Bunny Clark Fishing Update
Written & Edited by Tim Tower
Tuesday, September 2, 2025, 3:00 AM EDT
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Proposed cod & haddock regulations for the 2025 fishing season (May 1, 2025 thru April 30, 2026):
Note: These regulations still haven't been implimented for this season yet (as of September 2, 2025). So last years regulations are still in force, including an 18" haddock minimum size. But this also means that we will be able to keep a cod a person per trip for the months of September and October or until November.
Gulf of Maine cod
Gulf of Maine haddock
Today was another "111" day. The sky was clear, or hazy clear, all day with some high thin clouds at times. The visibility was excellent. There was no humidity. There was zero wind until mid morning. Around 10:00 AM, the wind became established out of the south. By noon, it was blowing about ten knots. The southerly wind remained at ten knots throughout the day. The wind started to back off near sunset. The air temperature stayed in the 70s all day. I did see the air temperature jump up to 80°F. That only lasted for a short time when the wind off the ocean picked up and the air temperature dropped back to the high to mid 70s. There was no humidity today. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 77°F (with a low of 61°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 88°F (with a low of 56°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 77°F (with a low of 58°F).
After working on this website, I spent the morning working on the Bunny Clark trying to find out why I was getting air in the fuel system. Grant Hubbard helped me with this. In fact, he had all of the ideas and a vacuum pump to work with. We stopped for the day while I worked at the restaurants. I then met him at 6:00 PM and we continued on. I found no resolution to the problem. Just some ideas to try tomorrow.
I received two generous donations today sponsoring me in my cancer fundraising efforts with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. The first was an $100.00 donation from Denise & Larry Green (ME). This donation was made in the form of an "eGift" through the PMC site. The second was an even more generous $250.00 donation from Jon & Fran Leavitt (NH). Jon & Fran have supported me since I started this project in 2007. Thank you all so very much for your support for helping me fund cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. I more than appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity!
It was another beautiful day today. It was a little humid today, just a little. So, not uncomfortable but just enough humidity to let you know it was there. The air temperature rose to 85°F. It stayed there for a couple hours after noon. However, the sky was clear, there was a light southerly breeze off the ocean (five knots at most) and the visibility was very good in some haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 84°F (with a low of 64°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 93°F (with a low of 56°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 83°F (with a low of 58°F).
I spent most of the morning working on the air leak in the fuel. But, the long and the short of it is that I found the problem. Air was getting in through the fuel pump. So it's an engine problem, not a problem with the fuel lines. In the process of trying to figure out what it was I fixed all kinds of things. These things are now established piece of mind things. Until I get the pump replaced, I will still have to do what I have been doing to get by. But knowing the problem is ninety-nine percent of solving it. I was happy.
The rest of the day I spent in the restaurant. It was a busy day because of the weather.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was clear with a, nearly, full moon high in the western sky, there wasn't enough wind to write about, the ocean along the shore was flat calm and there and the visibility over it was very good in some haze.
It started off with me explaining to the passengers that we had an engine problem that I suspected we could work around. I also explained that it might be bad enough to make us abort the trip or even break down out there and have to be towed in. I also explained that the weather was not going to be a factor as it would be calm for the next three days - otherwise I wouldn't be taking this chance. Everybody was game to give it a try, including my right hand man, Danny.
I had to bleed the engine before I could start the engine. This was expected. As soon as we got outside the gate, the engine quit. I had also anticipated this. We were far enough outside to casually bleed the engine again. When we had to bleed the engine a third time, I switched tanks, thinking that this would make a difference. It did, actually. I got the engine up to full cruise. But the engine didn't sound right. Maybe it was my imagination that made me think the engine wasn't sounding the way it should. But I also found I couldn't advance the throttle past 2050 rpms. Also, the rpms were wavering between 1900 and 2000 rpms. Two thousand rpms is my normal cruising rpm. I just didn't have the confidence to continue on. So I flipped it and headed back to Perkins Cove. We were two miles offshore at the time. We made it back to Perkins Cove and right to the dock without any other issues. Tied to the float with the wooden anchors out, I bid everyone fairwell and told them that I wished they had a better day moving forward.
At this time, I have made preparations to change out the fuel pump. Unfortunately, since this is a fully electronic engine, I can't time the engine's fuel system if I tried to do it myself. I need a computer for that. That computer resides with Power Products in Portland, Maine. I'm just praying that something happens up there so that they can free up a road tech to replace the fuel pump in a timely manner. That has been the problem with service in this era. Stand by.
As you might expect, tomorrow's marathon trip has been canceled.
I worked in the restaurants today once I got everything sorted out to wait for the engine to be attended to. It was another beautiful day. But it certainly wasn't crazy busy. I left at 5:30 PM to get ready to take Deb out to dinner with a friend of ours. Where did we go? To Barnacle Billy's, Etc., of course!
I received two donations sponsoring me in the ride I just completed with the Pan-Mass Challenge. This cycling event raises money for cancer research and care. My donations are funneled to a team of researchers who work on genetic profiling. They find the gene that creates the cancer and stops it was drug therapy, bypassing chem and radiation. It's cutting edge technology. And they have been very successful. The two donors included Stan Wasserman (FL) for another donation. This donation was for $60.00 and was made in the form of an "eGift" through the PMC site with the note: "Impressive comeback for Tim on the bike for this year's PMC besides his very impressive fundraising!" The other donors were Andy & Susan Tapparo (MA) with an "eGift" of a very generous $500.00! Andy & Susan have been very supportive of me and my cancer project over the years! Thank you all so very much for your thoughtfulness, generosity and support. It means so very much to me and to all in the cancer fight.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 68°F, the sky was clear with a waning moon high over the western horizon, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was mirror calm and there and the visibility over it was very good in some haze.
It was another beautiful day in Ogunquit, particularly on the coast. In Perkins Cove, the air temperature never rose over 88°F. Inland, just a little ways, it reached 94°F. We had a very light southerly breeze all day after a very calm first half of the morning. It was a bit hazier today than yesterday. And the humidity was more. The visibility was still very good over the ocean. And the wind seemed to lessen the humidity. The sky was clear with some thinner high clouds in the afternoon. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 91°F (with a low of 73°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 96°F (with a low of 62°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 92°F (with a low of 65°F).
Of course, they Bunny Clark is still broken down, in need of a fuel pump. But our night man, Danny Neumann, was out today with a surgery. So it worked out well; I was available to open the restaurant and get everything set up so, when the managers showed up at 9:00 AM, they only had the hard stuff to do. I started working there at 4:45 AM.
I worked at the restaurant on and off all day. But I was also on the phone all day to see if I could get a fuel pump and to find some other outfit that could work on the engine. Being a Tier 3, fully electronic engine, not just any mechanic can do this.
By 1:15 PM, I learned that Power Products had received the fuel pump I ordered. So, at 2:00 PM, I jumped in the truck to drive to Portland to pick up the pump and also some cases of lubricating oil for the engine. At 4:00 PM, I learned that a road tech could meet me at the boat on Thursday morning. This was great news. It wasn't as good news as getting the engine fixed the day it broke down. But, considering the circumstances, it was wonderful news.
I finished the day off working at the restaurants.
I received a very generous $350.00 donation from Steve & Katie Weiner (ME) sponsoring me in this season's Pan-Mass Challenge. The donation was made in the form of an "eGift" through the PMC site with the note: "A great cause! Close to our heart. The Weiner Family." Thank you both very much for your support. I really appreciate the help and your thoughtfulness and generosity. It means a lot to me. And I know it's a moving subject to you both.
It was another fairly warm day with an air temperature that got up to 88°F. It would have been warmer in Perkins Cove had we not had the wind off the water. After sunrise, the wind became established out of the southwest. Wind speeds were very light. By mid morning, I noticed that the wind was southerly with a little more wind. About seven knots. After noon, the southerly wind blew up to fifteen knots sustained with higher gusts. The sky had been hazy clear all morning. After 3:00 PM, we started to see clouds coming out of the west or southwest. By 5:00 PM, it looked like we were going to see some thunder showers. But this never occurred. They did get strong thunder showers to the west of us, inland. We never saw a drop. The wind had backed off a bit by that time but was still over ten knots. We had a bit of wind going into the night. The visibility ranged from good to very good in haze for most of the day. The humidity was about like it was yesterday. With the wind, it didn't feel nearly as bad. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 88°F (with a low of 69°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 96°F (with a low of 61°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 85°F (with a low of 63°F).
I had to open Barnacle Billy's restaurants again. I was there before 5:00 AM. When I turned the lights on I could see water on the floor from the order taker position to the drain near the lobster tanks. I knew this wasn't good. Upon further inspection, I realized the solder joint under the lobster cooker tank had let go. That's where the water was coming from. We fill the lobster cooker tank when we close every night, after draining and cleaning it first. The water was a quarter of the way down. Matt Pedersen, our number one at Barnacle Billy's (Original) showed up around 6:00 AM. He did all the work getting the tank out and uncoupling the gas line while I called the plumber. The long and the short of the story is that the tank was back in place and the water boiling well before we opened at 11:00 AM.
On top of that, a couple of our employees who make the chowder and cook the rotisserie chickens didn't show. Matt jumped on that as well and had all this completed on time.
I was out by 10:15 AM, after having to finish all the other things that Matt was responsible for but couldn't complete. I was back at noon. I ended up going home at 7:00 PM.
I will be meeting the road tech to change out the fuel pump on the Bunny Clark tomorrow morning. I can't wait to have this most recent problem eliminated.
At 5:00 AM EDT, the air temperature was 72°F (our highest morning air temperature yet), the sky was mostly cloudy, the wind was blowing out of the southwest at five knots, the ocean along the shore was fairly calm but not flat, there was very little swell and the visibility over the ocean was very good in some haze.
It was another beautiful day today with warm temperatures, light winds and sunny skies, a nearly perfect summer day. The wind started out of the southwest in the morning but it was light. The ocean along the shore was calm. Before noon, the wind, literally, died out to nothing, leaving the ocean perfectly calm. The wind backed out of the south after that. We had light southerly winds until sometime after 3:00 PM when a small low pressure cell moved through our area, striking the Kennebunkport area and giving a light sprinkling rain for a few minutes. The wind backed out of the north and blew up to twelve or thirteen knots until this small thunder storm moved out to sea. We didn't see any lightning or hear much thunder as the storm passed too far to the northeast of us. After that, clear skies prevailed, as it had during all the earlier part of the day. The wind settled in very light out of the southwest or no wind at all, leaving the ocean mirror calm going into the night. The visibility was very good in some haze all day. The highest air temperature that I saw was 87°F. It was a bit humid in the morning but not bad at all. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 87°F (with a low of 71°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 93°F (with a low of 64°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 88°F (with a low of 65°F).
I spent the morning getting the Bunny Clark ready for a service call on the engine and getting the restaurants ready to roll. Later morning, Matt, from Stewart & Stevenson Power Products out of Marlborough, Massachusetts showed up to replace the fuel pump. It took quite a while to replace it on this engine. Piping from the heat exchanger was right in the way so he had to take the old pump in pieces and put the new pump in in two parts. Since this pump works with a common rail system, the engine didn't have to be timed as I had just assumed. This is so much easier than the injection pumps that I have been used to on previous Volvo engines. I went back and forth between the engine and working in the office at Barnacle Billy's restaurants.
By 3:00 PM, were ready to roll with sea trials. It was nice to hear the engine start right up for once. The engine performed flawlessly. And it sounded so good. By 5:00 PM, we were done. All the air-in-the-fuel problems we had were caused by the fuel pump that whole time. Fuel lines needed to be changed anyway because of their age. But I would not have done so had I positively known it had been the fuel pump. And I complain about these fully electronic engines that are so hard for the common guy to work on. But it was nice to see the computer hooked up with read-outs showing a perfectly healthy engine with all the right pressures.
Danny DellaMonica, my right hand, showed up after noon and made it so much easier for both Matt and I to get the job done. Danny has a common sense perspective on all this that isn't lost on me. But, being the person that he is, it became so much of a team effort today. It was great to have him there. I didn't ask him to come down. He did this on his own. Both he and I are very much looking forward to fishing on Monday with a happy engine and a boat owner who will be very happy to have piece of mind.
In Ogunquit, the wind blew out of the north northeast starting at daybreak. Wind speeds got up to seventeen knots by 7:00 AM. By 11:00 AM, the wind was northeast and had dropped to ten knots. There was a very light northeast wind by 2:00 PM. The ocean was calm after that with zero wind until 7:00 PM. The ocean along the shore was flat calm. There was a light southwest wind on into the night. The sky was clear all day. The visibility was excellent. The air temperature got as high as 78°F, a very pleasant day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 75°F (with a low of 66°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 85°F (with a low of 57°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 80°F (with a low of 58°F).
Deb and I drove to New Jersey starting at 3:00 AM. I promised Deb that if I got the Bunny Clark's engine fixed on Thursday, I would go with her to New Jersey to celebrate my daughter, Halley's, son's birthday. Ben turns three on Saturday. With a couple of stops we made it there in less than five hours. We spent the whole day with them. In fact, he is infatuated with my running. So three year old Ben and I went for a two mile run, with stops. I would say a 14 minute mile for a three year old is pretty good!
It was another sunny day with very light winds from the south. The highest wind speed off Perkins Cove was ten knots, I was told. However, after 8:00 PM, the southerly wind picked up to fifteen knots. The visibility all day was very good in some haze. The air temperature reached a high of 82°F in the Cove with this on-shore wind. The sky was mostly clear all day with some clouds in the afternoon. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 79°F (with a low of 63°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 89°F (with a low of 52°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 81°F (with a low of 54°F).
As I played with my daughter's family in New Jersey, the business in Perkins Cove was hopping. This was reflected in net sales at both restaurants. Talking with Grant Hubbard at the Fineskind Scenic Tours, he said that there were people everywhere.
In New Jersey, I played "Birthday" by the Beatles for Ben and sang along with it. It was funny as he has never heard the song, of course. His reaction was priceless.
The wind blew out of the south all day today. Later in the morning, the wind was over ten knots. The southerly wind increased to fifteen knots in gusts during the mid afternoon. But it was still nice. And it never really increased in speed later in the night. The visibility was very good in haze. The sky was clear and hazy sunny. It was a bit humid in the morning but was find with the wind blowing over the parking lot in the afternoon. The highest air temperature that I saw was 90°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 92°F (with a low of 68°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 94°F (with a low of 61°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 85°F (with a low of 61°F).
I met Danny DellaMonica down on the Bunny Clark at 8:30 AM. We had planned to get together at that time to work on Danny's boat handling skills, change the engine oil, change the sacrificial anodes on the engine and clean the boat up some before the trip tomorrow. We spend about an hour and a half on boat handling skills and anchoring. Danny has only gone through the motions of anchoring once. So this was just more practice for him. He was fine. And I am fully confident that if something were to happen to me, he would get everyone back home safe and sound.
Once we got back from maneuvers, he and I worked on changing the old. I think it really only took us thirty-five minutes. We are a well oiled machine when it comes to changing the oil. Danny did all the cleaning of the boat after I left to take an shower, shave and get suited up to work at the restaurant.
It was a good day at the restaurant but not a great day. The weather was perfect. So patrons had a really good time. I was done by 5:00 PM so I could get the Bunny Clark provisioned for tomorrow.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 61°F, the sky was 50/50 clouds and clear sky, the wind was blowing out of the north northeast at twenty knots, more or less, and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
The wind blew out of the northeast at twenty knots or more for most of the morning. After noon, the wind started to back off. By 2:00 PM, the wind was out of the northeast at about nine knots average speed. At 4:30 PM, there was no wind. For the rest of the day and into the evening, the wind blew very lightly out of the southwest. It was strong enough to be able to tell the direction by the wavelets but weak enough to show a flat ocean with a small swell along the shore. The visibility remained excellent all day. The sky cleared to show very few clouds. The high air temperature that I saw today was 70°F. There was zero humidity. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 68°F (with a low of 60°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 78°F (with a low of 55°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 75°F (with a low of 53°F).
I got an early start for working in the restaurant. I was there from 5:00 AM, through the BC cancellation phase and until 9:15 AM. I went home after that, got cleaned up and suited up and got back to Billy's at 11:30 AM. I worked until 2:30 PM and then treated myself to an English Premier League football game with Leeds United vs Everton Football Club. The game was played at Elland Road Stadium, Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. I watched the game on TV at Andy Armitage's house in Kennebunk. Andy was the one who got me interested in English football in 2016. I've been a huge fan ever since.
After the game, I went home, walked Gill to the Cove to get my truck and spent the rest of the evening getting ready to go fishing for the first time in over a week!
I received two donations today sponsoring me in this years cancer fundraising charity event called the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cycling event that took place the first weekend of this month. Both donations were for a generous $100.00. One was from Bob Audler. He was supposed to go fishing with us today before I canceled the trip. The other was from John & Sue Stebbins (ME). That donation was made in the form of an "eGift" through the PMC site. Thank you both so very much for your thoughtfulness and generosity. This project means so much to me but, more, to so many others, including the researchers I support. I appreciate your help so very much.
At 2:45 AM EDT the air temperature was 56°F, the sky was hazy clear with a crescent moon visible through thin clouds, there wasn't enough wind in Perkins Cove to write about and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
The crescent moon was peeking out behind the few clouds that were in the sky as we ventured through the gate headed to the fishing grounds. The wind was light out of the northeast. Seas were a foot or so when we first headed out, one to two feet at the half way mark. We might have seen northeast winds of ten knots or more. The sky was mostly clear, particularly from the east. We carried 60°F all the way to the grounds. The visibility was excellent. The surface water temperature was no more than 63°F.
On the fishing grounds, the northeast wind picked up to ten and fifteen knots. Seas were two feet in chops. The air temperature reached a high of 70°F in the afternoon. The visibility ranged to thirty miles. The tide (current) was light to moderate. The sky was partly cloudy all day, mostly cloudy to the west. The wind was out of the east a 11:00 AM but it was light. The wind left us at noon and hauled out of the southeast on the start of the ride to the barn. Winds were light. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine the high air temperature was 71°F, as reported to me. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 71°F (with a low of 59°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 74°F (with a low of 49°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 51°F).
The fishing was nearly excellent all day. We only had a handful of dogfish, there were a few blue sharks but we didn't have to avoid them and the weather/sea state was excellent. The catching was very good as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were pollock. We only fished on one spot that didn't have pollock. Legal landings also included twenty-three cusk, twelve haddock, one good sized whiting, two redfish, thirty mackerel and three cunners. Released fish included six cod over 6 pounds, fourteen small cod, forty-one sub-legal haddock, twenty-eight small pollock, one small redfish, twenty-three dogfish, five blue sharks and seventeen mackerel. We drift fished all day. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Either Matt Luce (ME) or Andrew Gaudio (MD) were high hook with the most legal fish. Without counting fillets, I couldn't tell you who did best in fish count. Matt caught the third largest fish of the trip, a 14.75 pound pollock. Some of Matt's other fish included a 12 pound pollock, a 12.25 pound pollock and an 11.25 pound cod. Andrew boated an 8 pound pollock right off the bat this morning. His largest fish was a 13.5 pound pollock.
Greg Kidd (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 16 pound cod. This cod ties the Bunny Clark's third largest cod of the fishing season to date. It's also the largest cod that Greg has seen in years. Although, he has caught steakers in the past. Greg's largest pollock weighed 11.75 pounds. Greg was probably third hook. In fact, there is no doubt about that. Chip Stevens (VT) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 15.25 pound pollock. Currently, this is the Bunny Clark's seventh largest pollock of the fishing season.
Other Angler Highlights: Wayne Racioppo (NY) landed an 8 pound pollock. This was the only fish that I weighed for him. His son, Logan Racioppo (NY), landed a 9 pound pollock, a 12 pound cod and an 11.75 pound pollock. Lewis Kauffman (VT) landed a 10 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Neil Kauffman (VT) had the best double of the day. His catch included a 9.5 pound pollock and a 10 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. His biggest fish was a 10.25 pound pollock. Kim Martin (ME) caught a 10.25 pound pollock, an 8.5 pound pollock and an 8.5 pound cod. I weighed an 8.25 pound pollock for Patrick Caron (ME). Schan Martin (ME) released a 6.5 pound cod that he caught. Brandon Stevens (VT) boated a 10.5 pound pollock and an 11 pound pollock. Eli Shetler (VT) boated a 13 pound pollock, his biggest fish. He also caught a 10 pound pollock and the largest cusk of the trip weighing in at 10 pounds. Izzy Martin (ME) landed a 10 pound pollock and an 11.75 pound pollock, her two best fish. She also fought a blue shark right to the boat before losing it. Emanuel Hershberger (VT) caught and released an 8 pound cod. The largest fish that I weighed for him was a 9 pound pollock.
I received three donations today sponsoring me on my ride with the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cycling event which I attended the first weekend of August and a cycling event to raise money for cancer research. Those donors and their donations included Wayne & Logan Racioppo for $20.00, Greg Kidd for $60.00 and a very generous $200.00 from Malcolm & Kathie Jepson (CA). That last donation was made in the form of an "eGift" through the PMC site with the note: "For the many." Thank you all so very much for helping me in this cancer project. I really do appreciate it!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 60°F, the sky was mostly overcast, there was no wind and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. By 5:30 AM, it was raining. Lightly.
It rained lightly for the rest of the morning. Looking at the sky, it didn't look like the sky cloud cover was thick enough for rain. But rain it did. It also rained for just a bit after noon. Again, it was light. There was no wind all day. The ocean was flat calm and slate gray due to the cloud cover. The sky remained overcast. The visibility was excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw was 65°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 66°F (with a low of 56°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 66°F (with a low of 57°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 67°F (with a low of 51°F).
Of course, I worked in the restaurants all day after a doctor's appointment in the morning. There were a lot of people in Perkins Cove today. So it was a fun lunch. I completed some much needed office work. And I came to some good decisions with managers today. It was a very good day.
I received a generous $150.00 donation from Brian & Marian/Merv Murphy (NH) sponsoring me in my cancer fundraising project with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Some of the best fishing trips of my life have occurred with them. And I think some of the best winter trips on the Petrel are some of my fondest memories. The donation was made in the form of an "eGift" through the PMC site with the note: "In loving memory of our friend, Ian Keniston, and with thanks to you, Tim, for your commitment to finding a cure for cancer." I love those people. Thank you so much for your continued support of this project through all the years that I have been involved. I so very much appreciate this!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 54°F, the sky was crystal clear with the last limb of the moon visible above the horizon, there wasn't enough wind in Perkins Cove to write about and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
As I headed through the gate, I wondered if I had made the right choice. The wind was already blowing out of the northeast at more than ten knots. We also had a big cloud bank in the direction we were going. But as we kept going, the wind never picked up to more than twelve knots and the cloud bank moved to the east. Seas were chops of two to three feet with the occasional queer one over a five foot swell. We maintained an air temperature of 63°F for the whole ride to the fishing grounds. The visibility was excellent. The sky remained clear overhead.
On the fishing grounds, the wind increased to fifteen knots with higher gusts. Chops averaged about four feet. We also had a swell of about five feet. The wind diminished to twelve knots after noon. Seas dropped, in chops, to three feet with the same underlying swell. The air temperature reached a high of 70°F after noon but dropped to 66°F during the last hour of fishing. The visibility ranged to over thirty miles. The sky became cloudless overhead and to the west, high clouds and mare's tails could be seen to the southeast and southeast horizon. The tide (current) was light all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine the high air temperature was 72°F, or so I was told. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 69°F (with a low of 57°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 77°F (with a low of 51°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 46°F).
The fishing was nearly excellent. We had no dogfish to speak of, the sea state wasn't that great but the rest of the weather was nice with a perfect air temperature. The catching was good to very good. Landings were good. Most legal fish landed were redfish and pollock, in that order. Legal landings also included six haddock, five cusk and eight mackerel Released fish included two small cod, ten sub-legal pollock, no short haddock, forty-five small redfish, eight dogfish, a sculpin and seven mackerel. We saw several blue sharks but we only lost one jig to them. We drift fished and anchored. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Ali Laflamme (ME) was high hook with the most legal fish. Her largest fish was a 14 pound pollock, the third largest fish of the trip. This is her second largest pollock. She caught a 14.5 pound pollock with Captain Ian Keniston last season. I also weighed a 6.5 pound pollock and a 8 pound pollock that she caught. Jim Cholette (NH) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 17.5 pound pollock. This is the Bunny Clark's third largest pollock of this year's fishing season so far. The second largest fish was a 16 pound pollock caught by Chris Day (ME). This is the largest pollock that Chris has ever caught. It's also tied for the sixth largest pollock of the Bunny Clark fishing season to date.
Other Angler Highlights: Rodd Froebel (NY) landed a 12 pound pollock, his biggest fish today. He caught one of the six haddock that were landed today. Norm Gamache (MA) caught a 10 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Matt Jones (NY) caught two pollock of 11.5 pounds each and a 10 pound pollock, collectively his best fish. Alen Silver (FL) landed a 10.75 pound pollock. Noah Day (ME) caught an 8 pound pollock, his best. Thirteen year old James Davis (NY) landed a 13 pound pollock and led the boat pool for most of the day. I took a picture of James and his father, JD Davis, with young James' pollock. This digital image appears on the left.
I received a $10.00 from Jim Cholette to put with my fundraising total towards my involvement Pan-Mass Challenge for cancer research. Thank you, Jim. I appreciate the help! It was nice having you aboard today.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 56°F, the sky was crystal clear with a cloud mass from the east to southeast horizon, the wind was blowing out of the north at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
The wind blew out of the north at over ten knots at the beginning of the daylight hours. Some gusts were over fifteen knots. By 10:00 AM, the wind was still out of the north but only about eight knots, at most. There was no wind at noon, a bit of wind out of the northeast after noon and no wind for the rest of the day after 3:00 PM. There was zero humidity today. The visibility was excellent. The sky cleared to cloudless. The highest air temperature that I saw was 83°F but it dropped and continued dropping throughout the afternoon. The air temperature was 70°F when I went home at 7:00 PM. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 82°F (with a low of 58°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 87°F (with a low of 44°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 83°F (with a low of 50°F).
Friday is my day to open the restaurants. So open I did, at 5:00 AM. We expected big swells from Hurricane Erin which was opposite our coast but well out to sea during the say. The seas were about five feet in swells along the shore at dawn. So there was very little, if any, surge in the Cove. But swells did increase during the day. There was a pretty good surge by 5:00 PM. The closest weather buoy was showing about seven feet in swells.
It was beautiful weather for the restaurants. I came in early today and left at 7:00 PM, when the business was just starting to get going again.
The surge continued in the Cove all day. The swells dropped to nine feet in the afternoon. No boats left Perkins Cove with the exception of one lobster boat. The wind picked up from the south and blew up as high as twenty-five knots in gusts offshore. We saw the wind as a south southwest, sometimes southwest, wind. The viability remained excellent. The sky was cloudless all day. The highest air temperature that I saw was 83°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 87°F (with a low of 63°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 89°F (with a low of 50°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 82°F (with a low of 54°F).
This is the day I spend the most time in the restaurants. Today was no exception. It was another beautiful day. And it was busy. But I thought it would be busier.
I had to adjust the storm lines tying the Bunny Clark to the Barnacle Billy's float. That over, I never had to adjust them again. Tomorrow is the day before the next fishing trip. I am ready!
I received a very generous $200.00 donation from Mark & Linda Hamel (NH) sponsoring me in this year's cancer fundraising ride with the Pan-Mass Challenge. They have always supported me since I started this project in 2007. How the time flies! Thank you both so much for your thoughtfulness and generosity. I do very much appreciate this!
The visibility was less so today as there was a bit of haze with the southerly wind. I would say it was very good, at best, over the ocean. The wind blew fifteen or twenty knots out of the south with higher gusts. Most of the morning, wind speeds were fifteen to eighteen knots. After noon, the wind came on a little stronger. The wind stayed strong on into the night. We had big seas of six to eight feet all morning, crashing on the rocks of the Marginal Way. They were still at the six foot mark at 6:00 PM. We also had big choppy seas from the wind, white beards, that you could see from shore. The sky was clear, nearly cloudless, all day. The highest air temperature that I saw was 80°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 82°F (with a low of 62°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 82°F (with a low of 58°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 76°F (with a low of 61°F).
I didn't do anything with the boat today. Indeed, everyone who had a boat in the Cove stayed in. No one ventured out on the ocean today. The swells were big but the wind was blowing so hard it would not have been fun to be out there today.
I worked in the restaurant all day.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 65°F, the sky was overcast, there wasn't enough wind to write about, seas had dropped to the point of not being discernable as a surge in Perkins Cove and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog so thick you could cut it with a knife.
We had light fog going down the channel on the way to the gate, open ocean and our destination, the fishing grounds. Once outside, the fog shut in around us and kept us in it's grasp all the way to our destination. The wind was light out of the southeast. The air temperature hung around 68°F the whole way out. The visibility ranged from poor to fair and poor again in fog. The sky seemed overcast. The ocean surface was smooth except for a four foot swell out of the southeast and a left over southerly chop.
On the fishing grounds, the wind continued out of the southeast at three knots all morning, died out and then backed out of the south. The wind was very light out of the south. The fog stayed with us for most of the morning, lightened up during the later half of the morning and shut right in again an hour before we left to go home. The highest air temperature that I observed was 75°F. It was also a bit humid. The sky was overcast during the early part of the morning. And it did rain lightly for about ten minutes. But the sky cleared after noon and we saw the sun when it cleared and also through the fog. The tide (current) was light all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine the high air temperature was 79°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 79°F (with a low of 65°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 82°F (with a low of 59°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 78°F (with a low of 62°F).
The fishing was very good. It could have been excellent if the blue sharks weren't around. We lost fourteen rigs to blue sharks, mostly jigs. The catching was very good. Landings were good to very good. Most legal fish landed were cusk, by far, rivaling some of the cusk catches on Platts Bank. Legal landings also included twenty-three haddock, one halibut, seventeen pollock and six redfish. Released fish included two halibut, fifteen sub-legal haddock, seven small cod, one 10 pound cod, four small pollock, five dogfish and over fifteen blue sharks. We lost every big pollock to blue sharks (big meaning pollock over 10 pounds). We drift fished all day. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Because of Steve LaPlante (CT), a life long regular patron of mine, I tried three halibut spots. Two didn't pan out at all, although I did see one on the sounding machine that wouldn't take a hook. But the first spot I tried we hooked three and missed two. And I observed four or five others that were interested but wouldn't take a hook. Plus, we got to the spot just as the morning bite was finishing up. Within five minutes on the first spot we hooked the first halibut. Alex Medunitza (ME) hooked it. I had everyone reel up. It only took one short run to bottom before it came within gaffing range. The rest of the fight was on the deck. This fish was 57.5 pounds, the Bunny Clark's second largest halibut of the fishing season so far. This is the first Atlantic halibut Alex has ever seen caught on a boat. With this fish he won the boat pool for the largest fish. It was the largest fish of the trip.
On the second pass, drift, Steve, himself, hooked a halibut. This one took a few runs to bottom. Since we already had a halibut in the boat, bled, we knew this one had to be returned. When we got it beside the boat, I held the fish in place while Danny leaned over and put his hand in the gill plate. After hoisting it aboard, the fish was weighed, a quick picture was taken and the fish was released back to the ocean alive. That fish was 53 pounds, Steve's second largest halibut of his life. He caught his first, one that weighed 102 pounds, with me five years ago. The digital image of him holding today's halibut appears on the left.
On the fourth pass, Troia Burgess (VT) hooked into a massive halibut. I had everyone reel up but it was just too much. It took several runs to bottom. But it was just too big a fish for her to handle. The head shakes had much more distance than the other two halibut. And, when it wasn't fighting, it was like pulling up a sheet of half inch steel. Unfortunately, the fish just got off the hook (jig). So we never did see it. But the signature on the machine was such that we would have probably had to have the harpoon ready in order to have a chance. And, there again, we already had our halibut in the boat. We never did, knowingly, hook another halibut. I saw other halibut going after rigs while looking at the sounding machine and we had two other big fish on for a moment. But I couldn't confirm the strikes. It was pure excitement for me for an hour and a half.
Alex ended up catching the third largest fish, a 10.5 pound cod, which he released back to the ocean alive.
Other Angler Highlights: Sean McIntyre (NH) caught the largest pollock I could weigh. It was 8.75 pounds. Dwane DuShane (NY) boated a pollock that weighed 8.5 pounds. He caught four of the legal haddock that were caught today. Mark Talarico (NY) caught the largest cusk of the day at 9 pounds. We had too many anglers sea sick today. Had we still been giving out the hard luck award t-shirts, I would have had a hard time deciding who to give the award to!
I received two donations today sponsoring me in my cancer fundraising drive with the Pan-Mass Challenge. Sean McIntyre donated a generous $130.00 while Troia Burgess donated $40.00. Thank you both so very much for your support and generosity. I really do appreciate the help. But many more will appreciate your thoughtfulness.
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the sky was mostly clear with stars, the wind was light out of the west and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
It was nice to be able to navigate down the channel visually, even if it was still dark out. But I was surprised to be met by a five foot swell out of the southeast. The wind was out of the west at ten knots. We had a one to two foot chop all the way to the fishing grounds. The air temperature hung around 65°F the whole way out. The visibility was excellent. The sky was mostly clear. .
On the fishing grounds, the wind continued to blow out of the west at ten knots for about twenty minutes. Just after high water, the westerly wind blew up to just shy of twenty knots. Chops were about three to four feet with that underlying five foot swell. We did lose the swell by the end of the trip. The wind was blowing about twenty knots or more and more west northwest at the height of it. But this didn't last long. The wind dropped a bit, settled in from the west and, eventually, backed out of the southwest before heading home. Wind speeds at that time were about ten knots. Seas were chops of about a foot or more. The air temperature reached a high of 70°F. The tide (current) was light. The visibility ranged to thirty miles or more. The sky was mostly clear with clouds. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine the high air temperature was 80°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 80°F (with a low of 65°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 80°F (with a low of 51°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 80°F (with a low of 56°F).
The fishing was good to very good. The weather wasn't the easiest to fish in, we continued with the blue shark problem and the seas promoted jig loss on the bottom. The catching was good to very good. Landings were good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included fifteen cusk, thirteen haddock, one redfish, a whiting and two cunners. Released fish included two cod of legal size (over 23"), thirty-two small cod, sixteen sub-legal haddock, seven small pollock, nine sub-legal redfish, ten dogfish, a couple of sculpins and a few blue sharks. We anchored for the first half of the morning but drift fished the rest of the day. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Jeff Corey (MA) was high hook with the most legal fish. His largest fish was a 9 pound pollock. Nick Longo (MA/ME) was second hook. Both fished side by side on the bow. Andrew Fuller (ME) caught the largest fish of the trip, an 18.5 pound cod. This is the Bunny Clark's second largest cod of the fishing season so far. Andrew was not in the boat pool. His biggest pollock weighed 10 pounds. Karen Rybka (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the second largest fish, a 15 pound pollock. I also weighed a 6.5 pound cusk, an 8 pound pollock and a 9.5 pound pollock for her. She tied for the boat pool for the second largest fish with the sixth largest fish, the 9.5 pound pollock. Matt Dorr (NY) tied with Karen, also with a 9.5 pound pollock.
The third largest fish was a 12 pound pollock caught by Bruce Fuller (ME).
Other Angler Highlights: Danny Clark (ME) caught the first fish I could weigh, a 7.5 pound pollock. He probably caught bigger pollock that I didn't weight. Eligah Hamilton (SC) caught a 9 pound pollock. Jason Smith (NY) caught a 10 pound pollock, his biggest fish.
I received a three donations today sponsoring me on my ride with the Pan-Mass Challenge. Karen Rybka donated $50.00, Matt Dorr donated $30.00 and Steve McGrath (NH) donated $50.00. Steve has been a supporter of my cancer project since I started getting involved in 2007. His donation was made in the form of an "eGift" through the PMC site with the note: "...great job with the PMC!" Thank you all for the wonderful support that you give me. I really do so appreciate this. It does mean a lot to me that you feel as I do!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 58°F, the sky was clear, there wasn't enough wind to write about, the ocean along the shore was calm with wind patches and the visibility over it was excellent.
The wind blew out of the northwest in the morning, at such light speeds the wind direction was hardly discernable. After noon, the wind blew out of the south or south southeast at ten knots or less. Later in the afternoon, we had thunder showers. It poured for about ten minutes. The clouds had shown up after noon. The sky had been clear to that point. The clouds got fatter as the day progressed, some with rain. We had two more light showers after the initial blast. Gill peed on the floor in the house with the thunder. I think that dog is getting more scared with age. The wind was stronger with the showers but not a lot stronger. The visibility remained excellent all day. The air temperature reached a high of 73°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 77°F (with a low of 61°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 73°F (with a low of 44°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 76°F (with a low of 50°F).
It was all restaurant today. I had a lot to catch up with in the office. A lot of wonderful people at there today.
I received $20.00 each from Linda Burgess (MA) and Bob Munroe (MA), sponsoring me in my cancer project with the Pan-Mass Challenge. Like so many others, they have been supporting me for years. Thank you both so very much for your help in my fundraising. I appreciate it very much.
Danny DellaMonica and I ran the extreme day trip today.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 53°F (49°F on the boat), the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the west at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
We had a very easy ride to the fishing grounds. The wind was light out of the northwest. There was no spray. Just outside the gate the air temperature was 52°F, half way to the grounds it rose to 59°F and as we made our approach it was 62°F. The visibility ranged to at least thirty miles. The sky was cloudless. The surface water temperature ranged from 57°F to 66°F.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the west to start, blew up to ten knots, diminished and hauled out of the southwest. The southwest wind increased to fifteen knots with higher gusts. Seas increased to two and three feet in chops..We had a one foot chop until the southwest wind struck. The air temperature reached a high 72°F. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged to over thirty miles. The sky was cloudless to start but changed to a patchwork of high cirrus clouds and cumulus clouds. The surface water temperature reached a high of 69°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine the high air temperature was 79°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 78°F (with a low of 58°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 79°F (with a low of 41°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 73°F (with a low of 47°F).
The fishing was good. The drift was a little too fast for most, there were more tangles than normal in the deeper water while anchored but there were very few dogfish and only a couple of blue sharks that bothered. The catching was good. Landings were fair to good. Most legal fish landed were redfish, by far. Legal landings also included twenty pollock, nine cusk, five haddock, two whiting and twelve mackerel. Released fish included a 25 pound cod, a 13.5 pound cod, seven small cod, twelve sub-legal haddock, nine small pollock, seven small redfish, nine dogfish, one blue shark and three mackerel. We alternated between drifting and anchoring. Cod flies and jigs caught the most fish.
Mark Talarico (NY) was high hook with the most legal fish, mostly redfish. The largest fish was a cod that was 25 pounds or more caught by twelve year old Orry Blake (ME). We, unintentionally, released it beside the boat after he brought the fish to the surface. It would have been the Bunny Clark's largest cod of the fishing season to date. Orry did win the boat pool for the largest fish with the third largest fish, a 13 pound pollock. I took a picture of Orry with his pollock. This digital image appears on the left. The second largest fish was a 13.5 pound cod caught by Darlene Chin (VT/FL). Darlene never gets in the boat pool. I did take a picture of Darlene holding her cod. This digital image appears on the right. Darlene's biggest pollock was 8 pounds. And she caught a 2.5 pound whiting.
Other Angler Highlights: Dylan Daly (NH) caught an 8 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Christian Platon (NH) caught a pollock that weighed 10 pounds. Bob Hensley (NH) boated an 8.5 pound pollock and a 9.75 pound pollock. Dana Decormier (NH) landed a 10 pound pollock and a pollock that weighed 8 pounds. Dana was the one who lost a blue shark and his jig with it. Dan Dorr (ME) was high hook for most of the morning. His largest fish was an 8 pound pollock.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 60°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the south at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
After sunrise, the clouds started to roll in. It was raining by 8:00 AM. The sky never became completely overcast but we had periods of rain all day. The longest spell was in the afternoon where it seemed to rain for three hours until 5:00 PM. It abated a bit but continued lightly afterward. The wind blew out of the south all day until around 5:00 PM, where we had no wind. The wind was light for the rest of the night. The visibility was sometimes fair in the rain. It was excellent over the ocean when it wasn't raining. The highest air temperature that I saw was 72°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 72°F (with a low of 55°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 79°F (with a low of 41°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 58°F).
As normal, I opened the restaurants at 5:00 AM. I was there until 9:15 AM. I was back down there again after 11:00 AM. I worked on and off throughout the day. The rain put a damper on business. But it was still a good day overall.
Today seemed like a warm fall day with very little wind, clear skies and excellent visibility. The air temperature did warm up after a chilly morning. I saw 75°F. The sky was cloudless in the morning, partly cloudy in the afternoon. The air temperature seemed cool when the clouds were in front of the sun. During the later part of the afternoon, the clouds disappeared and the sun warmed everything up. We had light westerly wind in the morning, no wind and flat calm ocean during the later morning and light southerly winds in the afternoon. Wind speeds might have been as high as ten knots but I didn't notice this. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 77°F (with a low of 58°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 76°F (with a low of 49°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 72°F (with a low of 52°F).
I spent the morning working on Bunny Clark stuff, catching up in the office and working on the website. The rest of the day was spent in the restaurants. It was a great day; very controlled as far as business was concerned.
I received a generous $100.00 donation from Marc & Claire St.Onge (ME) sponsoring me in my cancer project with the Pan-Mass Challenge. They donate to my fundraiser every year. Thank you so very much for the support and your thoughtfulness. I very much appreciate this!
It was another wonderful weather day in southern Maine. The sky was mostly clear all day with some clouds but less clouds than the two previous days. The sun was available to us all day with limited exceptions. The visibility was excellent. The wind was light out of the northwest in the earlier part of the morning, there was no wind in the later part of the morning and, then, the wind started blowing out of the south after noon. The wind blew out of the south for the rest of the day. Wind speeds reached ten knots by mid afternoon and then backed off to about seven knots going into the evening. The wind was very light out of the southwest when I went to bed. The highest air temperature that I saw was 75°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 72°F (with a low of 59°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 81°F (with a low of 45°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 78°F (with a low of 48°F).
I spent the day at both Barnacle Billy's restaurants today. It was busy but smoothly so. We saw a lot of Canadians today. It was nice to hear the French accents again.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 57°F, the sky was clear, the wind was light out of the north and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
The wind blew up to almost fifteen knots out of the northeast by 8:00 AM. This wind was not predicted. But just when I thought it might get sloppy, it started to back off. By noon, we had northeast wind of eight knots. And very little wind after that. By 3:00 PM, the ocean was flat calm with a ruffle of east southeast wind. The ocean was glassy by 6:00 PM. The air temperature reached a high of 76°F after noon. The viability was excellent. The sky was clear until 4:00 PM, when some clouds started to move in. The sky was mostly cloudy by 6:00 PM. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 73°F (with a low of 60°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 80°F (with a low of 48°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 78°F (with a low of 53°F).
I worked on the Bunny Clark when the sun came up enough so that I didn't have to turn the engine room lights on to work on the engine. I needed to warm the engine up, charge batteries and change fuel filters.
Once I got back home, I continued with items I needed to complete before taking the boat offshore tomorrow. That done, I was back in the restaurants at 11:00 AM. It was a steady day. It was a beautiful day. And it was a day of regular patrons.
Bob & Melinda Blanchard (FL) were two of our patrons I most like to see. We are all about the same age. But they are accomplished restaurateurs. I don't consider myself accomplished as I didn't start the restaurants I own. Bob & Mel started Blanchards in Anguilla, BWI. It was the nicest restaurant in the Caribbean. They have since sold the restaurants and are, now, consultants. They are also hard workers, as you would have to be to start such a wonderful restaurants in such hard places to have restaurants. They went through the normal Caribbean "Don't Stop the Carnival" (Herman Wouk - a wonderful read) stuff at the onset, went through the mishandling of Covid and barely survived a hurricane. Once all was settled, they sold to the local workers who helped them become successful. I believe they have written six books. I could be wrong on the number. Anyway, besides their successes, they are just wonderful people who I just love to be around. Friends. And I'm overjoyed that they like to visit us at Barnacle Billy's.
Senator Bernie Sanders ate at Barnacle Billy's, Etc. today. One of our waitresses, Flavia, attended to his every culinary desire. He was very nice and gracious, as you might imagine. And she really enjoyed herself in the process. I never did ask if he left a good tip! He was here before a rally in Portland to endorse Graham Platner, a Democratic Mainiac running for Susan Collins' seat in the U.S. Senate. Susan Collins has done a lot for Maine, a lot for the fishermen of New England and a lot for the Town of Ogunquit. I have always loved what she does and will always support her in any way I can. But it was nice to see Bernie Sanders.
At 2:45 AM EDT the air temperature was 59°F, the sky was overcast, there wasn't enough wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. More later.
We have room on the following near future fishing trips aboard the Bunny Clark: the marathon fishing trip of Thursday, September 4, has eleven fishing spots available, the Tim Tuesday marathon trip on September 23, has three fishing spots available and the Tim Tuesday marathon trip of September 30 has fifteen fishing spots available. The fishing has been good with way fewer dogfish than I expected this year. Bigger pollock should be starting to move in. Be there or be square!
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