SIGHTINGS boating stats
naked — cont’d of the tail across the lateral line. Choose the method you prefer, then loop a small line through the jaw with a bowline and attach it to the boat. Drop the fish in the water and let it drag for about 10 minutes (it's best to keep the boat's speed to under seven knots for this part). This will expedite the bleeding out and will also help cool down the fish. To make gutting simple, I cut the gills all the way around where they attach near the head, then I cut out the anal opening. If done correctly, it's an easy trick to just grab hold of the gills and pull the entire innards out in one piece. Rinse the fish in the seawater and prepare to filet or chill. Ideally, the fish would be packed with ice to chill it, but I usually filet it before I cool it down since I’m already dirty and all the gear is out — plus my fridge can't accommodate an entire fish. Everyone
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PHOTOS COURTESY LIGHTSPEED
But most of the statistics in the report were fairly unsurprising: Nearly half of the 672 fatal accidents last year occurred on open motorboats (325) — sailboats had only 23 — and boats that were under 26 feet (584); drowning was the most common cause of death (484; 395 of them were not wearing PFDs) and alcohol use was the most common contributing factor in fatal accidents (126); and 84% of all fatal accidents happened on boats operated by someone who had received no boating instruction. Here are a few highlights from the
July, 2011 •
Latitude 38
• Page 81