A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend the Miami International Boat Show in Florida with my wife, and it also coincided with my 50th birthday – perfect! This is the second time I have been to this show and it never ceases to impress with its massive halls and incredible ‘on water’ display, featuring all the latest releases from the best boat and accessory manufacturers in the world. Give me a call if you’d like to learn more!
Having my younger half brother Bo and his lovely wife Lisa living in Boca Raton with their little boys also offered many advantages! Many of you already know Bo is a high profile sportfishing identity in the States, but between trips with Marlin University and guiding he also maintains some pretty special Merritt sportfishing boats. This gave me access to some of the best boat yard facilities in Florida, not normally available to the public – I was in heaven! Got to talk shop with many of the businesses like Professional Boat Care. If there is one thing the yanks do well, it’s build and maintain magnificent sportfishing machines!
In addition to all the ‘work’ side of the trip, we also managed to fit in 5 days on Harbour Island in the Bahamas – I highly recommend this place! Bo, his brother-in-law John and I took the family’s 37 foot Invincible centre console ‘Off The Wall’ across the Gulf Stream to Harbour Island so we could do some fishing while the girls flew across. This boat is big, fast and first class, powered by 3 x 300hp Mercs with a wide open speed of 58 knots – fastest I’ve ever been!! This was an epic run in itself – the distance is almost as far as Brisbane to 1770 and we averaged 38 knots. It was cold and rough but fantastic, and when those Mercs got air, the sound was just too good!
The fishing was incredible also – apart from some great Yellowfin caught live baiting with kites, the highlight, and a first for me, was the Swordfishing – electric reels and harpoons, does it get any better!! Again, if you want to hear about the methods used give me a call.
Click on pics to enlarge. Cheers