Bonfire Happening and Surf Session in Wellfleet this Saturday

There's a large group heading down to wellfleet beaches for some Beryl swell and then a big bonfire on the beach in wellfleet down the sand dune in front of Beachcomber. Come say hello and BYOeverything. 

Nantucket Film Festival Review

Film Festival 2006 provides quality film; here's the scoop on what we saw: 

Cape Cod Diet

A little hunter gatherer instinct goes a long way on the Cape. It's not uncommon for friends to get together and donate a bucket of quahogs, a few lobsters, fillets of bass and blues, pounds of steamers, mussels and even seaweed is an important contribution. Without the seaweed we wouldn't be able to do it up right with piping hot steam. This picture was taken after a surf session and the kitchen was essentially the parking lot. Who needs a super stop & shop? Unless you have a really well rounded group you're going to have to hit the package store for the complete fix.

15 June
Two days ago I went fishing at lunch time in my 13' skiff. In 30 minutes I caught 10 blues, of which I kept two for dinner. And we all know that for blues to be eaten properly minus that fishy taste that everyone complains about, you have to bleed the fish out right away. I did that and then filleted em up when I got back to the dock. I put them in a zip lock bag and threw them in the lab fridge. Well, they spent the night there. After work, I got sidetracked and went to pull up my lobster traps. In all the excitement of catching lobbies, I forgot the fish. Oh no! Two day old Bluefish is sometimes frowned upon to some fish snobs; so there is only one fix...Smoke it! I did last night and, wow, smoked bluefish is the way to go. Insanely good and the flavor options are endless. I even smoked the broccoli!

Lobster Never Tasted so Good

Season Catch thus far: 33 keepahs!
15 lobbies with shell disease
16 little guys tossed back

First catch of the season in woods hole supplied my ship with a belly full of the yummiest and freshest lobstah I can remember. Can I not say it enough...40 bucks for a lobby permit is the best deal going in MA. Buy yourself a boat, ten pots, and eat bugs until you can't eat em anymore. You'll be sure to make new friends.

Speaking of Lobster...Save Those rotting shells ---I caught my first infected lobster and they are icky looking. Their shells look like cracked cement and they are brittle. This one lobby had no claws and it had a big red tumor looking growth where its antenna should have been. I threw it back, of course, but a microbiologist told me that the lobster meat is not infected and you can, in fact, eat it. He also said that places like Red Lobster and those lobster roll shacks serve it up. If you can't see the shells, well there's no reason to be grossed out, right? A surprisingly large percentage of lobsters have this shell disease which is putting a strain on the commercial industry. But if it doesn't make you sick, well leave the shell crackers at home and open wide.
New England Lobster Research Initiative

PHOTO of the Day

Giant Saguaro Cactus I visited a few months ago in Tuscon's Desert. These things are massive and can live more then 150 years.
No real subjects, just original serenity and simplicity.
A new M-F photo of the day posting featuring mostly outside beauty as depicted by me or someone I know. Please feel free to comment or send a photo for posting.
ENJOY

SCUBA DIVING Local Buzz

Plenty of people in the upper cape area do beach dives in woods hole and sandwich. My favorite dive shop is Aqua Center located near Sandwich town beach. There you can rent equipment and meet some cool dive buddies. There are always people in Woods Hole looking to do some diving off of Garbage Beach too. Leave a reply if interested in linking up. Dives are organized on most weekends by the store's divemaster, Greg. Check out the Aqua Center website for contact info.

Another fun and, sort of, crazy activity is underhockey played on Friday nights at the Sandwich HS pool. Contact Greg for info. I know all levels or no levels are invited. This is unlike anything you've ever played!

BTW, I recommend spending the 40 bucks to get your lobster permit which is valid for one year and then renewable thereafter. Sandwich Town Beach (STB) is a great spot for grabbing BIG bugs! Go to the MA DMF website to apply.

Nantucket Film Festival

Rain or shine this is a killer event for June 14-18.
I've found there is no need to buy tickets in advance unless there is a film you have to see. There is usually a stand by line 15 minutes prior to each show. Here's your chance to see some award winning festival films, unique documentaries and perhaps mingle with the cooler side of hollywood.
Check out their link at:
http://www.nantucketfilmfestival.org/
Hot tip:
Stay cheap and one block from the beach at nantucket's hostel. It will cost you 26.50/night for dorm style sleeping. Good digs.

NorthEasts Buoy Weather: Surf Predictions

The water is warming up on the cape with temps nearing 67 degrees. A 3/2 is all you need to stay warm for a couple hours in the water.
A great way to track the surf up the eastern seaboard is to follow a front/waves/wind up the coast by checking what the buoys are reading: http://www.buoyweather.com/wxnav.jsp?region=NE&program=Maps

Last updated 20 July 2006 at 0900

Beryl swell is here! BE CAUTIOUS the winds will follow. Strong SSW winds are expected later this afternoon and will turn into some possibly heavy SE wind swell slop by the end of today into tomorrow. Get on it now or wait it out. Early saturday there should be some clean leftovers and check back for size predictions. Right now it's growing to overhead and will drop down to waist plus by saturday. It is worth a trip to the beach, especially with the sunshine predictions.
Growing S to SE surf, dangerous conditions likely this afternoon. ENE winds turning strong ENE to SE. N of the Cape – Thigh to waist S wind swell and growing. Cape - Waist plus SE wind swell likely to grow through the day (but also turn sloppy).

Top Five Worst Presidents in US History

If you don't know off the top of your head, pick up an archived copy of Issue 999 and you'll have a good laugh or cry when you find Prez Bush heading the list.

There's another fine article not to be missed in this issue.
And I'm sure you'll be laughing your ass off at the poetic jargon of Matt Taibbi as he rips into Tom Delay. One for the highlight wheel, "An exterminator failing in southeast Texas is like a pimp failing in Bangkok during tourist season." And it doesn't stop at that.

Testing the Seriousness of this nonsense: Fishing

FISH ON in WOODS HOLE and beyond
Flat fish are in the shoals; middle ground is producing some nice size fluke and live lining scup is catching stripers in the 40 inch range in woods hole.

No fishing herring for three years---New State Law
Go Deep for the Big Fish!

Fly Fishing is producing keeper bass in woods hole especially on Middle Ledge. Small bass are being caught by the ton for those just looking for some catch and release. Go to Meganssett and surrounding jetties for some serious action.

Blues are now everywhere! you have to be an nitwit not to catch a but load of em. But don't forget to chain that old monofilament and add a steel leader or flourocarben. These guys are hungry! I smoked mine last night for the first time and it was delicious. Who said bluefish is for the birds?! I take it anyday of the week.

Schoolies remain thick all over the beaches, rivers, and estuaries, and 4-inch white soft-plastic shads are the lure of choice.