can give the rest to the dogs; they would love that!”
“I suppose so, yes.” So the ray was brought up, humanely put out of its misery, and neatly
filleted and gutted. It would soon be put to good use.
