This is my post for #freewriters 2930 prompt the other brother hosted by
This picture pretty much sums up our day. My sister was here early enough today, but that did not help. We first stopped on Cat Island and caught three pompano and a trout but trout are closed right now so it had to be released.
After Cat Island, we ran to Long Point, but never saw a pompano. They were gone. We next went to the inlet. I saw a boat catch one, we had not seen anything, so we went far enough south of that boat and anchored. We were not there long and had a pompano, but never caught the other brother to it. After getting it off the hook and the line back out, I noticed the anchor was dragging. My sister never lets out enough rope, so I tied a knot in the anchor line and told her that each time we anchor, to let out that much rope. It was not the first time the anchor drug because it was sitting straight up from the boat.
My sister said that when she stepped on one spot on the floor of the boat, she felt it crack. The crack is on the top left of the photo, and water was coming in at a good/bad steady stream. We were in the middle of the north bay.
The closest island with a shoreline I could pull up to was Long Point. With us sitting there fishing and it leaking, water had built up in the bow, so when I got on a slide, a lot of water came back to the stern and I did not know how much was coming in from the leak.
We pulled into shallow enough water that if it broke loose, we would not sink. We put the rods away and everything important in a waterproof box that my sister held onto for the ride back across the river. Before leaving, I called my husband and told him about the leak. I told him I felt if I had to I could get on a slide and pull the plug, but hopefully the pump will keep up with the water coming in.
I also told him that I was not going to slow down until I got to the ramp, and if I do not call him and say we made it, it will mean our phones got wet, aka, we sunk. My sister was very concerned but I figured we would be alright. She had me make up a buoy so we can mark the boat if we go down. I set the throw cushions where they would float out of the boat, to make her feel better.
I ran the boat as hard as I dared, only slowing down for other boat wakes and going under the US1 bridge and railroad bridge because boats were under them. We made it to the ramp without a problem, but there was someone who just pulled up to the dock to pull their boat out. I kept the boat pumped out while we waited on them.
We had three pompano yesterday and four today, for the two days we had sixteen pounds.
My sister and I bought a can of resin and a can of acetone and my husband helped tilt the boat so tomorrow I can climb under it and grind the bottom before fiberglassing it. I hate grinding old fiberglass, especially from under a boat. I do not even know if I can hold the grinder with my hand being bone on bone. I know it is going to hurt, but my husband is fishing tomorrow.
photos are mine
