Off Shore Fishing Adventure

Sorry it’s been awhile since I’ve posted!  Life has been busy now that school is back in session.  We’re all trying to settle in to our new routine…

Cutie Pie pounced on us bright and early on Sunday morning with a special request.  He wanted to go off shore fishing for kingfish.  Now, J had no intention of setting off on such an adventure but I thought it sounded like fun.  When we finished breakfast I sweet talked J into taking us all out on the boat off Port Canaveral.

We have never taken this boat into the ocean so I know that J was a little apprehensive.  But he was a good sport about getting everything prepped and ready for us to go.  I whipped up a quick lunch for the cooler, sunscreened myself and the kids and we were off!  We launched at the Port Canaveral ramp amidst the cruise ships, parasailing tour boats and other recreational fishermen.

We cruised down the coast toward Cocoa Beach and were greeted by lots of friendly dolphins.

The boys and I climbed up on the bow for a better view of the wildlife.  They came surprisingly close to the boat.

There were probably 10 or so dolphins in the pod that surrounded us.  They were jumping and playing which thrilled the boys to no end.

Right around the time that we saw the dolphins J and the boys started getting motion sick.  Luckily, J had a stash of Dramamine in his bag.  One of the side effects is drowsiness, however…  Both boys zonked out for a while.  Cutie Pie found a spot on the bench in the cabin.  Wildman eventually succumbed to sleep on the bow while we watched the cruise ships set sail.

The Disney Dream was the third ship that we watched leave port.  It is the newest vessel in the Disney cruise line.  There is a water ride between the stacks on the top deck that looks amazing.  It’s a twisty see-through tube.  Perhaps we’ll have to save our money for a voyage on the Dream one day.

We hadn’t had any luck fishing all day so we pointed the boat back toward the port.  Just as soon as we made the decision to head for home, the fishing pole that J had been trolling a lure with went crazy.

After a strong and steady fight, J managed to reel in a nice looking barracuda.  It wasn’t the kingfish that Cutie Pie wanted but it looked very similar.  At least we caught something!

Once we landed the boat on the trailer I glanced down to find this little guy swimming around.  Which reminded me that I need to find a little slip of paper with the website that Wildman’s class is using to track sea turtles.  His teacher wrote it down and I stuck the paper somewhere…  Just not sure where.  It’s part of their class project.  They’re adopting a sea turtle with a tracking device.  The children can log on to the website to see where their turtle has traveled.  Pretty neat!

Also, would you say a little prayer that this thing does not hit us?

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Guess Who Taught Himself to Surf?

“No, Dad!  I want to do it myself”

He started on a boogie board and moved his way up to a surfboard this summer.  This weekend he mastered the surfboard all by himself! My four-year-old is a surfer.

Wildman has some catching up to do…

Happy Father’s Day

We spent Father’s Day afternoon at the beach in Cocoa Beach.  We packed a picnic lunch, the umbrella for shade, the boogie board and the surfboards.  J’s goal to to try to teach the boys (and me) how to surf.

Wildman rode a few small waves in with J’s help but quickly lost interest. I tried my hand at the long board (sorry no photos of me) and found that I have absolutely no balance…

Cutie Pie wanted nothing to do with learning how to surf with J and the surfboard.  He took his boogie board out and taught himself how to catch a wave, how to stand up on the board and how to ride the wave to shore.  It was pretty amazing watching him at only four-years-old.  He had such determination!  I was so proud of him!

Big Red and his boys joined us for a few hours too!  It was a nice relaxing way to spend Father’s Day.

When I get my camera and the boys’ creations together, I’ll share photos of the ceramic mug and plate that they painted at a pottery studio for J…