Friday, June 17, 2022
Canoe The Caney, Silver Point, TN, Canoe and Kayak Tips
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Voyager Deep-sea Fishing Disaster - Must Read!
No trip to the coast is complete without a party boat deep-sea fishing trip. If you have never been deep-sea fishing or if you have a trip planned, I highly recommend Deep-sea Fishing Tips for Beginners. You will find some helpful tips to save you time, money, and frustration.
While searching the various options for deep-sea fishing charters in the North Myrtle Beach area, I came across Voyager Deep-sea Fishingand Dolphin Cruises located in North Myrtle Beach. The website is very well designed and it offers good information about what to expect on your trip. Unfortunately, this is where the good ends. If you read to the end, you will see that this trip gets progressively worse.
I knew that the crew did not expect a big day when I saw that they only had two Dollar-Tree-sized laundry baskets and slightly more ice than large McDonald's Coke! |
Voyager is located at Dock Holiday’s Marina, which is further inland than some of the other fishing charters. I knew this when I booked the trip but I figured the cruise out to sea would be a nice addition for my son. Turns out that I was right, the trip out to sea was nice, but it does cut into your fishing time. Round trip, you will lose approximately one hour of fishing time.
The Captain of the Voyager was friendly, but his methods were
different from what I had previously experienced. I am far from a boating or
deep-sea fishing expert, but it seemed like he spent too much time in one
fishing spot. Our first stop produced very few fish; the fish we did catch were
too small to keep. We played catch and release for what seemed like an eternity
before moving to the second and final stop.
The best part of this trip ended up being the cruise down the Intercoastal Waterway that leads out to sea. |
Here we came across a school of small black sea bass; most
were around ten inches and had to be released. I happened to reel in the only keeper
that was just over the thirteen-inch mark. It was at this stop that I also
caught a 14” Chocolate Chip Porgy. The Porgy ended up winning the fish pool for
the biggest fish. I hate to boast, but this is the second year in a row that we have won the fish pool. Last year my wife won with an Atlantic Sharpnose shark! The deckhands made their way around the boat with a bucket to collect tips while we headed back to the marina. When we returned,
we were given our fish. Sadly, the majority of the passengers had no fish to
show for their day at sea.
This is where the first mate let his true colors come out. This is also where I determined that I would choose a different deep-sea fishing charter on our next visit to North Myrtle Beach. When entering the fish pool, my family of three were the last names added to the list. I also paid for my son just in case he landed a whale. I later spoke with one of the deck-hands and he let me know that there were approximately 30 names on the list. Thirty passengers who pay $5 each would create a jackpot of around $150. But at the conclusion of our trip, the first mate handed me $65 and walked away. When I asked about the difference, he told me that the crew keeps a third to split between them, I still should have gotten $100.
I was going to leave it alone at this point. I just wanted it to be known that, unlike the first mate, I can do simple math. However, on the heels of lying to me about the fish pool, he offers to clean the few fish we caught for $15. The website that I mentioned earlier clearly says that they clean fish for their guest at a rate of .50 per pound. Pardon the expression, but there is no way in hell I had 30 lbs. of fish.
Beware!! This guy simply can't resist trying to rip off the passengers! You will know him, because he is the only deckhand that goes shirtless. Very unprofessional. |
When I told him that I would take my fish elsewhere to be cleaned, he got defensive. He began to rant about how little the deckhands are paid and then he pulled some small bills out of his pockets and tossed them in my cooler. All of this happened in front of my son. I am thankful that my wife decided to head to the car. I refused to take any of his money. I simply said, “You don’t owe me anything, I just want my fish.”
On the way out, I briefly spoke to the owner. I posed the
question of how much the crew takes of the fish pool. The owner, who was a nice
guy, said that they usually take a twenty-percent cut to split between the crew, this was on top of the tips that were collected.
When I told him the cliff-notes version of what had just taken place, he shook
his head in frustration. He offered to get the rest of my money after boarding the passengers for the next excursion. Instead of
waiting for the line of passengers to board, I refused the money. I told him that
it was not about the money, but I do not like to be lied to, stolen from, or to
be treated with complete disrespect.
On our next trip to North Myrtle Beach, I plan to book our
deep-sea fishing excursion with Little River Fishing Fleet. On our previous
trip with them, we caught more fish and had more fun. Read the full review by clicking the link above.
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Gran Maze of Coconut Creek, Panama City Beach, Florida
The object of the maze is to find your way to four points located in the center. You can see the raised areas in the photo above. All four points are connected to form one football-field-sized maze. Once at each point, you punch your card to show that you have completed the maze. My family of three, who depend deeply on Google maps for navigation, finished in around 30 minutes. The leader board that is located just outside the maze, displayed times as low as 15 minutes. Honestly, it is hard to believe that the course could be completed in 15 minutes without being extremely lucky or by cheating.
The maze at coconut creek provided a fun way to stretch our legs and to log a few steps in our Fitbits. A maze may not be our first choice for entertainment, but going forward, I am sure we will seek out this type of adventure more often. With a little practice, we may even shave a few minutes off our time.
Continue Reading:
Bizarre, Bike Hanging on a Tree, Andalusia, AL
Friday, November 20, 2020
Harbor View Golf, North Myrtle Beach
Whether you are looking for a driving range, a par-3 golf course, foot-golf, or putt-putt, you will find it all at Harbor View Golf, in North Myrtle Beach.
I played this Par-3 course with
my wife, who had never played, and my 7-year-old son. We visited during the
off-season, and it had rained most of the week before. The entire course was soaked, and the
greens were extra soft and shaggy. I can only assume that the greens would be in much better
condition during prime season. Due to the rain, I am sure the ground crew was unable to mow. I usually like the greens a little faster, but on this occasion, the slow greens
were a huge plus. They were perfect for my wife and son to enjoy and not get frustrated.
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This tee shot landed hard on the green, it was a very wet day. |
I have seen other
reviews of Harbor View that say it is overpriced. I disagree, 18 holes of golf and a golf cart cost the three of us
$80. In my opinion, this course offered a lot of value at this price. I am certain the price may be a bit more during peak season.
Continue Reading:
Bizare, Gummy Hotdog, Savannah's Candy Kitchen
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
We Caught A Shark! - Little River Deep-sea Fishing, North Myrtle Beach
Deep-sea Fishing Tips for Beginners
Voyager Deep-sea Fishing Disaster - Must Read!
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