Cape Verde Islands – Blue Marlin

»Chaos, pitches and breakdowns«

Already the planning ran with difficulty. Our tickets presented us one day before the takeoff. The TACV flight comes starts two hours later. On the Main Iland “Sal” is chaos, no island-hopper flies normally ours don´t fly at all. One day lost, we become nervous. On the next day: “Fly… maybe…”, with three hours of delay we reach Sao Nicolau. Still another hour with the taxi during a moon landscape and we reach our goal. Our accomodation is correct and the native ones seems to be peaceful for us.

The first surprise, our booked boat lies on dry dock, as it looks for us, forever. Our spare boat runs a half day, then a machine gives its spirit on (head seal burned through). What now? Only a very small boat is available in the marina. It makes a good impression, only one combat chair is missing. Stand up is announced! Directly during the Exit we catch large Wahoos. The young boy, who plays Crewman, makes an error with the Gaff – I run myself thereby a hook in my hand and Stephan gets bitten into his foot. We bleed like pigs and look at ourselves sadly. Today human blood is on the deck. After ten hours still no Marlinstrike, Stephan becomes nervous.

In the last two years he caught always very well. During home driving then nevertheless still the first Strike, the Marlin however, hits only once on the Ilander and disappears. The second day, the same failure, twenty hours on sea and still no Marlin. Our Skipper Cepriane, since thirty years occupation Fischer, and Harald, for eight years regularly as Skipper and Wireman actively, are still more sad than us.

Our second-last day. We want to try Ceprianes special tuna-area, a region where the ground grows up from 2000m depth to 50m. Cepriane trolls accurately the edge. Our Ilander runs optimally. Finally the desired Strike and run. I fight a half hour… away. , triplestrike.., Stephan fights… after a three-quarter hour, directly into boat proximity away… Five minutes later – Doublestrike, Stephan catches a Yellowfin. The sun stands deeply, we go back. In proximity to the coast a Strike on the 50lb rod. Stephan fights hard and after a half hour …the first blue marlin with about 180kg. We tag and release the fish. Harald is pleased again and Ceprianes eyes shine again. The spell seems to be broken. The last day, we try our luck again in the same area at about 7 o´clock.

 
11:00 Uhr Doppelstrike, ich fange einen Spearfish mit zwei Meter Länge. Der Fisch ist sehr aggressiv und schlägt wild um sich. Stephan und Harald sind sicher, dass er ihnen mit Absicht und gezielt mit seinem Schwert auf die Finger gehauen hat!? 13:00 Uhr Doppelstrike, ich fange einen Marlin mit ca. 200 kg. 16:00 Uhr erneuter Doppelstrike. Mein Marlin springt am Horizont, leider aber ohne Haken. Ich schaue nach links, Stephans Fisch zieht langsam ab, keiner von uns rechnet mit einem Marlin. Jetzt reißt es Stephan beinahe über Bord und die Post geht ab. Die Leine schießt von der Rolle, 300-400-500 jetzt sind mindestens 600 Meter abgelaufen. Ich beobachte den Horizont, Cepriane sieht ihn als Erster: „Big Marlin 8 Uhr …“. Der Fisch kommt in ganzer Größe aus dem Wasser, scheint für einen Moment in der Luft zu stehen, um dann mächtig und mit einem riesigen Splash zurückzufallen. Cepriane: „The second biggest Marlin in my life…“. Sein Größter wog 495 kg! Wir müssen näher ran und fahren rückwärts. Der Marlin taucht ab, Stephan drillt brutal. Die Leine ist an der Belastungsgrenze. Wir stehen jetzt nicht mehr weit vom Fisch, der Leinenwinkel wird flacher, er kommt hoch. Keine 100 Meter vor uns springt ein Giant in seiner ganzen Länge und Schönheit aus dem Wasser. Seine blauen Streifen und der silberne Bauch leuchten und schimmern in der Sonne. Er hängt nur an einem Haken und schlägt wild mit seinem mächtigen Schwert um sich. 3-4-5-mal springt er und taucht wieder ab, die Leine saust wieder von der Rolle, der Marlin zeigt noch keine Müdigkeit. Stephan fightet wieder. Plötzlich: „Sch… weg“, Cepriane gibt Vollgas. Stephan lässt die Arme hängen. Schade, der Giant ist nach einer Dreiviertelstunde ausgestiegen. Schweigen … Cepriane und Harald lassen die Köpfe hängen. Weiter, jammern nutzt nichts, weg ist weg. Niemand hat einen Fehler gemacht, das war einfach nur Pech. Gegen Abend ein Doppelstrike, Stephan fängt einen Marlin mit ca. 200 kg – ein Trostpflaster!? Kurz später erwische ich noch einen, leider ist er sehr stark verletzt und wir müssen ihn mitnehmen. Morgen ist unser Abreisetag, trotzdem wollen wir noch mal raus, Cepriane ist einverstanden.
 
 
11:00 o’clock Doublestrike, I catch a Spearfish with about two meter. The fish is very aggressive and strikes wildly around itself. Stephan and Harald are sure that it hit them with intention and purposefully with its sword at the fingers!? 1 o’clock PM, doublestrike, I catch a Marlin with approx.. 200 kg. Four o’clock (pm) a renewed Doppelstrike. My Marlin jumps on the horizon, unfortunately without hook. I look to the left, where Stephan´s fish take off slowly, none of us count with a Marlin. Now it tears Stephan almost over board and the fight begins. The line shoots at least 600 meters from the role, 300-400-500 ran off now. I observe the horizon, Cepriane can see the fish the first: “Big Marlin 8 o’clock…”. The fish comes out of the water in his whole size, it seems for one moment standing in the air, to drop back then powerfully and with an enormous Splash. Cepriane: „The second biggest Marlin in my life…“.His largest one weighed 495 kg! We have to drive backwards. The Marlin dips off, Stephan fights brutally. The line is at the load limit. We stand now no longer far away from the fish, the line angle becomes flatter, the fish come up. 100 meters in front of us, a Giant jumps in his whole length and beauty out of the water. Its blue stripes and the silver belly shine and gleam in the sun. It hangs only on a hook and strikes wildly with its powerful sword around itself. 3-4-5 jumps than, the fish dips again off, the line rushes again from the role, the Marlin shows still no tiredness.
Stephan is fighting again. Suddenly: “Sch… away”, Cepriane gives full power. Stephan let his arms hanging. Unfortunate, the Giant stepped out after a three-quarter hour. Silence… Cepriane and Harald let the heads hang. Further,sadness nothing uses, away is away. Nobody made an error, that was simply and only pitch. In the evening a doublestrike, Stephan catches a Marlin with approx.. 200 kg! I get one briefly later too, unfortunately the fish is hurt very strongly and we must kill him. Tomorrow is our departure day, nevertheless we want a further exit, Cepriane agrees.
 
It becomes bright and we are on the sea. At 10:00 o’clock two Wahoos, one Marlinstrike. Cepriane proves the engines and looks nervously: “Maybe it is better tons go home… Diesel?”. About 5 miles before the coast the lights go out, both machines stop. We are at the end, well, our flight goes briefly at 03:00 o’clock PM. The radio on and we set anemergency call, none reacted or which is more probable, the equipment does not function? We superior, Cepriane means that in a tank still something Diesel would have to be. It type the agony of the choice, we on the starboard tank – thus, empty tank lock off, which lines air out and hope that he starts. A further problem, the current is strong and in about one hour we will touch the rock coast. The first starting attempt, the starter turns however the engine does not start. Still roughly two to three attempts, then the battery is empty. Now only retain the peace and do not rev up – again we consider everything and conscientiously all steps repeat. We dare a renewed attempt. The starter turns – finally the angler-release, the Diesel starts and goes through. With the last sip we reach the port. Our taxi waits already. We still reach Sal. Like the week ago, so the return flight, problems and delays. 24 hours later we are in Munich.
 

Resümee

Fanggebiet und Cepriane First Class, Quartier und Essen gut. Kaltes, trinkbares Bier gibt es ebenfalls. Auf Sao Nicolau kann man nur angeln. Familie brauchen Sie hier nicht mitzubringen. Sie werden sonst spätestens nach zwei Tagen mit Recht gesteinigt, an Material dafür fehlt es hier nicht!

Stephan Kreupl, Robert Rein, June 2000