#121212concert Part B or White Boy NOT in Paris

Ok, so I feel like a shit.
Why?
Because I trashed Kayne on FB yesterday. Now I feel bad since he seems like a good guy.
Here's why:
I was working JFK yesterday.The Air France 7:10 flight, the huge A380 plane, was all queued up with hundreds of people eager to get on the plane. (Always surprises me why they are in such a rush to get in front of each other. Plane not going anywhere until ALL are on-another story).
So, I look around and see a couple of regular looking guys standing pretty much right in middle of the pre-boarding area in plain view of everyone. One of the dudes is quietly talking on the phone.Not smiling, not laughing , just regular soft talking. (maybe?).
As he turns I see that I definitely recognize this face-yep, you got it, Kanye West. Swear! I figure I HAVE to get a pic with him.
Yes, go figure. A pic with my FAVORITE entertainer.
But I don't want to interrupt him so I wait, and wait and wait. Now I think he is pretending to talk so as not to be bothered.
As the boarding is about to begin he slowly works his way to the 1st class line. But he hesitates. Not sure why.
This is the moment.
I go over, ask if we can get a shot together "for my daughters", and he nicely complies. Took a quick buddy shot then stepped away laughing to myself about my comments yesterday on FB and now meeting him.
But he remains in an off  spot and not really in line.
I go to young woman at the counter and inform her that Kanye West is there and can she move him up.
She says OK and to tell him.
I go over to him tap his buddy on the shoulder and suggest he go to the front of the line.
He looks at me and then moves up.
Not far enough.
So, I go back and say :"ALL THE WAY". Kanye looks at me with an appreciative smile and nudges past others to the front.
Pretty cool I think. From the stage of the #121212 concert to the front of the line for VIPs.
As I walk away, I see a woman I know who handles the queues and asked if she saw him.
"Oh yes, sure," she said. "I told him to go to the end of the line."
"Why" I asked, "he is a VIP".
"VIP or not" she replied. " When you travel in economy, you take the other line".
OOPS.
Kanye, hope you enjoyed being treated like a VIP.Next time travel business class.

Like they say, you can make this stuff up.Buzzfeed.

Oh, and by the way , what was that you were wearing at the concert. Meggings? Clothing castoffs from Sting?

( And for the record, come on you entertainers. Tip the Skycaps, wheelchair pushers and service people will ya!)

#121212concert

Big thanks to all who participated in the #121212concert event. Bigger thanks to all the people who came from all over the country to help out; and to the men/women in the field who worked 16 hrs while going back to homes without power and starting alll over again the next morning. #Sandy was a major blow to our area and many have lost much. At the same time many of us were only dealt a glancing blow from her wrath and for that we are all thankful.
Interesting to see the performers and actual time they spent on the stage.I could feel the level of concern or lack of it. For example Billy Joel, Bruce, Bon Jovi and Alicia sung from the heart while The Stones seemed to be there more as an expectation than desire. Mick suggests that when it rains in London we help out. What gall, but not unexpected from a group who has turned more needy and greedy as they age.Hey, did you actually donate from the money you received from the NYNJ concert goers recently?
But age and genre are major points of my short blog today.
Is Rock & Roll on life support?  What is going to happen to this genre of music after all the grey beards begin to murmur old lyrics in the nursing home? Did you see all the greying of America there on stage. Notice the lack of any young and upcoming R&R? I did not. Will this genre be relegated to muzak only in another 5 years? Hate to be stuck with Kanye going forward! He personally annoys me with pompous and silly theatrics. Maybe this is why the R&R standard bearers get so much interest during these shows. They all seem like the last concert-they are a dying blue -jeans breed. And, hate to say it but come on Daltry, or should I say Tom Jones, enough with the open shirt. Not sexy at this point in time.If I had to retire my Speedo you have to retire the naval exposure. LOL Rock on.

Barrier Islands After Sandy-Long Beach, NY

Well, my quest to see the barriers islands along the south shore of Long Island, NY continues. I went by Long Beach 30 days after #sandy. Like most places the whole oceanfront and properties up to 2 blocks north got a beating. The board walk extends along about 2 miles or so along the Atlantic and many large buildings occupy the area with many renovated into nice living apartments and condos over the years. The boardwalk is a favorite of mine to bike ride off season to get some fresh air and see who else is about enjoying the scenery. A buddy of mine lives in one of theses buildings and is now staying with a friend in Manhattan because he is so depressed by the wreckage. He was fortunate living on the 9th floor and did not lose possessions but his building did not have elevator or electric for three weeks.Long Beach got hit hard. Just yesterday dead cars were still being removed, a huge mountain of sand is being amassed due to contamination, and household debris grows daily as people still clean out their homes and businesses.
There are the regular daily visits of curiosity seekers that drive up with cameras strung around their neck taking photos of the twisted boardwalk, dangling garbage cans and small signs of rebuilding here and there. One can hear the sighs of concern and amazement as they peer under the collapsed boardwalk and out to the ocean where before walls of sand obscured the same view. In the background you can see big work trucks, bulldozers and contractors still removing feet of sand from the roads and parking lots which held some cars buried 6 feet of sand. Now you can see the profile of surfers back in their favorite rips along the beach. For them, the ocean is a place of comfort and challenge. Many of these surf rats live in the area  and will go back home after catching some waves and sift through years old collections of stuff and continue the painful task of selecting the few salvageable to keep as memories of days past.They are reconciled to the whims of nature and live many others along the Mid-Atlantic, muddle through the despair, pain eventually building back what they once had. The flying of the American flag is a testament to their belief in our ideals of facing challenges and overcoming them.

Turkey Awards 2012-Nominate

Turkey Award 2012- Nominate your Turkey!

There have been so many dumb turkey moves by so many people this past year I thought it would be appropriate this holiday to award the worst offenders.

 -Who or what company or politician has done the biggest Turkey move of the year?

-Maybe we can get this in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade next year!!

-Mine is Hostess-for the executives who tried to pluck the company for millions for themselves and for the unions who stuffed the workers.

Go to @bigmahi on Twitter to Nominate yours!

 

Thank You all for Your #Sandy Help

I was one of the thousands of people who was hit by #sandy and suffered along with hundreds of thousands in the Metro NY and NJ area. I posted frequently on Facebook to share the abrupt change in our life, and give an account of what many of us were going through.
We had gas to cook and  make hot water for showers but no power. When was the last time you did not have the convenience of electricity. I can tell you it was not fun.
I want to make it clear that while were inconvenienced and out of our element there were so many others who did and are still really suffering from loss of home, pets and even lives. I feel for them.
But the man purpose of this post is to thank the many individuals who helped clean up and restore power and order to a chaotic area.
I happened to talk with workers from all over the Northeast who helped LIPA get power on. They worked 16 hours a day, many without a good meal or even a "thank you". Well I say "thank you" again to all of you.
I also had the chance to run into members of the DMAT team at JFK airport on their way home. Delta Airlines was very helpful and accommodating to the 200 or so men and women I met there.

Here is one man from the #DMAT team, direct medical assistance team, part of the government dedicated to providing emergency and disaster medicine throughout the state and country. He was one of many that were situated in the Nassau Medical Center where up to 800 displaced people spent days waiting for power and services in #NassauCounty, NY. He was leaving from JFK on Thursday along with about 200 others returning home to many different states. I would like to thank him and his team for contributing to the medical care of those in the area shelters.
If you would like to support these people please #SHARE on #Facebook  or Retweet and hopefully it will eventually find it's way back to many of these humanistic people.

Veterans Day-Moment of Reflection

Veterans Day-Easy to overlook with the recent weather crisis around the East Coast but let's take a moment to reflect. Reflect on the many service people who have chosen to join the military to fight and support the USA.Many of have not always agreed in principal to our leader's positions on wars over the past 50 years but I hope we all can agree that we owe a debt to the rank and file men and women who place themselves in harms way to help support the American way of freedom and democracy. Let's not forget  the veterans and our need to now provide for them as they age; let's not forget the returning young people who have endured horrible conditions in the Middle East and now need jobs; let's not forget the families that lost breadwinners and have children and financial nooses to deal with; and let's not forget that we are all in this together and need to cooperate and give a little to move our country forward and provide for all.
Here's to the Veterans who we give thanks for your service and dedication.

Power-Finally-11 Days after "Hurricane" Sandy and following Noreaster

POWER!! After 11 days we got power back at 4pm today.This followed endless tweets and emails to various officials and LIPA ( power company). None were answered but we did get a couple of  general updates ( which turned out not to be accurate).
At 8am this morning I had been offered the use of a generator by a friend. I used precious gas to head to Babylon and meet him for the valuable exchange. While on the way home I found a pile of cut firewood left in a parking lot by a good soul. Packing as much wood into the car for back-up in case the generator did not work I headed home to (1) get the wood into the house (2) get the generator set up (3) get odd numbered gas for the car and generator.
By this time my wife and daughters were emotionally drained and physically exhausted by the lack of heat during the last really cold nights.
Reaching my house I noticed more activity by LIPA crews than I have seen in 10 days. All along our adjoining streets crews were in cherry picker, and surveyors going from home to home inspecting electrical boxes for damage. We had to sign affidavits that
we were visited. Hopefully this was the final step in getting power back. One of the workers said it was not anticipated for power restoration until Monday. So I had to get a move on and get wood into the house and then the gennie going.
However I saw a LIPA power truck go by and hailed him down. Jim, the worker, was also burned out it like the rest of us. He said that he had a short list of homes that needed to be shut off before power could be turned on. Glitch was he lost or thought a hysterical resident took the list to stop restoration if her house was not included. I volunteered to coordinate with the surveyors and try to get the names back to him as he continued to do his job. He took off one way and I another.
It was good fortune that I met the surveyors 2 blocks away, gave them the info then rushed back home to continue to carry the 100 logs into the house.
(Funny just a while back my wife said we never use the fireplace,. Well, over the past
11 days it was one center of emotional strength and some physical comfort. Amazing how the strong flames can provide a sense of security and nexus of family.
That along with steam heat generated from large pots on our stove provided the minimal degree of warmth.)
Turns out that as he drove back he confessed that the list had fallen into his lunch pail. He apologized and we laughed a bit. He also shared that the power company had changed payroll services last week and his total paycheck for 16 hr days was $314. He sure was upset. But he did hie job none the less. Thanks Jim.
Lots of interactions with neighbors coming and going, more chats with Jim about timing for possible restoration and thinking of how to hook the gennie to the furnace kept me very busy as I worked to beat the setting of the sun-not worried about vampires but blood chilling as evening approached.
I was just finishing stacking the last of the precious wood when I noticed a strange glare off the kitchen wall. I went in and low and behold, the lights were on! I went from room to room and YES, each one was working. Then I darted to the thermostat and put the temp at 75! Hell, time to celebrate. I then Tweeted my joy to many, and texted friends that had been supported.I went out and shouted "Power" to the neighbors. A couple returned the call! We were feeling good.Finally.
I want to thank all of you who showed concern, compassion and love. I have a bit of mixed feelings towards those who totally ignored our discomfort but isn't that always what happens?
So, as if nothing happened, I sit at my computer, able to type easily and not worry about my cell dying and trying to find power. We just ordered chinese food and it will be good to sit at our table again, watch Shark Tank and appreciate our good fortune.

Close Call from Hurricane Sandy-I Told You So

Before you say it, I know. I know I should not have done it.

It was 2pm Monday as Hurricane Sandy was heading for the East Coast. We had 25knot winds, light rain and not much going on until much later on.
So, I decided to run to the store for some essentials, cake, milk and juice! On the way I thought I would run over to Freeport and see the fishing station located on the bay. Yesterday the owner was tying down the bait and ice house.Located on one of the lowest lying streets on the south shore I wanted to see if the high tides had moved this and to see the flooded streets.

I was not disappointed. Many streets were knee deep in water and quite a spectacle seeing so much even hours after high tide.
I had taken my 96" Blazer "tank" feeling that this would be indestructible in face of the elements.
Splash I went as waves careened from the sides of the car as I plowed through shallow water. Other cars were doing the same and there was a bit of camaraderie among us I'm sure as we braved the elements. Splish, splash, another and another puddle was successfully navigated. I could see to the end of the street and was about to run another flooded area when all of a sudden there was an engine sputter. Pressing the gas, no motion. Another sputter, steering locks up and the car stops. I tried to start it. Whrr, whrr. Nothing.
I look and see the canal looming 90 feet away. The same canal which pushed feet of water all over the Nautical Mile. The same canal that would eat up my car if it was there in another 5 hours.
So, needless to say I was in a pickle. More like a big dill pickle. My mood soured as I contemplated calling my wife but decided against it. Why bring her into this.
.
I tried the engine again. Then again. Nothing.
 Time to call USAA roadside assistance.
The agents were nice but I was impatient with them as they went through every type of proof of identity. All I wanted was a tow.
My mind started to wander and think of the loss I might have. Or the car sitting there as the waters curled around the tires, then door then envelope the entire car.
So, I waited for the agent to get back and decided to try one more time.
Turned the key, varoom! It started. I could not believe my bad luck then good luck.
I was so excited that the car started.
But I still had lots of reverse ground to cover and lots of water to push out of the way.
Holding my breath and stepping on the gas I sped through the flooded streets and just hoped the car would not quit right in the middle of a big one.
Thank Neptune my vehicle succeeded in getting through the watery impasse.
I made it to dry ground and sighed.

I had heard about flooded streets hazards a hundred times but figured as long as the car could go through I would be safe.
Wrong. Apparently lots can go wrong and something did.

However I was spared a miserable rescue wait and possible loss of car due to the oncoming tidal surge

What can I say but thanks, and I know you told me so!


 Youtube link: http://youtu.be/gaEK02bK8FU

Halloween Hurricane Sandy- Hey, No Fishing?

Just two days ago many of us were targeting an end of week trip 100 miles out to the offshore Long Island Canyons. At this time of year not many boats are willing to deal with fickle weather or ever-changing forecasts. But we go back and froth from forecast to gathering up potential mates for the long ride to find the tuna and swordfish. Bear in mind we are not commercial boats with fancy gear but rather recreational anglers typically in boats up to 42 feet. Most are not heated, no cushy couches nor comfortable place to sit when the seas build. The seasonal change is in full gear and normally we are lucky to get a full day's weather window to head out, fish and get back. As I mentioned, as of Tuesday many of us were busy working and making plans when we get home from work for a possible trip tomorrow.
So you can imagine the surprise when I watched the local weatherman get all excited and concerned when he made the 11pm weather forecast last night. Hurricane, triple storm;  shades of the Perfect Storm reverberated across the web, on fishing forums and texts.
Hurricane Sandy has passed Cuba and heading God knows what exact direction. Computer models as of this afternoon are all over the place. But as of this early evening the consensus is that it will be powerful and strike between N. Carolina and Eastern Long Island. Great, 60 miles from where we live! As we speak anglers and boaters are chatting up a storm on various forums discussing whether to take boats out, wait it out, buy generators or whatever way to deal with the coming storm. In fact, just now my wife mentioned mandatory evacuation for us since we are near a canal. It is only Thursday and we don't expect the storm until Tuesday! This is how hysteria is  beginning similar to the growth of the storm. More and more chatter, concern, debate and early worry about a weather front thousands of miles away. Our plans for an end of week trip have been abruptly interrupted by the fear of an upcoming storm. Attention will be turned from talk of bigeye, yellowfin and mahi to generators, flashlights and batteries. Oh well, welcome Halloween. This one may indeed be very scary.

At this time, Cape May looks like it is right in the path of Hurricane Sandy. But this can change in hours.
Some current observations from NDBC:
-Buoy 41047-East of path, NE Bahamas 13'ft waves/25-30knots/9 sec period/76 degree water
-Buoy 41002- So. Hatteras-In path-8 ft/20-27 knots/9 sec period/76 degree water
-Buoy 41048-W. Bermuda-4ft/15-17 knots/8 sec/76 degrees

See 96 hour forecast below from OPC, NOAA.

Whatever you do, stay informed and safe. See you on the other side.

Retirement?

Retirement? What a word used for fishing! Well, that word came up as we trudged through the 6^th hour of futile trolling yesterday at the Hudson.

Flash back to 730am yesterday when we pulled into the party. Up to 50 boats were working the area, many hitting the troll after an overnighter. We dropped in our 12 line spread and within 45 minutes we had our first nice fat albie. Remember Fat Albie? Anyway that got us juiced up for an anticipated good day. We worked the 100sq area in building 3-5 seas with nice cresting waves. Made a spectacular display of nature as the sun rose and warmed the cockpit. We worked in, around, away and back into the fleet which was spread out over a few miles. So none of that cursing and radio BS about crossing and cutting lines. Nice, wide and gentlemanly. Looking good- for a while at least.

As we passed one boat hooked up we waved encouragement feeling we were next in line. Then we see another boat 200 yards away hooked up. Not so happy. Then a while later a third hookup. Now getting depressed.

So what about retirement? Bossman was in a bad state. He talked retirement like a disgruntled employee-neglected, overwrought and ready to throw in the towel for the 2012 season after such a poor showing. He took it personally, a message from God or personal failure to make the fish strike. One stinking albie to show for 7 hours of trolling as we watched in envy as others fought fish. Got to be honest. Not a good feeling. So, as we trolled some more and watched the bars skim the water and the ballys duck and surface thinking any minute we would get a triple banger. We were sinking from a Rocky Mountain Bigeye High from 2 weeks ago after bagging 3 beautiful bigeyes to almost getting washed out today.On top of that we had a great new guy on board who was getting over his dad's recent death. So we wanted this to be special for him.

The sun had taken a turn to the West and time was running out. We planned to crank it up at 2:30 and head home. Now minutes counted and we all were wishing for a Hail Mary. Splash! Dive! Pop as the far rigger snapped off and FISH ON! In the 9^th we hit a home run. The crew quickly cleared lines as John put on the fighting belt which his son was enviously eyeing. Fish fought hard for 10 minutes, came to the top then was quickly dispatched by my gaff. The greatest sigh of relief washed over the cockpit as the 65lb class YF hit the deck. We all hi-fived, grinned and got ready for the trip home. So, it was not the repeat bigeye conquest, not a whack-em trip, but we all recovered from the depths of retirement talk to now beginning to strategize about the nice water coming form the East and next week’s trip. Hey that’s fishin for you!

Hi All:
The good people at Stevens Institute are active members of IOOS and also Maracoos ( www.maracoos.org) , both ocean observing entities here in the US and participate in conferences around the world.
Stevens is located on the Jersey side of the Hudson with a beautiful urban campus and commanding view of the river and Manhattan.
It is no surprise that they have a strong Marine Sciences department and provide valuable observing data for the NY Bight, Long Island Sound and other important area waterways. (http://hudson.dl.stevens-tech.edu/maritimeforecast/)
They are seeking NOAA and public support, especially from anglers, in their effort to do research on how climate may impact our fisheries.
Below is a letter that I composed that I have sent to them.
Please take a minute to review and send them one as well. Feel free to use my template and edit and add your personal POV.
I just received this and they would appreciate a response by Monday Oct 1.

To: Nikitas Georgas
email: ngeorgas@stevens.edu

 

Nikitas:

Thank you for your efforts and plan to evaluate the impact of climate as a factor in the stress facing the fishing industry.

It would be very helpful if you could measure, in some way, the impact of "global warming" or climate change on the fish stocks in our area, notable the Long Island Sound and NY Bight.

We need to have better data to determine if "overfishing" as many proclaim, is a main factor or if Nature is more the culprit affecting the fishing stocks, migrations and bait dispersal.

 

Our  traditional fish stocks appear to be moving out of the area towards the Gulf of Maine, and the Long Island Sound lobsters molting during unseasonable times, and absence of traditionally located pelagic bait are impacted by undetermined conditions.

But data is too sparse to make a specific scientifically supported recommendation.

By using your  NYHOPS 3D model, I hope you would be able to, for example, calculate the actual volumes of good temperature habitat 
during the past 40 and next 100 years, connect it to known climate cycles, and see what we can do to address future situations that are out of the hands of fishermen to control.

  Thank you for your efforts and keeping an open scientific mind as to how various overarching natural conditions may be important in the way our fisheries exist and grow in the future for all to enjoy and prosper.

I, for one, would like to be involved in stakeholder meetings to help  provide input.

Yours truly,

 

 

 

 

Big Eye Quest at Hudson Canyon

Headed out to the Hudson on Laura G yesterday in search of bigfoot, I mean big eye.  Everyone on the boat (and elsewhere) was chomping at the bit to get out and bring home one even two of these recently appearing tuna.

In almost every offshore conversation we have been talking “epic” sick” “awesome” when describing last weeks big eye bite. So, needless to say everyone who had a boat from 26’ and up was planning a trip out.

Dreams of big eye fillets were in everyone’s heads.

We did not get out to our beginning spot, the East Elbow, until dark. We got on a drift East to West over the Canyon. We heard two guys on the radio saying they had barely dropped their lines when swordfish hit. That was encouraging news. So down our 6 lines went. Within 40 mins we had our first nice yellow fin (YF.) About 55lbs. We worked the area for a couple more hours then decided to head to Mecca, the 100Sq. We saw about a dozen boats there and we headed a bit south and deeper where we began the second drift of the night. Soon after another YF was brought on deck, this time about 70lbs which were the average size for the trip. Another hour passes by when one of the crew blindly jigged up another. Not bad. Steady pick one an hour. Regretfully we dropped two very feisty and larger fish. Damn. But soon had a huge run off and all our thought went to big eye! 15 minutes later a 9 foot hammerhead is thrashing by the boat. Oh well, nice and good-bye.

Lines back in, and nothing for a couple of hours. Not marking much of anything. But we made use of it by netting squid. Larry did a great job getting better with each swing. Live squid and whole herring were our offerings to the fish gods and tuna.

About 230am another very big run off. At first the big eye came to mind then we decided t was a nice sword. Got the biggest guy strapped in for the fight. Line was peeling off as we were backing down on the fish. Excitement was growing as he gained line back turn by turn. Then the fish dove, then flew up to the surface. Still Jimmy held tight. We had to strip off his shirt he was so hot from the fight. More and more he got the line in. Breathlessly we saw color. Then this massive shape. On, a huge manta! What a bummer.

We had him to the boat and I was about to take a photo when the line busted at the tuna door. Again, nice and good-bye. So now we are lines in and waiting for another strike but none came. The radio had been pretty quiet with scattered reports of a few YF taken from the Bombs to Sq. One green stick reported 10 fish, and another a few YF. But not raging reports and things were fairly quiet.

We hit the troll about 6am. Absolutely flat seas, amazing red/magenta sunrise. Water was not typical blue, but a grayish blue about 74.3 degrees. We had experienced a big temp break from 73.5 to 69.5 around the Virginia area. (Sharks anyone?)

On the troll there were more porpoises in a large area than I have seen all summer. Many small ones as well. They looked like bunker schools out there. So many pods of porpoise hanging out. We thought they were mating or whatever. Many of the 20 or so boats working that area ( with more pulling in every 10 mins). We were trolling right through and along these schools but for the most part nothing. One guy stopped and jigged right in the middle and was rewarded with a nice YF.

A friend who had been in last week’s melee said to look out for whales. And they were there separate from the porpoises by a mile or so. Pods of what appeared to be Pilot whales were all over. We passed a bunch that were just lying motionless in the water together like a log jam. Strange sight. But then you and I know that is one reason we love being out there. Seeing nature at its best. So, we trolled around one of the whale pods and WHAM, triple knock-down. One off immediately but a few exciting minutes later we had 2 more nice YF in the boat. Hey, things kept getting better! We worked that area for a while longer talking to buddies on the radio, sharing info and listening for intel. As in the night there were picking from Tip all the way to Sq. I later talked with a buddy that had not been successful at the Hudson who headed for Toms. Unfortunately I heard they were the only boat there and trolled for 6 hours without a touch! Ouch.

Between whale pods I was marking good down about 110-150 feet. I was convinced these were nice larger fish. Unfortunately we were not able to bring them up. So, I hope that guys later in the afternoon saw some action on these fish. I am convinced they would come up later but were would be heading home by then.

We were working the whales when another buddy called and said he was on his third big eye. Did we want it? Hell yes. He was working totally alone away from the fleet in deeper water. We got there 15 minutes later to see him fighting the fish. We thought to ourselves that maybe we could catch one while waiting for him to finish the fight. We kept our distance trolling and circling back. 45 minutes later we see the guys poised with harpoon and gaff off his stern. End game. Fish on board.

We motored over and arranged for a line to be tossed over, strung through his mouth and gill. Then they struggled to get one of the 150 lb tuna slid into the water where we had the other end bringing it back to the boat. We watched carefully for Mr Mako to be sure he did not steal from our gift. No problem. Got the fish on board. Fintastic!

Took shots of my buddy and his crew as they barely help up their 200lb + big eye.

Man, those smiles were as wide as Beyonce’s butt.

So, we iced her up, waved goodbye to our fiends and trolled a bit more before heading home. Nothing more for us and very little radio chatter rest of the morning.

So tally for us was 5/8 on very nice yellow fin tuna and we did get  our big eye. Haha.

Great job to the Boss III. Not one, not two but three! Great example of camaraderie and sharing in this game which sometimes has become too competitive and single minded by some. But this was “ Nice”, as he says.

PS- Want to thank LG for great food and great crew as always. Fun, savvy guys to spend a day with. Thanks.

Personal 911 Remembrance

Short remembrance-Sitting in front of my computer when there was a noise outside our office on 29 St off First Avenue in NYC Sept 11th:
The noise became louder and I went outside to see what was happening. People were starting to come out of neighboring apartment buildings and saying something about bombs and airplanes. I ran back inside and the office staff was listening to the radio that was describing the second plane hitting the WTC. Like the day of the Kennedy assassination, we were all disbelieving what was happening. Unlike that day I was much older and the consequences appeared much more ominous.
We did not have a TV in the office so all the destruction and confusion happening only a couple of miles away downtown could not be seen but mostly heard.
I can’t exactly remember if is was later that day or the next day that thousands of people were frantically gathered by Bellevue Hospital (the city’s largest public hospital) looking for missing family or friends. This facility was literally 500 feet from our office so we had an immediate emotional relationship to the events quickly unfolding.
Almost immediately hundreds then thousands of missing persons flyers were posted on any available wall, pole or bust stop surrounding the hospital in hopes of others recognized and reuniting dazed or wounded WTC workers with loved ones.
It was surreal seeing this outpouring of distraught people desperately seeking their friends, siblings, parents or co-workers. Unfortunately the City Morgue, which was just down the street, was also gearing up for the worst. We here we were caught in the center of the storm watching thousands of worried sick people waiting for days outside of the Hospital as ambulances and emergency vehicles screamed up First Avenue with remains of unfortunate WTC workers.
The immediate discovery of the attack, visual impact of flyers typed or scrawled with old or new photos of the missing that were taped or hammered onto whatever remaining blank space, emergency vehicle sirens screaming up and down the streets, vacant looks on faces of all nations, and the sight of large tents being assembled to hold bodies and parts behind the morgue today remain in my mind as we reach yet another sad anniversary of destruction.
During the first or second day I literally bumped into one of my former Kodak reps. I asked what he was doing here but really knew the answer. He told me he was missing his wife of only a few months. Did I see her as he showed me his flyer. I said no. What else could I say? Trying my best to be optimistic I suggested that he head inside the Hospital and look for the list of casualties being posted. Silently he turned and walked away in a daze. I heard that she was never found.
My heart goes out to all the people that unexpectedly had their loved brother and sisters brutally taken from their lives. May they have come to terms with this savage expression of religion by a few deranged individuals and found peace and renewed happiness.
Peace be with them.

Tuna Roll Recipe

Tuna Roll

(One of many ways to do it)

-As a lover of food and a bit out there I do not really measure. I am not a trained chef. I do by eye so bear with me and feel free to add your own personal twist. Each time it comes out a bit differently since I improvise with ingredients.

Makes 3 long rolls that you will need to cut up to the length you like. Cut at an angle for

better presentation. Makes about 20 pieces.

Need:

-Bamboo roller-Many supermarkets have in specialty food section. (Sushi Chef makes the one I know)

-Tuna-1 large steak or about ½ lb ( yellowfin, bluefin or bigeye preferred. Albacore ok as well.) Cut pieces into 1 ½”x 1”.

-Pint of white rice from Chinese restaurant unless you make yours sticky!

-Couple of scallion long leaves

-Pickled ginger (the pink stuff you get in the restaurant).

-Surprise ingredient-bunch of crispy fried Chinese noodles (in cello bag from restaurant)

-Creamy green wasabi sauce

-Soy sauce

-Sesame seeds-white or black (black is more dramatic)

-Sesame oil (optional)

Ok, now we have all the ingredients. Prep the ingredients:

-Take the scallions and ginger and dice up into very small pieces. Crush up the Chinese fried noodles. Add them all together in a small bowl. Add  1/1/2-2  tablespoons of green wasabi sauce, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and mix all together with your hand. Feels good to get fingers doused in this stuff. Remember to lick you fingers to adjust ingredients to taste. Put aside.

-Lets do the seaweed wrapper next. Take your bamboo roller. I would dampen it so the wrapper does not stick to it. Put it on wax paper or cutting board. Take a sheet of seaweed and lay out. Take the rice bit by bit and spread it out all over the wrapper like cream cheese on a bagel. (I’m from Long Island!) Not too thick and not too much since it will be too thick when wrapping. I would do one sheet at a time filling it and roll just to save space.

-Next add the tuna mix:

Take the tuna chunks and lay them across the sheet of seaweed/rice overlapping them a bit. Begin about 1 ½ inch from edge of the end of the bamboo roller where the rolling will begin. Then take and lay a thin layer of the extras ingredients on top of the tuna. Pat down with your hand so bond with each other. Set each roll aside for cutting afterward.

Now the fun part-rolling.

-I really can’t explain adequately here how to do this. But if you have rolled anything you can figure it our. But for starters, begin by a partial roll and bring the edge of the seaweed closest to the edge of the bamboo roller. Tuck the tuna mix into the beginning part. Continue to roll keeping a tight and firm pressure as you roll the mat along.

When done you should moisten the end edge of seaweed and press against the roll to keep it together. You can also roll it again after taking it from the bamboo roller to keep tight. You will find that the ends may squish out so just push back into the roll.

Cut:

-Make sure your knife is sharp or otherwise you will tear the wrapper as you cut it. Estimate how thick you like it. Me, I like about 1 ½ inch thick. Whatever you  prefer. Finish by sprinkling sesame seeds on the exposed ends of each piece.

Dipping sauce:

-Take 2 tablespoons of wasabi sauce, 8 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon lemon or better yet, freshly squeezed lime juice. Mix together. Dip rolls and enjoy.

Note:

-Wish I took a video of this. Was a lot of fun and took a little practice to roll it all in the bamboo roller. (Remember Bamboo rolling papers. Similar, LOL)

-Spring rolls use similar ingredients. Just leave out rice, seaweed but need to buy Spring roil pre-cut sheets at local Asian market if you have one. Dollop a couple of large spoonfuls onto the sheet, and make a mini-burrito like shape. Brown quickly by turning

the rolls in a lightly oiled pan. Less is more since tuna cooks very quickly under a minute)

-If buying tuna, you don’t need the Toro or best loins since this will be mixed with other ingredients. They may even give you a better price is you take smaller steaks. If you find some muscle in these pieces simple cut out.

-Remember this is fun. If you want to add other ingredients, experiment and enjoy your creativity.

Enjoy

Jeff, bigmahi

PS-If you want to see where we fish go to my Facebook page and see the page header artwork. You will see a distinctive line which is the continental shelf. The finger to the left is where many Mid-Atlantic anglers go for tuna, swordfish, mahi-mahi, wahoo and summer pelagics.

Hello anglers!

The 2012 Tuna season is well upon us in the Northeast.
If you are like us, guessing weight of tuna is just that,  a guess.
How many times do we think the fish is bigger on the rod and once landed in the boat?
The fish is always smaller! I know, a bummer, but fun just the same!
Bragging rights aside, I have put together a simple chart based on a much more complicated MidAtlantic Fisheries chart.
I offer it to you as a way to quickly estimate the weight with a bit more basis than just a hunch.
One of the humorous aspects of the chart is the reference to the length of human arm and leg.
I hope you find this useful.
As I say on the chart-these are estimates!
Don't come back to me with lots of scientific data to argue.
Use it for fun and hopefully help in better estimating fish for that one of a lifetime!
Tight Lines Jeff, Twitter @bigmahi

Redemption at the Dip-Tuna!

 Who likes to get skunked? You do all the right stuff-watch the SST, follow the water, and get all the gear ready then with a wake and a prayer head out to the shelf break in search of tuna. That was the case two weeks ago with Ed Beren’s boat Boss III and his crew of Stan, Jitu, Kevin and yours truly. We had been following the latest body of warming water moving from the East which was 68 degrees. Yes, a bit cool, but it was the only game in town given that it was a much longer trip to the Southern Jersey Canyon where the action was hot and heavy. Who also doesn’t relish being the first to discover, work and succeed at catching a virgin body of water?

Well it did not happen.

Despite all, we were the only boat there, the water did not exceed 68 degrees and there was virtually no life for the entire trip.

Bummer, and then some.

So, fast forward to two weeks later, yesterday, and we decide to look at the lay of the sea again-SST, shots, weather window, water flow, and reports.

The water temps had climbed a few degrees, there appeared to be some circular motion,

weather forecast was good, and we had heard a report or two of fish taken at the Tails/Block Canyon a week or so earlier.

With renewed energy we left the dock at 3:30am Sunday headed 162 degrees for the Dip area where the SST showed a 72 degree break against 66 water. Good place to target. Aboard were Bossman Ed, Stan, John, Matt, Nat and YT .

After a relatively short ride of 2 hrs, at 32 knots, we began to look for life following the deploying of Ed’s spread which he lovingly configures, nutures and we credit to our success for today's catch.

Shortly afterward we begin to see puffs of mist. Pilot whales were in the vicinity and we could see them here and there all around us in the distance. Occasional pods of dolphin were also cavorting the area, and there were small bait balls on the screen. OK, now this was very encouraging. As we all discussed the conditions, thwack, thwack and thwack, three rods go off! Yeah baby. Clearing lines and fighting adrenaline we are all smiles working our fish to the boat. Minutes later we have three our season’s yellowfin at the boat. I had the gaff ready, but it turns out I did not need it. We had stumbled upon a class of 5th graders, that is, juvies. These aggressive fish collectively did not tip the scale over 25lbs!  Ok, whatever, we slipped the hooks out of their mouths and slid them back into the blue. Giving hi-fives all around and happy to begin the count for the season. We continued working the area and 20 mins later, same thing. Thwack, thwack, thwack. By noon we had over 30 juvies in the boat with the largest just over 27”.

Hmm, sharing one fish with 6 guys was only a mouthful or two for each guy.

By 2pm we had another dozen of these fish. Small yes, but aggressive as hell ripping off the riggers with the strength of a much larger fish. We were having lots of good action, everyone having multiple turns on the rods, strong sunshine on our bodies and great seas.

Would have made a charter captain happy!

But, here it comes; we figured there had to be bigger fish. The hungry juvies were probably getting to the spread faster than the larger fish but what to do? Nothing, just keep going.

Typical of most fishing trips you save the best for last. We were now calculating the time when we would have to head for the barn and that put pressure on us. Were we going to get a bigger one or not? Watching, discussing our options suddenly the long rigger goes off. Not a thwack, but a whack! Only one rod is hooked up.

John is closest and takes it on. Lines cleared and it is also clear this is a much bigger fish. Not quite the bigeye we were hoping for but bigger. It took a long run then began the fight to move it to the boat. 10 minutes later we have two gaffs ready. We see color and see a much larger size. Yes! I grab the bar and steady the fish and slowly bring it up to gaffing range. Nat is ready as well. In goes my gaff, and takes hold. Nat takes his shot and scores as well. Two minutes later we have a beautiful adult yellowfin! Size estimates ran from 65-80lbs. Nice round, big fish. Once aboard you could have heard congratulatory whoops all the way to the Middle Grounds. It was the cap off of a great day on the water. Now we all had a lot more than one mouthful of tuna to taste.

Ah, yes redemption. Love it when all goes to plan.

Thanks to Ed for his gracious hospitality, and Stan who took the wheel the entire trip.

Rest of crew was excellent. Running 9 lines and lots of crazy multiples we did not tangle nor have mishaps. All fish were in 600 foot of water just off the slope of the Dip in 72 degree water. Color of water was a blue, bluish green. Wanted that Gulf blue but did not find. We were running several bars in many colors. Green was best color. But have to give shout out to Bigfoot bars with birds. They did best, Jamie. Had large green jet, and squid chain and untouched bally. Most BUT the bally got hit at least once. Gotta wonder sometimes whether it is the collective action of all different lures, individual preference or just happenstance which gets hit. More to ponder.

But the key take-away from this trip is Redemption. We got our mojo back. Got to keep the faith, have a plan A&B, and stay with the fish. We kept on saying; don’t leave fish to find fish. In this case it was true indeed.

That water should be in the Hudson area next week. So, good luck to all heading out for their own redemption.

Not me in photo! Me taking it.

 

My Dad-He's Just Human

My Dad was center of my life growing up. I needed him to teach me, spend time with me, and support me. Looking back I can see how disappointed I had been at times. When I needed him to be there for MY purposes I did not think he was. It always seemed he was more interested in his own life than mine. I had a lot of issues with that and think I spend a lot of time trying to meet his expectations even though it did not seem he met mine. But, we did spend a lot of time together as a family. Many of my current passions of photography, fishing and love of life were inspired by him. Unfortunately we did not spend enough time together actually doing these activities. He would often go off and do his thing much to the disdain of my mom who had the 5 kids and home to handle.
Like the Harry Chapin song, I am now a father. I believe I am a good dad. I love my kids and often seek their companionship in doing what I want to do. Many times it is not what they want to do so we do have conflicts. I offer advice but will not do the task for them. I tell them to try first then I will help. This is often not appreciated. But I see it one way and they another.
I now understand more of what my dad probably experienced. it is easy to remember from one's own perspective and attribute
shortcomings to others. Now I look back and see that he was a human like myself who had his own dreams, desires and path. He took me along on his path, did try to teach, and loved me, but ultimately he had his ways. My son, now 26, regularly argues with me about things that happen with adults and does not yet see, as I  did not, that we change as we grow older. Our experiences shape us and the more we have the more distorted that shape can be from our childhood. I too now have my ways and path to follow and not always the same as my children.
As Father's Day is upon us, I plan to visit my dad with my kids, spend time with him and share a better understanding of
how we both as humans have come closer to each other and love each other for who we are.

New Eddy developing out of nowhere! May 27

Happy Memorial day. Take a minute to remember the wounded warriors and supreme sacrifices people made to defend the beliefs of the USA. Locally, I think of the 28 men who died aboard the Texas Tower 4 because of faulty construction and power of Nature's wrath.These men died defending our shores from incoming attacks. Rest In Peace.

It is truly mind-boggling. New 72-73 degree water is butting up against 66 degree water by the Dip area and towards the Hudson. Where did this come from? A little over 10 days ago nothing was to be seen then all of a sudden we have a curl of beautiful low 70's temp water that looks like an eddy will form drawing water from the nearby Gulf Stream.
Reports of a couple of boats with small YF by the Hudson this weekend.
So they are definitely in the forefront of this water.
One can never tell what Mother Nature will do nor when, so I guess the morale of the story is keep your eyes peeled for changes.
Have you boat ready to head out when you can.
Offshore is producing and looks good now and short term. But I am just an observer and report what is happening.Mother Nature is definitely in charge as usual and can confound us when she wants.
Good luck.

Eddy, Say It Ain't So!

12 May Water Update

Guys, you know I just love this stuff. Even if I can't get out, following the water is fascinating and I love analyzing it.
Back on April 3 my  thread on a couple of forums started and eddy water was out by Block Canyon..
This past weekend that same eddy water had made its way down to Wilmington and Poorman's where a bunch of boats gathered and harvested yellowfin,bluefin,mako and bigeye. Bluefin were caught recently in the Chicken Canyon and sighted by Shrewsbury Rocks last week. That is the good news.

Now the bad news.

Look at the temp map from May 12th. There is not one warm water eddy to be seen. You can see a small warm trail that leads to the water by Baltimore Canyon area where aall the tuna were caught the other days, and some 60 degree water off the Hudson but there is nothing but cold water out east where our eddys come from. Nothing as far as the eye can see. At least not now.
So what is in store for the tuna near term 30-50 days? Probably only bluefin. Next stop Coimcardi? (Coimbra+Bacardi), Princess?
Not that that is so bad but it certainly does not sit well with offshore canyon hungry anglers who are not likely to spend $1200 to catch the one recreationally BF allowed.
I hope that some water quickly vortexes and materializes into an eddy
out by Hydrographers by then. You know Mother nature, no telling.
Thanks to Terrafin for the use of its SST service map.

Fin It on Pin It! -Pinterest

Pinterest! Ok, another social tool to spend time with! But this is easy to be connected and share with just by using photos. So, thinking about all the good images I see that come and go on FB, Twitter, I figured let me start a community photo board about the fish we caught and call it

Fin It-I created this page on Pinterest. Welcome to my FaceBook friends,Pin It users and social network to send me a link of your favorite fish shot & I will add to the Fin It Board. Here is the link to see the beginning.  http://pinterest.com/bigmahi/fin-it/ This could be a cool thing. Lots of great shots used here that would be great there. I already added some from here. Take a look. Be sure to included your name so it can be part of the caption.

I am not sure how many images can be on a board but I hope to find out. 
 

SST Service Comparison Chart

Hey, all of you who fish and want to see satellite temperature shots and various other data that will help you plan to find the fish species you want, here is a chart of companies offering these services. You will see some free and some pay for service. There are others but here is a good sampling for your use.Check out my blog when you get a chance for information I think you will interesting and useful in fishing and related topics. Jeff, http://bigmahi.blogspot.com

Ward off Evil-Do a Good Deed Today

We all are somewhat superstitious; some more than others. My daughter blogged that she was sitting in her office today with a helmet on and padded clothing. Now, a bit over top I would say.
But, let’s take the evil out of today and put in some good. Not asking for a lot, just one day.
1-Tell your family you love them ( no fingers crossed)
2-Make that donation to charity you have been postponing
3-Do your spouse a favor before they ask
4-Help a colleague
5-Make up with your sibling or parent
6-Email an old friend
7-Return that over due library book
8-Surprise someone in a cool way
9-Listen to a song from your teens
10-If nothing else, think about these 9 things. Maybe just the thought
of these things will put Friday the 13th in it’s place.
Oh, and good luck!

Did 44066 Go Dark?

Yesterday, Feb 26, I went online to check out the status of the latest drifting 44066/TT4 buoy.
It has been consistently drifting pretty Easterly for the past month transmitting good data.
Of course who really needs this data? It is so far away and in the middle of the Atlantic, but it is fun tracking it.  Having been involved from the beginning I feel connected and like to keep an eye out and share info for those of you who are interested. Getting this buoy deployed was major cooperation among government agencies and us ocean using stakeholders.

As of yesterday ( see post below), I posted a last line on the post something about a contest.
I was excited about bringing some late winter online fun to readers.

So, today I go on line to see what the ocean conditions were and how they might have subsided.

You can imagine my shock when I noticed that the last data upload from the buoy was one hour after
my last view and NOTHING was transmitted more than an hour later. It appears that the equipment has failed, again, probably due to the 40mph winds and 25 foot waves hitting her for several hours. Maybe she got tipped over, dunked or smashed on a wave wall. Maybe a passing ship nicked her but no way of knowing that. But that is probably unlikely since the Bermuda Cargo Lines spotted her and verified that her light was working. BCL also verified that they were able to spot her on radar for miles so other ocean going ships would have the same capability. The reason for not seeing updated data on the NDBC website is unclear but my worst fears of a damaged buoy are beginning to surface, or subsurface as the case may be!

Here are the last observations on the NDBC site yesterday. I separated them so you could see the
conditions and changes.

YYYY MM DD hh      LAT       LON  WD WSPD  GST WVHT  DPD  BARO   ATMP  WTMP  

                                 deg  kts  kts   ft  sec   mb    degC  degC 

Data found this morning 1 hour after posting latest position. Last posting.

2012 02 26 14  38.0449  -61.9210 297 29.3 38.5 25.7 13.8 1013.6  12.0  19.2 

Data used to determine location of 44066 Feb 26   

2012 02 26 13  38.0528  -61.9477 291 27.2 43.5 25.0 12.9 1013.1  10.9  19.2  

This is such a strange development. Having just been somewhat optimistic about the  buoy continuing to transmit after almost 2 months of drifting, it now seems that she has gone dark.

This needs to be verified by NDBC. It is possible that for some reason the servers at NDBC are down, but we'll just have to wait and see.

This information will be updated when NDBC clarifies the situation.

As earlier reported there are two 44066 buoys drifting out in the middle of the Atlantic; one is the latest still transmitting and the other went silent a year ago. I don't know the last time that this has occurred in the NDBC program with two buoys breaking off the same area and drifting along similar lines towards Europe.
I used the Google image from last year and created a pushpin for the latest position.
You can see both the new 44066 26 Feb 2012 and the 44066 24Jan 2011 with the X next to the yellow pushpin icons on the Google map below. The Current position today has the drifting buoy in 61 degree water and fighting 25 foot waves and gusts to 43mph for part of today.
We will see if she survives the winds and seas which tormented and eventually took down the first 44066 buoy last January. The new buoy is about 700 miles from its mooring near the Tip of the Hudson. Last year the other buoy went dark about 850 miles away. The current buoy latitude is along the 38th line and last year's was close to this line as well. Both have been sucked into the Gulf Stream and subject to the Westward movement of the currents which predominately head towards
the Azores.
Interestingly, if you read the recent story of the Regulator that had been swamped 3 years off of Cape Cod it was found about a month ago on the North Coast of Spain! It traveled 3 years before making landfall! It was covered with barnacles and was stripped by the severe weather of any instrumentation. See story:
http://www.regulatormarine.com/tales-sdouglas.html

So who knows where this one will land.

If she stays alive for a while longer I may run some kind of contest asking for readers to guess the lat/lon where she might stop transmitting or the spot where she will make landfall. Anyone wanting to donate a cool prize, jump in.

JFK Re-Visited, Creep or Worse?

 

As a father of young women who have just graduated college I am a bit confused by the lack of interest JFK's affair with a 19-year old intern has had on young people. I have many conflicting feelings about what allegedly happened. Where is the conversation, concern or basic interest in this salacious relationship by the young women and men across America? 

I am a fairly liberal individual with a great respect for freedom and accepting consenting behavior between adults. But in this case I feel like the president abused one of my own daughters,“girls’, who are between youth and adulthood. If this account is true, and no one had come forward to deny it, how does one of the most powerful men in the world justify coercing a young, inexperienced virgin into a first sexual encounter in his own bedroom in the White House? I certainly can get past his other affairs with contemporaries or experienced adults but to use the power of his office to influence a young woman’s decision is really a poor character flaw. It makes me angry to think that men in power can be so disconnected to ethical and moral behavior. I feel outraged by his presumptuous, arrogance and predatory behavior.

We are not living in the past or other countries where this behavior is tolerated. Look recently at resignations for top executives when they have been responsible for unwanted sexual advances. Look at all the policies, and the laws in place now in government and private industry making this type of behavior subject to fines and possible jail time,

Maybe it is the effect of young people today being overexposed to incredible sexual behavior on the Internet or numbness to the reoccurring stories in the media of this politico or other businessman making poor moral decisions. Maybe it is the fear of losing one’s job that more young people don’t step forward to report continuing creepy behavior? Maybe it just isn’t something additional they want to think about.

I look at my daughters who are smart, motivated and hip. But I also look at them across from the breakfast table and see and hear the inner voices of girls as they struggle to come to terms with life’s fears and dreams. I can understand why this woman has waited for over 50 years to tell her story. I think she is still coming to terms with the enormity of the situation and is airing her decision as a relatively innocent 19 year old trying to  make her way in the world. I asked my daughters what they thought. “ It was so long ago” they both answered. Perhaps my strong reaction to this is because I was a kid and looked up to JFK. Who do young people look up to today? If president Obama was accused of this on CNN, would it matter? As parents we owe our children conversations on this type of behavior. If for nothing else to let them know that growing up is complex, being awestruck is normal but behavior like this is unacceptable. It is a shame that this story has not had more impact on the young people engaging on social media. Shame on us. Shame on JFK.

A lot of readers may not be familiar with 44066/Texas Tower 4. So, here is a brief description of what is was and the history. 44066 is the National Data Buoy Center's official designation of the 2010 deployed buoy several miles WSW of the Hudson Canyon tip.
For those of you that lived through the Russian Missile Crisis and heyday of the Cold War, the US
had started the first aspect of Homeland Security with the establishment of the DEW line. This was the Defense Early Warning system and part of it was the situating of a few ocean based Radome facilities on stilts in the offshore waters of the Mid Atlantic. They were called Texas Towers because of their resemblance to the oil towers offshore off of Texas. (No relations to the sniper of such terminology.)
I think there were 5 proposed towers to be built but only a couple were actually deployed and firmly planted in the Atlantic. The Tower #4 was situated about 12 miles North of the Tip of the Hudson Canyon is 180 feet of water.

As you can see it was pretty impressive and under the auspices of the Air Force even thought it was on the water. It was piled deep into the ocean bottom, and rose 360 feet from there to the platform bottom. It stood 180 feet above the water. Crew were photographed fishing from up high and actually reeling up their catch. Incredible sea life was observed as well. Life was good for those aboard this tower for most of the time.
Inside was all kinds of instrumentation designed to provide early warnings of low flying enemy, specifically, Russian aircraft that potentially carried bombs to threaten the coast of the US. This was also a good spot to keep an eye on Russian trawlers and submarines that might be close to shore ( about 75 miles from NY Harbor) and to eavesdrop on any threatening conversations.
There was a constant crew of about 50 that monitored the area 24/7. On a rotating basis men would be helicoptered or shipped back to Otis AFB and supplies brought in by ship on a schedule.
There was an inherent flaw however in the deployment of the tower. Sometime during either construction or shipping of the parts to the platform anchor bed one of the legs had been fractured.
Given the go ahead to continue to construct this tower the one leg was buttressed to remain solid against the ocean's conditions. This leg was repaired more that once but never had the stability of a firm leg and swayed often to the rough seas. Crew named her "Old Shaky" and used to laugh about it. Unfortunately this bad leg was a bad omen.
The military ran this program from 1955 to 1963 when the last tower was dismantled. I guess by that time the technology had progressed so that on the water stations were no longer necessary much like the extinction of Lightships.
In January of 1961 one horrible Noreaster hit our coastal waters. It was a miserable and dangerous storm. With weather forecasts not being what they are today, it snuck up and its intensity was not anticipated. Calls were made to the main base asking for aid to abandon the platform but due to the sensitivity of the equipment a contingent of 28 men was left to ride it out and protect US property.
However the storm intensified and began to rock the tower mercilessly. (One can read the transcripts of radio contact and the men calling for help in other online history. ) Attempts were made for an emergency rescue but were not successful because of the severity of the storm. A Navy ship went out to try a rescue but had to turn back because of the waves and the impossible situation of getting 28 men off a 180 foot high tower into 20-30 foot seas and near hurricane strength winds. One could hear the frantic calls for help on the radio. Then it suddenly went dead.
The tower had collapsed. 28 men went down. None were rescued. The storm was too severe, the water way too cold for rescue or survival.
It was a tragedy of the time. However for many years the government failed to recognize the plight nor take responsibility nor commemorate the sacrifice of these men. President Obama stepped up and did so last year in 2011.
Prior to that during talks about deploying this newly positioned buoy, the  National Data Buoy Center agreed to co-name the 44066 buoy Texas Tower 4 in memorial for these souls given to Davy Jones Locker. Finally a blessed homage to the men who were in actuality one of the first modern guardians of our Homeland in the 20th century.
More to come in a later post..