| Meet The Captains / The Young Captains |
"How they can maintain that pace is something I can only relate to that was lost years ago. I was dead on my feet.
Meet The Captains / The Young Captains
By Ed Kunze
Being a Captain of a sport fishing vessel has a lot more duties than just steering a boat. The Captain has total control of the vessel and determines where, when and how they are going to fish. He must unerringly produce fish on a daily basis, and have enough experience when opportunity presents itself, the client has a legitimate shot at a once in a lifetime fish. The Captain also has, no matter the conditions, absolute responsibility of the boat's crew and the client's safety.
Normally, as one generation of Captains fade to retirement, by working their way up through the ranks, there is always a new batch ready to step forward and take control of the flybridge. Here in Ixtapa / Zihuatanejo we have an unusual situation in which a couple of owners with several boats, have turned them over to several young Captains. Alberto Henandez and Jamie Morales Cortez have found the business and maintenance end of their separate fishing operations takes so much of their time, they have trained and put a whole new generation of young Captains on the water to run their boats.
Calixto Juarez Abazan (Cali), Efarin Henandez Aquilera (Efra), Nóe Muñiz Vegar (Pulgo), Ruben Lara Magaña (Ruben), and Antonio Hernández (Pez Vela) have taken the helm of these boats and are proving to be a valuable asset to the overall Ixtapa / Zihuatanejo sport fishing fleet. None of them are over 23 years of age, yet their incredible exuberance, love of life, intelligence, good humor, and fishing abilities are impressing clients day in and day out. Not just noticed and respected by clients: they have also been the Captains when ESPN and other film companies come to film documentaries on our fabulous fishing here in Zihuatanejo.
A few months ago we were all very busy and I had borrowed Ruben to fish with me on my Cabo that day. The clients usually arrive between 6:30 and 7:00 in the morning, but I wanted to tie up a few leaders, buy the bait, and get a couple of other minor things done so Ruben would not be hurried when we went fishing.
Arriving at 5:15, and after parking my vehicle, I was walking down to the dock at the Puerto Mio gas station where the boats are moored. There was a full blown "party" going on! Pez Vela is dancing a jig to imaginary music and in beat to the bags of ice he is tossing to Pulgo on the Intruza. Pulgo, spinning twice, whacked the bag on the rail to loosen it and dropped it in the Ice chest. Ruben, belting out a few bars from the popular group Los Bukis, is sewing the bait on the leaders I was to have taken care of. And Cali is using a towel as a dance partner as he cleans the dew off the fighting chairs in the cockpit of the Vamonos II. Suddenly, Cali tilts his head back and lets out with a classical Mexican grito; "ay, aii, aii, ya ayyy". Not to be outdone, Efra, up on the fly bridge of the Kirrurris, joins in. Soon the whole of Zihuatanejo Bay is rocked with sounds which, in any other part of the world at that time of the morning, would have Mothers checking on their children to be sure they were safe.
What was going on? I assure you, it was nothing special, it was just a typical morning for these young Captains as they are getting ready for the day of fishing with clients. These guys are so full of life, they are intoxicating. They love their work, they love to fish, and they are going to have fun.
As the day progressed, searching for concentrations of fish, they were talking on the radio. Readily sharing information, they talk to each other and to all of the other boats in the fleet. Today, Cali has the best sense of humor as he tries to pull one over on me. He knows my heading and position. "Ed, I've released 5 sailfish and we are fighting a huge black marlin. You've got to get over here! I am at 18 miles and 180º"
Laughing, Ruben looks at me and says he wants the radio. "Cali, we are at 180º and 18 miles and we've released two sailfish with one dorado on ice".
"Oh. Then maybe I do not have a marlin and I am at 16 miles and 210º. But, still you should get over here."
By 3:00 we have all returned to Puerto Mio. Everybody had a great day and the clients have returned to their hotels. As the deckhands and the young Captains are cleaning the boats, in its infectious way, another "party" breaks out. Efra is sitting at a table under a palm tree and making tiritas from one of the dorado a client donated for us. The boats get cleaned, a couple of beers are drunk and the tiritas are eaten. It is now 5:00. After 12 hours of work, I am dead tired and I am ready to go home.
Ruben says to me, "Gringo, let's go!"
I look around and everybody has soccer uniforms on! Fearing his answer, I manage to croak out "What do you mean 'let's go'?"
"The league semi-finals are at 6:00 in Coayacul! We have a game to play".
So off we go. I to watch, and try to stay awake, and them to play and win a soccer game. A lot of good humor and a few beers later for the celebration, the young Captains decide they want to take their girlfriends and go dancing. At that, I had to draw the line. How they can maintain that pace is something I can only relate to that was lost years ago. I was dead on my feet. When I got home, I do not even remember my head hitting the pillow.
I can assure you though, as good as the fishing is here and as exuberant as these young Captains are, at 5:00 tomorrow morning another "party" is about to rock Zihuatanejo Bay.
October 2001
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