I try not to get too mushy about our fishing trips when writing the blog, but instead keep it light and entertaining. 

However, every once in a while it seems appropriate to acknowledge some of the priceless friendships we have formed over the past twenty-some years.  In fact, some are as important as life itself!

 Tammy Dickman (with Sailfish above) and company are from Ruskin, FL (outside Tampa) and have been a part of our extended family for years.  Back when we all ran charters to Cuba on a regular basis, it was not unusual to see the Dickmans and the Mr. Z crew hanging at the local eateries and watering holes that line Marina Hemingway, exchanging tall tales and stories as good as they can get while fishing the storied waters off Veradero, Habana, Cohimar, and Cabo San Antonio.

In June of 2003, Tammy’s late husband Paul, was on his way to Habana, Cuba, to fish the Hemingway Tournament as he did every year.  Their boat, the Kilcare VII (a 65′ Hatteras) was halfway across the Gulfstream when Capt. Mark intercepted our mayday call…  the Mr. Z was on fire and sinking fast!  We did manage to get all aboard the Mr. Z into life jackets and into the life-raft with no injuries as the Kilcare pulled alongside.  We sat at a safe distance and waited for the U.S. Coast Guard to arrive, but we were sure happy that the Kilcare was within radio distance and with her quick speed, made it to us in a very timely fashion :)  Paul thought nothing of reversing his course and returning to Key West with his unexpected cargo.  They didn’t get to Marina Hemingway until the next day after they made sure we were taken out of harm’s way.  It was inconvenient for them to say the least.  But this is how Paul did things.  If he considered you a friend, he’d give you the shirt off his back, loan you the money, or give you the drink out of his hand!  These are the kind of friends we have made over the years.  And they are priceless.  This is how I measure my success in the charter business in Key West.  Friendship.  Paul Dickman is greatly missed.

For a great story of how and why the fire happened, go to:  http://www.keywestfishtales.com/fish_tale_2.html  The actual story starts on the second page…

Happy Holidays,

Capt. Craig Eubank

Dan and Michelle Reynolds spent the pre-holiday lull fishing aboard the Mr. Z.  Michelle was very concerned about the weather with several reports of cold fronts, rain, wind, pretty much all the worst parts of the Bible converging on the very day they planned on going out

I assured her that our weather man wasn’t nearly as good as the weather man back in the City, but just in case, we put off the charter until Sunday.  Sunday arrived bright sunny and calm.  Just to be sure though, we took Michelle to the reef for some quick action on Barracuda, Macheral, Yellowtail Snapper, and undersized Grouper for the experience of reeling something in and just on the chance that she didn’t care for being out on the water.  Lucky us, she took to it like the proverbial duck!

 We found two Dolphin chasing small sardines in the green water and boxed them quickly.  From there, we proceeded to catch Bonitas, Horse-eyed Jacks, and even a little Sailfish that fought far beyond his 15 pounds.  Michelle and Dan were thrilled, promised to send their friends, and swore they would be back next year.  Now that’s music to our ears…