Fishing off a Sailboat

Two families vacationing in Williamsburg enjoyed warm breezes while sailing on the York River. One family was from upstate New York and the other from Charlotte, NC. In an unusual event, we tried fishing off the boat for the first time. It was quite an adventure.

Tyler Petty brought along a new fishing rod and cast off the stern in search of cobia, spot or croaker. The speed of the sailing boat may have discouraged the fish from biting, but it was a new experience for everyone. The ideal position had Tyler sitting in one of the catbird seats, but backward so the line was unimpaired.

My ambition was to make sure that the line didn’t foul the prop when turning the boat. That worked. We tacked several times, but instead of making sharp turns we made longer and wider turns to keep the line off the stern. Meanwhile, we stayed away from the commercial gill nets that were cast on the York. Very tricky out there.