Dear friends,

Last week Kathy and I headed north to deliver two paintings to clients in Delaware and Maryland. We also visited old friends, Marcia and Jim Dudley at Bethany Beach, Delaware and while in the area, our host arranged a chartered offshore fishing trip for us out of Ocean City, Maryland known as the “White Marlin Capital of the World”! Our crew of six arrived at the dock early and by 5:45 AM last Monday we were aboard Ocean City Girl, a 50′ custom Carolina built vessel and heading east. An hour or so later we were 35 miles offshore and our lines hit the water. Not long afterwards we had our first knockdown to the yell of “fish on”! That was the first of the 27 or so False Albacore caught that day. These fish, which are not normally highly regarded as table fare, were wonderful blackened as I prepared them last night for dinner. Our fish were not huge but in the 4-10# range but tremendous fighters tearing out at 40 miles per hour after the strike.

We also caught seven magnificent Dolphin Fish, [calm down Friends of Flipper- not the Dolphin mammal] also called Mahi-Mahi in Hawaii as well as Dorado in oceans around the world. Again, smaller fish but beautiful and delicious, just the same. So with a little work and play behind us we returned to Richmond and back to the grindstone.

Many thanks to Marcia and Jim Dudley!

JMB

Sunrise off Ocean City, Maryland

Ed Mulheron fighting an Albacore

Jim Dudley with a "keeper" and Mate Aaron

The fish box with Albacore and beautiful Dolphin

Paul Quintus with a nice Dolphin

Charlie Kohlhoss, "takin' care of bidness"

Jim and Scott Harper "tag teaming"

Have you ever seen such a beautiful fish and an "unbeautiful" crew of fishermen?

Ed with another Albacore

Back at the dock and no joke- these were the small fish for the mate who had already cleaned the main catch

And "yours truly"- what a day!