GONE FISHING………
This morning my alarm went off extremely early as today I was off on an adventure to Ryde for a fishing trip. I travelled to Alum Bay in my magic lighthouse, where I was met in the car park by Francis, my fisherman friend.
It was pitch black as it was before dawn, in the distance I could see some huge lights on full beam, as we got closer I realised that these very bright lights were on an aeroplane!! Francis explained how he would fly us over to Ryde where we would then jump onto his fishing boat, which was in the harbour and go and catch lots and lots of fish for dinner!
It was a very smooth flight and we landed on Ryde Esplanade beach just as the sun was beginning to rise, there was a pinky coloured glow in the sky and the air was incredibly fresh. The tide was far out so there was plenty of space to park the plane on the soft sandy beach.
Francis had named his boat 'Sharky', it was emerald green and there was a small covered area at the front, where two wooden benches ran along either side of the boat. Francis started up the motor which made a tremendous roar and off we zoomed across the crested waves over the Solent.
Francis is a very experienced fisherman and knows all the best spots for catching fish, today we were out to get lots of Sea Bass. We attached tiny wiggly worms onto the hooks of the fishing lines and casted them into the deep blue sea. Whilst waiting for the fish to bite the bait and the fishing rod bells to ring we enjoyed a nice hot cup of tea from my thermos flask. It didn't take long until we had about 6 large buckets full of delicious juicy rainbow coloured Sea Bass. It was enormous fun and Francis gave me lots of helpful tips on successful fishing and special techniques he had learnt over the years.
We began to start bringing the rods in and untangling the fishing lines on the boat deck when an octopus popped it's head out of the water and gave us both a bit of a shock!! He introduced himself, his name was Olly. He started to tell us all about the Spring Super Speedy swim race he was organising which was taking place today and due to start in the next 10 minutes. It was an annual event which started at the top of Ryde Pier head and finished at Puckpool, a long and enduring swim which required a lot of strength and stamina. The contestants this year included lobsters, crabs, eels, numerous varieties of fish and of course many octopuses! Olly explained the winner of the race received a seaweed crown, handmade by his wife. It sounded such fun, I asked if penguins were allowed to enter, he said 'Of course Mr Dippy and gave me a wrist band and directed me towards the starting point.
It was a tough race and by the time I reached the finishing line at Puckpool I was absolutely exhausted. Luckily Francis had driven the boat down that end of the beach to meet me so I could have a rest on the deck before the prize ceremony took place. The winner for the 3rd year running was a very fit looking lobster who trained all year round for the event. Everyone gave him a huge cheer as he was presented with his magnificent crown!
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