The boat
Our boat: an Astinor 1275 rigged for big game fishing
A 12.75 metre boat rigged for serious fishing: a fighting chair, a flybridge for spotting, live wells that keep the bait alive all day, and 30, 50 and 80 lb outfits alongside spinning and jigging gear. Three cabins and two heads, for when the day runs long or we sleep on another island.
The boat on the water
Two short clips of the Astinor 1275 under way. No description replaces seeing how a boat behaves in real water.
Fishing equipment on board
Trolling outfits in 30, 50 and 80 lb. No 130 lb, and that is deliberate: the fishing we do here does not call for it, and heavier gear does not make a better day. Spinning and jigging outfits in a range of actions. Reels from about size 2500 up to 20000, with a lot of configurations matched to species and technique.
All of it is included. You are welcome to bring your own gear if you prefer to fish with what you know.
Specification
A boat this size matters for two reasons. It is stable enough to fish comfortably in the swell the Atlantic produces here, and it is fast enough to change island when the analysis says we should.
The bait is still alive at the end of the day
The boat has live wells for tuna bait, with circulating water, so the baitfish stay alive all day.
It sounds like a detail and it decides the day: a skipjack swimming properly is the best bait there is for a blue marlin or a big bluefin, and at four in the afternoon you are presenting one as good as the one you had at seven in the morning.
Set up to stay out
Most charter boats this size are day boats with a bunk. With three cabins and two heads you can sleep aboard, and a run to another island stops being a logistics problem and becomes part of the trip.
The flybridge gives you height, and height is how you spot: birds, a colour change, a fin, bait breaking. From the bridge you see minutes before you would from the cockpit, and minutes decide whether a school is still there when you arrive.
The galley is full and fully equipped, which sounds like a comfort note and is really an endurance one. A crew that eats properly fishes the last hour as well as the first.
Licensing
The boat complies in full with current regulations for professional charter, maritime safety and passenger transport.
Safety and comfort
Full safety equipment to regulation, shade, a marine head, and cold drinks and water on board. If anyone in the group is prone to seasickness, tell us in advance: it changes how we plan the day and where we work.
We don't wait for the fish. We follow them.
Tell us when you are coming
Send us your dates and the species you are after. We will tell you honestly what the ocean is likely to be doing.