Angola: FEDU #2 overnighter Luanda-NorthFields-Luanda

[Pargo Man]

    FEDU,
 
 
Dear UA’s,
 
  you know the man, is a restless and passionate fishing explorer.
 
  The man is well equipped with a rock-solid, tweaked TRITON 351 AX, sturdy  allweather craft, 3 x 300 Merx on the stern and straight forward 1.300 ltrs  fuel plus a 400 extra in fuel bladder to play with, based in the NAUTICO Clube  marina in Luanda.
 
  His popper and jigging arsenal of Jigstars, Synits, Stellas, Dogfights and  Jigging Masters is a serious threat to all the species salty slimy in their  watery realm in a 60 miles radius around Luanda port... used to be...
 
  ... because now the "Bloody Mary" goes boldly... where no man has  tried to jig... yet.
 
  +-300nm:  How is this for a roundtrip?!
 
The plan is  to fish the rigs and structures in Block 2 and 3, some 135nm up the coast in  waters of 40 to 70 meters.
 
  FEDU musters Juka and Joao, one a tech diver and both ardent spearfishers, both  very experienced anglers too.
 
  Yet short of another angler and a second watch captain for the overnighter  trip, he invites me and how could I refuse?! Thanks again for your trust and  confidence placed in my humble skills, FEDU.
 
  Saturday at 03h00 my alarm rings. 04h00 we meet at the NAUTICO marina and  manage to cast off by 05h00...ish. Cautiously through the channel at night,  then dialing in 20knots and out of the bay we go.
 
  The water is 27Cs plus, choppy and a 12-20 knots breeze will  never leave  us in peace the next 36 hours.
By 09h30 we  have the KOBO field in sight and decide to transfer the 400 liters fuel from  the bladder into the maintank, freeing the cockpit space for the battle we  indent do do with aj's and company. In the choppy following seas we need a  while longer than estimated, then race the remainder to the West Jacket by  KOBO.
At 10h30  and all lines prepped we slow troll around the Jacket for a few runs, then drop  jigs onto the feet of the struicture standing on the sea bottom in 70 meters  depth. Nibbles and a first hookup provide Juka with a smallish AJ that quickly is released  back under the jacket.
The bite is  very slow, so we decide to move up to the KOBO main structure and try some  trolling with yozuri.
Trolling  close to the production platform yield no bite either. We do some more runs,  but only harvest the "unwelcome" attention of the field  "umpire" who send us away. "This is no fishing area. Leave and  maintain 2 miles distance from the field..." Don't we remember that story  from the tuna overnighter recently?
 
  We are now 120 nm from Luanda and count our options.
 
  We decide to carry on North, but the weather is really foul and challenging.  Showers drench us and the breeze makes poppering for dorados difficult. No  bite in that category either...
Approaching  PALANCA terminal, one of the larger FPSOs for block 2, we have to make  difficult decisions.
With the  2nm distance limits we are left with few options out here. The  "doberman" guy has us on his radar and we will not escape his wrath  if we start trolling or drifting while jigging over the sea bottom pipelines...
Owed to the surprising and consistent foul weather we have run the fuel reserves down earlier than expected.  Sound decision: go inshore and commence a slow trolling of mans, rapalas,  storms and yozuris back South towards home port.
 
  We approach N'Zeto and by nightfall we are making steady progress at a much  reduced fuel consumption.
 
  No bite though, but many big ugly meduse that keep fouling our lines.
 
  Juka is frustrated and needs some time to assess the realities. No problem, any  of us passionate anglers understands how you feel so close to the "candy  store" and not being allowed off the leash.
We troll  into the night, under water lights illuminating our propwash, change shifts,  double watch, and stick to the 15-20m line with our spread at steady 5 knots.
 
  The breeze keeps sending spray across the cockpit and at 02h30 in the morning  we decide to drop anchor in 25m in the Enseada do Capuso, just 5 miles North of  famous Praia Rosa. That's where we want to catch some baracuda & co next  morning.
 
  It's 03h30 when tech diver Joao and I asume the anchor watch, Fernando and Juka  take a nap under deck.
 
  In that depth and with the stern lights illuminating under water, it makes  sense to drop a 60gr jig and some sabiki feathers. Rain sets in big and ugly,  but a steady flow of smallish bream and a pickhandle baracuda go into the life baitwell / ice chest.
 
  05h00 the rain does'nt let up, en contraire, Fernando takes a peek and after a  smoke decides to take some more rest.
 
  05h30 daylight, but due to the steady rain not much visibility.
 
  06h00 all hand and anchor up. Switch off the genset and 900 American horses  come back to life. We start trolling towards Praia Rosa.
 
  Not 07h00 yet when we have first contact with a baracuda.
At 08h00 we  have a first break of dying down wind and the skys clearing a bit. The light is  just what the fish have waited for and we get good bite. A delicious run of a  large cubera ends in misfortune... "you shalt not hot glue your nylon  coated wire traces, useth crimps instead, perhaps even two"... sad, but we  bag some more baracuda and a few jacks.
star of  that morning undisputedly is a tarpon that bites while we stop fighting a  baracuda on another line. The tarpon fetches a tumbling rapala and races off to  launch for the signature salto!! Time freezes, it seems, when such magnificent  creature is fully airborne... and the 50kgs animal just does'nt want to drop  back into the sea!
 
  Fernando has brought us well inshore onto the rocks and boulders that raise to  2,5m from 7 meters seabottom. Ever and ever again his concentration puts us onto the hotspot, yet saves us  from the breakers and confirm his sound seamanship.
 
  Also a sound seamanship decision, that, when at 11h30 the breeze picks up again, makes  us clear the lines and start our rush pack to port.
 
  We run on 350 liters reserve in the tanks and dial in 3.800 rpms in a  considerable lighter craft than at the beginning of our expedition. Making  steady 22kn we quickly
  leave the Dande Lighthouse behind our port stern.
 
  Mighty seagodess KIANDA shows us her beauty when just 15nm from port two hugh  humpbacks take to the clowds a crush back in sumptuous spray. Wow!
 
  At 13h15 we round Luanda "Farol Velho" and arrive at the jetty 20  minutes later.
 
  A valid warning to all mariners: Just when we are moored "Chipalala"  calls on the VHF to Clube NAVAL, who race out for fuel assistance. The 25ft  single engine craft has run out of fuel and is adrift 6 miles from the port  entrance. In the choppy waters it will be a dire lesson for the new owners of  how to manage fuel stocks and safely apply tactics to reserve realities...
 
 
  All are tired, but not any longer frustrated, rather humbled by the long trip in hefty  weather. Cpt FEDU, you've brought us safely back to port and the cold SAGRES  and CRISTALs are well deserved.
Remains to  say:
  It was an epic trip. Not because of the capture of solid baracuda and jacks,  but because of the journey  itself. Night navigation along our uncharted, treacherous and zero-infrastructures-coast  is not for the faint hearted, much less the reckless. Sound planing and serious  decision making is the basis for safe and succesful trips even in the most  adverse sea states and weather surprises.
 
  I am very thankful to Fernando, letting me share the experience and crediting  my selfish opportunistic and very own "seamiles account" with a groundbreaking trip to the Northern  Fields.
 
  The fried crispy sea bream fresh out of the pan and the baracuda steaks next  weekend on the braii are to be duly celebrated!!

[Pargo Man]

Some more images to give a better idea about distances and challenge

[Pargo Man]

... and yes, humbledly, we are better men, husbands, fathers, friends and seamen upon our return to port...

[fedu]

This should be called School fees trip, we are paying to learn

[SAfish]

Great report and  You guys know how to do things big! 

[Gerhard]

Awesome trip and report Jan...


Next time you and Fedu will hammer the fish

[WalkersKiller]

Awesome report 

[skipsch]

“You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore...” ~ Anonymous

[Capt. Hook]

Nice report, love the exploration

[fedu]

some conclusions from the last two extended trips.

- It's an ilusion to think we can do same day or even two day trips, too much effort put in for too little time fishing, we need 2 1/2 day minimum trip, this way you will have a full day to explore the areas and not depend so much on luck

- Next time leave Friday after lunch or even end of the day, do a couple good hours run and when night falls switch to displacement hull mode at around 8 knots, save fuel and safely navigate through the nigh avoiding the small boats that are bottom fishing around this areas and the express cruisers that deliver people and stuff to and from the platforms

-Do not abuse your luck, avoid big production structures, stick to one two man operated  jackets and above all do not do what we did, troll right under the suspending structures of production FPSO, that will shurelly call security atention

- Even with bad weather I liked the ride confort we managed to get inside the boat, the big problem is fuel consumption in that contition and those speeds increased by 50%, with one more day we would have still reached the even more distant structures and had time and fuel to return at displacement speed, much like the recent trip to Bassas at the same 8 Knots. This deep V hull is made primarily for ride confort and not for fuel efficiency, it has some good balance of fuel economy / confort on good sea conditions but on rough ones....


Let's now prepare for the overnighter swordfish trolling lures attempt and pay some more learning fees or eventually get lucky.

One thing I must say we must really like this sport to endure the conditions we endured get no results and go after it again, again and again until it works ;-)

P.S. - Now I need a short trip catching fish to restore confidence 

[REEFMAN]

Enjoyed reading that Pargo Man! You have a talent for writing! What an adventure and hats off to Fedu's Seamanship!! 

[John F]

Great report Pargo and YES feduy you're absolutely right! Although I think it looks more like post-grad fees!!!!

Night explorations are fun! But choosing the right crew is paramount! Looks like you guys just nailed that part!

Well done!

Looking forward to what's next!

[TUNAMAN]

Fantastic to sit down and read your stories of exploration. I noticed just the other day that Angola had a national holiday yesterday and my first thought was:"What is Fernando up to now given this extra day?".

Well you guys did not fail to amaze yet again. Your payday is coming as these trips do have their treasures and you have paid your school fees. Just you wait and see.

Pargo and Fedu all the best out there.

[Pargo Man]

... TUNAMAN... you and Sherlock Holmes...

Time out from Office:
 
  Fernando, Juka and I found yesterdays National Holiday in Angola worthy   of a picknick trip to the closer areas. Little effect on our humor had    the hydraulic "gremlin" in the steering, the fishing net we caught in   the props and the dredger closing our approach channel to the marinas in   the Luanda innerbay ...

We left port 06h30 after diving down into the hydraulics system of the aft bilge compartment. The jigging/popping trip originally planed for Palmeirinhas Canyon had to be postponed, but the day away from town still was refreshing and versatile.

Going yet once again to our DANDE Cliffs homespot, I saw for the first time the side scan HD10 in full potential. We've been there so often, but only now I appreciate the genuine lay of the sea bottom structures under our "Tres Marias" cliffs.

Thanks again, Fernando, for a nice day out-of-office!

[TUNAMAN]

Elementary my dear Pargo......

[fedu]

Pics from the public holiday.
It could be the "where do dead boats go" tour

[Manuel Junior]

 :shre: