We have had good conditions for fishing the last 4-5 days, but not good conditions for the fishermen. The current has been in close and running hard to the east while the wind has been blowing 15-20mph out of the east. This means the waves are big and the boat does rock a bit. My boat, the Southbound is one of the bigger boats on Charter Boat Row and it takes a sea very well. But in these conditions, you can expect the waves to be 5-8 ft. That is bouncy for most people. Fortunately, we were fishing with “Vikings” all week. Charter Captains talk between each other on the radio all the time. We talk about the conditions. Location of the color change. How it looks. How deep it is. Where the weed lines are and much more.
On the days when the waves are bigger is not uncommon for a boat to let the others know they are going in early due to a customer feeling seasick. Often one captain will ask another captain how his people are holding up. When we have people that are fine on the really rough day, the usual response is, “my people are Vikings”. In other words, Nobody is seasick and everybody can handle the waves.
My mate, Ben, has kept statistics and only about 8% of my customers get seasick. To be honest, I would have thought the number was higher. The has kept the statistics for a couple of years now and it stays right around that 8%.
Now I never want anyone to be feeling bad on my boat. Unfortunately, everyone has a different metabolism. When my customers arrive in the morning, you always try to size them up. It’s only natural. But I can never tell by looking at them if I will be fishing with Vikings that day or not. There are times when I’ve had petite little ladies on board who felt great in rough weather and big macho guys who thought they were going to die on nice calm days.
I have a very close friend I’ve known for over 40 yrs. We were High School Friends. He was an excellent athlete. Played football and was 3 in the state in Wrestling. He was a climber for a tree trimming company for a few years and works in construction, and rides a Harley. In other words, a pretty tough guy. He cannot go out on my boat. It doesn’t matter where I take him. I’ve gone to the calmest, most protected waters I can find and it still bothers him. He looks a bit like a Viking, but when it comes to boating, he just isn’t one.