BLUEFIN 50mi. OFF? BOAT AND CAPTAIN CAPABILITIES

[Capt Sal]

1. How big is your vessel.

2. What is the range of your vessel.

3. Do you have the experience to go 50 off.

First of all, bluefin tuna mid-range would be 40 to 60 miles one way. Some of the posts i have read are absolutely correct and informative. Fuel-1/3 out & 1/3 in and 1/3 reserve. If you have to calculate your fuel to the bare minimum,
don't go! I am not trying to be a know it all, i am just trying to post something about common sense. There are many variables in going 50 miles off shore in a mid size vessel (under 30 ft.). First of all, you can't beat experience. Many of the 24 to 26 ft boats on the market today say 'bluewater off shore' in reality they don't have the fuel capacity and or not meant for a crew of 5 anglers and all the weight. In my opinion one of the worst things you could do is to go 50 miles off with an inexperience crew & captain. Don't get me wrong, you don't have to be a license capt. to have the experience to do this. When something goes wrong and inexperienced crew might panic. A float plan is a must along with an epirb and raft.
Don't worry about getting out there, worry about getting back. Coming home in a strong west wind taking them on the chin might be a lesson in humility. No fish is worth dying for. Know your capabilities and the capabilities of your crew (keep the crew small). If you have not done it before on your own vessel, take a trip with the professional first. Everything is cool in calm seas, when it kicks up things change. Doing high RPM and not
covering speed over ground might cause you to run out of fuel. I could go on & on but let's just leave it like this. Discretion is the better part of valor.
Be safe and do the right thing. If you own the right vessel and have the capabilities as a capt. by all means go get yourself a nice bluefin tuna.

Old school navigation is a must. If you lose your GPS, go to plan B don't panic. Steer a straight course. Good luck to all and be safe.

p.s. if you don't own the proper tuna equipment, you are just wasting your time.

Capt. Sal Cursi

[sportfishingusa]

Very Very Very well said sal..

It is all true..

[stugots]

100% correct. I'm not going to lie I have made some daring decisions before, such as going out monday on a 23 foot mako. It's a great boat that holds 160 gallons of fuel but it still is not the smartest idea. Me and the captain of the boat are very experienced anglers and had no problems on the way out or in but when I am 40 years old with a wife and kids, you aint catchin me out there in anything less than a 30 footer

[captnvinny]

I'm not going to lie I have made some daring decisions before, such as going out monday on a 23 foot mako.

NEXT EPISODE OF "THE DEADLIEST BFT RUN" !:D

[Gerry Zagorski]

Right on Sal.....

Plus you need to think about what you need to properly care for your catch if your are fortuneate enough to get some Tuna in the boat... A decent fish box with at least 50 pounds of ice.

You also need a permit and should have a life raft and epirb to be on the safe side.

You really do need to prepare for these sorts of trips... Not trying to deter anyone from trying it on their private boat, just want to make sure they go into it with open eyes and are prepared.

[JonDevin]

Great post... I actually read this thinking about it from my kayak perspective, where my energy = fuel capacity. I always think about how much energy it would take to get back if the wind kicks up. I also apply the 1/3 rule in that whatever distance I'm headed out in, I best be able to do twice more that distance. I remember a time where I was out with three others and I saw a storm kicking up in the distance. I bailed, but they wanted to stay longer. Instead of going straight in, I thought the safest thing to do was hug the coast so that I could be on land at a moments notice. This ended up taking longer, but would've been important if I got into trouble. Turned out that the group I was with got caught in the rough weather. One of the guys couldn't handle it and Sea Tow had to get him. Bottom line, it's all relative.

I also always let my wife know where i'm launching from and where i'm headed. I have a GPS, marine radio and sonar. Also have some other things to grab people's attention.

Be smart and safe out there, whether it's a 140ft, 34ft, or 14ft vessel.

[BottomBouncer13]

A very helpful post for people who are new to boating and/or their boats capabilities...When going off shore it is important to take alot into consideration to avoid putting yourself into a bad situation...

[Stumpy]

[

Be smart and safe out there, whether it's a 140ft, 34ft, or 14ft vessel.[/QUOTE]

Jon,

You hit the nail on the head. No matter what size the craft is, Fishing is secondary.......Safety is always number one. A good dose of commen sense doesn't hurt either.

Capt Sal, GREAT POST!!!!!!

[howarda780]

Sal:

I am impressed with that post. Good stuff.

[Quanman]

I'll bet those football players from Florida would have benefitted from reading that post. Nice post Capt.

[Phish On]

Great post! Especially the reference to the football players in Florida!

[High low]

Great post Capt'n. We frequent the BFT grounds b/t 40 and 60 miles off leaving barnegat in a 25 Mako w/a. The boat's owner is 20 years experienced operating in the ocean and all aboard have some salt in their veins. Don't forget that once in sight of land, the trip isn't over. The inlets can be just as treacherous as outside for smaller boats and now after a tired 2+ hour trip home, you might have to deal with quite a bit of bay/river traffic as well.

[Bakes]

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/03/27/florida.nfl.capsize/index.html#cnnSTCText

Not sure if the posts would help those guys in Florida.......Sometimes the equipment is not worth it !! The anchor in this case.

I have aided in 2 rescues at sea, one in which a 35ft express was taking on water in 6-8 ft seas years ago during a shark tounament. When we pulled up to assist the vessel the first thing one of the crew asked us was 'could you take my fishing rods?', granted they were internationals....lol. We were able to relay the coordinates to the Coast Guard, who dispatched a chopper and a pump. Pretty amazing site seeing a rescue first hand.

The second was by the jetty at the manasquan inlet, A father was desparately trying to get his engine started and could not set anchor in time. One of the sons was still fishing while the boat was about to slam the jetty. We were in the right place at the right time and were able to toss him a line.

ok my point......Even if you have The Boat and The Equipment, make sure you have THE CREW. Make sure at least one other individual that is more than capable to handle the duties of Captain if you decide to venture out.

Second, make sure You are up to the task. The first year I bought my boat, I asked Captain Marc Hrycak (REEL ACTION CHARTERS) to give me a quick lesson on rough seas. We ventured out of the inlet after watching a pair of 48 sea rays turn around and got tossed for an an hour in what I would would say were 6 to 8s and maybe a 10 stuck in there. It was the greatest experience and confidence builder I ever had.

Since that experience I have learned that only way I venture out offshore is with the right crew. And if it does hit the fan....make sure you and the crew understand your insurance agent would rather cut a check for your anchor, internationals, and/or your boat instead of cutting a check to your beneficiaries.

Good Luck

Capt Bart Bakelaar
28 Henriques
Bake's

ps We never took the internationals

[Bottom Dweller]

Some great info here Good post Sal

[Striperswiper]

Sal,
Great post, one really important addition is to never retreive your anchor by attaching the line to a stern cleat. Lots of thing can go wrong, like running over the line ect and ending up anchored stern into the sea.
I know of two boats that have sunk in the last 10 years from doing this.

[bass kid]

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/03/27/florida.nfl.capsize/index.html#cnnSTCText

Not sure if the posts would help those guys in Florida.......Sometimes the equipment is not worth it !! The anchor in this case.

I have aided in 2 rescues at sea, one in which a 35ft express was taking on water in 6-8 ft seas years ago during a shark tounament. When we pulled up to assist the vessel the first thing one of the crew asked us was 'could you take my fishing rods?', granted they were internationals....lol. We were able to relay the coordinates to the Coast Guard, who dispatched a chopper and a pump. Pretty amazing site seeing a rescue first hand.

The second was by the jetty at the manasquan inlet, A father was desparately trying to get his engine started and could not set anchor in time. One of the sons was still fishing while the boat was about to slam the jetty. We were in the right place at the right time and were able to toss him a line.

ok my point......Even if you have The Boat and The Equipment, make sure you have THE CREW. Make sure at least one other individual that is more than capable to handle the duties of Captain if you decide to venture out.

Second, make sure You are up to the task. The first year I bought my boat, I asked Captain Marc Hrycak (REEL ACTION CHARTERS) to give me a quick lesson on rough seas. We ventured out of the inlet after watching a pair of 48 sea rays turn around and got tossed for an an hour in what I would would say were 6 to 8s and maybe a 10 stuck in there. It was the greatest experience and confidence builder I ever had.

Since that experience I have learned that only way I venture out offshore is with the right crew. And if it does hit the fan....make sure you and the crew understand your insurance agent would rather cut a check for your anchor, internationals, and/or your boat instead of cutting a check to your beneficiaries.

Good Luck

Capt Bart Bakelaar
28 Henriques
Bake's

ps We never took the internationals


A few great points made in your post!

[irishc]

[QUOTE=stugots]100% correct. I'm not going to lie I have made some daring decisions before, such as going out monday on a 23 foot mako. It's a great boat that holds 160 gallons of fuel but it still is not the smartest idea. Me and the captain of the boat are very experienced anglers and had no problems on the way out or in but when I am 40 years old with a wife and kids, you aint catchin me out there in anything less than a 30 footer[/QUOTE

Talk about daring... I was out on Mon. as well, did you see the guy in the blue hulled center console with a single suzuki that was no bigger than 23 but was probably more like 20.... by himself!!!

[dales529]

Nice post Sal, Very important stuff.
Back in the day used to run a 23 footer out to the Mud Hole and well beyond for the Tuna. Although we only had a single engine I/O with a little common sense and preperation the trips were doable. The only pre-requisite to experience is COMMON SENSE when part of the "mosquito fleet"
1) Crew ALWAYS consisted of at least 2 capable captains or at least a second who could handle the boat if GF anything happened to the primary skipper and a good boat mechanic and no more than the boat can handle.
2) We AlWAYS had a "buddy" boat that was dual engine and at least 38' or larger that was headed to the same grounds or very close to it. Even as great as most capts are when it comes to helping outsomeone in danger its always best to have a plan ahead of time where u both know if anything goes wrong you already have someone lined up to help. This can be as simple as riding their wake back in the rough stuff.

In todays age with this site it should be even easier to line up the "buddy boat"

Again great post, be safe and catch-um up.

[Capt. Lou]

Picking weather & correct safety euiptment is of paramount importance. However even more important to me as having done this offshore deal in smaller boats knowing how your boat will handle in rough seas if encountered.
Somehow if your sloshing around in 6' footers in sight of land that's one thing,with 50 miles to go to get to your dock in same conditions is another.
One deal I learned early on was to run fast in the calm between seas, cut back on the big stuff. There would always seem to be areas of flat that this could be accomplished. Correct angle on the waves will help immensley evne if you get off course, you can always work your back. sometimes a slight course change can make the trip home a lot smoother.
Know your boat & how to use it in rough conditions is as basic as your equiptment choices to make those runs & get home safely. Remember if you go out there enough,chances are your gonna get caught ,proper boat handling can be as important as all the rest . The hull under you can take more than you,so always get a feel of how it handles on rough days. Don't have to fish just take a ride,it'll really boost your capabilities. Unfortunately not all boats will handle the same get to know what yours can do !