10/26/13

Much valuable experience has been dispensed during the past couple of weeks. Classic Fall conditions and variety are the
fishing theme as the October voyages thus far contend with the standard peaks and valleys of fishing. The one missing
component in the lower zones - bread and butter, 25 pound and larger yellowfin tuna - are conspicuously, even painfully,
absent. Small fish, that do little in the way of satisfaction for anglers in these climes, abound. Great sign for next season
their present presence on almost all the lower banks is a nuisance.

Complaints aside I must emphasize that what we see in the classic Fall areas is normal, if there is such a thing in fishing,
in the broad context of yearly comparison. The ebb and flow of production, variety, and weather for this time of season is on
par with "normal" annual fluctuations. Although the fishing overall has been far from stellar it has been good to decent
scratching featuring the coveted variety - wahoo, dorado, yellowtail, grouper, a fair number of yellowfin, and even good
bluefin tuna that the Fall ten day voyages are famous for.

Thankful for it we depart on this annual Ventura County Anglers ten day primed and ready for the inevitable changes that so
frequently accompany this time of the year. One thing certain is that the aforementioned deficit of tuna will come to an end,
with any luck during the course of this voyage; that is our goal. But not without intentions of building a well rounded
voyage featuring the regularly mentioned Royal Star big three - quality, sufficient quantity, and variety.

Reports from our colleagues down below upon departure indicate that conditions and fishing are on the upswing with nice
scores on wahoo and some better tuna and dorado in the mix. As such we head south in anticipation of good things to come. We
have an ideal coastal weather forecast to work with though we are mindful of the Tropical Cyclone a brew far to the southwest
presently heading north.

It doesn't appear that hurricane "Raymond" is set to inconvenience this voyage with a forecast track far outside our zone of
focus. But that does not mean we are not vigilant adhering to our principals long ago established and well detailed in a
narrative I posted during our first ten day voyage in October 2012. If any readers have any questions about our policies,
principals, and philosophy regarding tropical cyclones in the areas we operate during this time of the year I urge you to
reference the daily report I mentioned available in the archived reports section of our website. Based on over seventy five
years of combined experience working in these zones during the tropical cyclone season the safety of our vessel and your
family and friends is always foremost. We do not compromise or gamble when it comes to safety. Please rest assured of this.

Tim Ekstrom