After a quick, smooth turn around we are back underway for points south with twelve days to get the job done and everything in our control in perfect order. So far we are enjoying ideal weather and forecasts indicate there is more to come. Of course we hope this trend carries over to the fishing grounds as we know how historically important calm conditions are to the successful trophy yellowfin tuna effort.

So we head south fielding reports from the guys presently working down below while preparing our anglers and their equipment for the fishing to come. I have to say that it is a real pleasure to finally spend time with anglers once they are onboard. Almost invariably before their voyage angler's thirst for information and dialogue leads them to a wealth of opinion that is too often shy of substance. Once they arrive on Royal Star they finally realize the opportunity to discuss the details of equipment and fishing with professional crewmen and Captains who dedicate their lives to this fishery and have incredible amounts of experience to back their advice. I, and we as a crew, sincerely enjoy the ride down for this exact reason. It is an incredibly valuable, bonding component of every long range voyage.

Before signing off I want to encourage anglers to always feel welcome to call our office or e-mail any tackle questions, or questions in general that you may have. Between Brian, Randy, and I someone is almost always available to talk shop either directly or with a prompt call back. One does not have to wait until they are on board to receive expert instruction, advice, and opinion. We are glad to assist and prepare you for your upcoming voyages whether you are a Royal Star angler or not. Also, don't hesitate to seek the advice of expert long range tackle specialists like Ed Tschernosa at Baja Fish Gear and/or Doug Kern and Rick Maxa at Fisherman's Landing tackle in San Diego. These guys and quite a few others are well in the know and will not lead you astray when it comes to proper techniques and rigging.

The catch Capt. Brian Sims and his anglers returned with yesterday is perfect reflection of the potential we are heading for. Man what a beautiful load of fish. A vast quantity of premium quality 60 - 120# yellowfin tuna complimented by ten over two hundred pounds and a few more handfuls of 160 - 190's. The unloading spectacle definitely set the bar for this voyage. We will see how we measure up in the end. Needless to say we are fired up and ready for the challenge.

Tim Ekstrom