"Fishing Queen"

Hi everyone,

This past Thursday was by far the best day ever this summer. It was also one of my favorite days because it was the fishing tournament. This year for the fishing tournament, I was known as the "fishing queen". I was also lucky enough to be on a fast boat with Sedny. We had the best captain whose name was Brian. Our boat did not have a name but Brian said we could call it "The Green Contendent". Before we were picked up, Brian had caught a 39 inches striped bass. Sedny and I became good friends with Brian so with that being said, the boat ride was extremely fun.

We went fishing near Spectacle Island where we caught nothing after being there for about 15 minutes. After we decided to go cast somewhere else where there were blue fish. I never caught a blue fish so I had no idea what they looked like. Somehow I had a blue fish on my line and as I was reeling, I looked to my left and Sedny also had a fish on her line. This was a double header and as Brian watched us reeling in thr blue fish he was laughing because Sedny and I were just screaming like crazy. We reeled in for about 5 minutes because the fishes were really heavy and were putting up a good fight. A moment after, I decided to cast my own fishing rod and when I say I had a fish on the line right away, you guys would not believe me. This other blue fish was also putting up a good fight. I struggled to reel it in but I was happy to bring it in. As we were about to wrap up fishing, I had another blue fish on my rod and this time it was a bigger blue fish who also put another good fight and also had me talking all by myself. Thursday's fishing tournament was just my lucky day. I was able to catch 3 blue fishes. One was 31 inches, the other was 33 inches and the bigger one was 36 inches. When we got back from the tournament, I was getting all of the attention from my co-workers. A lot of the started saying that "Its insane how everytime I go fishing, I always end up catching something." They ask me how do I do It and I just do not know what to say. I am guessing my fishing skills are just getting better and better day by day. Lastly, I would like to thank my captain Brian and the other captains who volunteered to donate their boats. It was the best day of the summer and I had a blast.

Until next time,

Andrea Lopes

I caught something new

The sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and I am still wishing I did not wake up at 6:00 am to catch some fish. As I approach downtown crossing I realized how hungry I was, since I forgot to grab lunch and breakfast.

However, my day turned around.  I was able to meet up with my friends and meet a bunch of new people at the tournament. It was nice being able to talk and share experiences with one another and have that down time to really get to know one another with out it being awkward.  Although at the end of the day my boat did not catch anything, I caught a new experience fishing on a boat with delicious pretzels and awesome new people!

Fishing Tournament 2014

Till the next one,

Chavelyn S.

Fishing Tourney Champ

Staff Fishing Tournament

Will here with a delayed shout out to my little brother Jack. Last week we had the Save the Harbor annual fishing tournament, along with some friendly competition. The standards were set high with prizes for those lucky enough to wrangle in the largest Striped Bass and Sea Bass. When I was told we were able to bring a guest I didn't think twice before asking my 11 year old brother. He's been fishing and around the water his entire life, the same as I have. It was a good chance to spend 1-on-1 time with him during this hectic summer.

That morning we met up with the rest of the staff and their guests around 7:30 at Fan Pier. I was so excited and had been waiting for this trip all week. Our luck was good and we landed a spot on the Belle, a fishing charter boat I know well from the CHV fishing trip. Among great staff and crew was the Bay Watcher, my boss Bruce Berman. It made me feel proud introducing Jack to all my coworkers and bosses. That good luck was covered by bad though, as the temperature really cooled down out on the water. The heat index was around 50 and we did not prepare for it to be that cold!

Jack with 1 of 4 his  fish

While other boats were fishing, we were all catching. Our boat caught 30 fish but only one keeper. My little 12in. flounder made the cut and we took it back to show the rest of the group. So that was nice to know I had caught the only keeper, but it was only luck when we have our bait all in the same place! Aside from my catch jack had some to add, he caught a record number of 4 fish that day. The competition was on the size and not the number but since no other boats really caught anything Jacks 4 fish day was good enough to earn him a nice rod. We both had a great time at the tournament and didn't let the weather keep us from doing what we love.

Jack holding one of the stripers caught by some of STHST's supporters



Lines off the rear of the Belle and Will Clark with a fish on

Will Conroy

Fishing Tournament with the Dream Team!

Hey guys again to tell you all about my trip on the fishing tournament,

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay

The day was cold, rainy, windy, and cloudy-- so, it wasn't exactly the best day to go fishing along the harbor. I was on a boat along with my sister and mother, Karrisha and Marline, Kiaunna, Mark, and Captain.

The "Dream Team"

          We sailed to and around Nantucket Beach and we caught NOTHING. It turned out the other team had all the bait...coincidence, I think not! Besides not catching anything I had a blast-- I sailed on a yacht for hours, held a fifty pound fish (yuck) ,and best of all I was surrounded by friends and family!

Me holding a Stripe Bass

           At the end of the trip all of the Save the Harbor crew and staff gathered together for a delicious lunch! Although, everyone was cold... nothing could have swept our smiles and laughter away!

Save the Harbor Save the Bay

                             
                                              Peace, Love, and Happiness,
                                                      Anicia Gillespie
     

Fishing Tournament

                                                                                      Big smiles, we have a lot of fun .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Yesterday was cloudy. We had fishing trip in the ocean. At the morning, we arrived to Fan Piers to meet each other. We had two boxes of donuts and two bottles of coffee. It was for breakfast. We went to the dock and we got in the boat. There were five group in five boat. I was in a boat with four people. My group went to the ocean near Long Island, we stayed there and we started fishing, we put a fishing rod with six fishing hook into the ocean. We caught a stripe bass that was twenty two inches, but it wasn't enough size to get it, so we put it back into the ocean. 

We caught a stripe bass.

We went to mainland, Cyndi bought hot chocolate for us. We went back to the ocean, we were fishing, I caught seaweed three times. My teammates and I didn't get any fish at that time. We went back to the dock, we ate lunch, and we took the pictures with everyone. My group was the team that caught a biggest fish, the other group caught thirty little fish, so my group won, we got fishing rods. We have a lot of fun and a great day.

From the harbor's choppy waves, I emerge victorious!

Yesterday was Save the Harbor's annual fishing tournament. As usual the day was hectic as the Save the Harbor staff rushed to accommodate all of the staff and many of their guests. Although the weather was extremely cold and windy for a summer day, the staff and their guests were still buzzing with energy and high expectations. Yesterday was the polar opposite of last year's fishing tournament, because the temperature reached well above a scorching 90 degrees. After a not exactly healthy breakfast of munchkins and donuts, it was time to be sorted out into the five different boats commandeered by some friends of Save the Harbor. My friend Jean and I were lucky enough to be placed into Captain John and Cyndi's boat, along with my coworker Hung. I have known the pair since my first year working here, and as usual they were glad to see me once more.

Jean, myself, and Hung

It was just the three of us on the boat. The ride out to the harbor was incredibly fun, because the boat was very fast. Captain John decided that it was time to troll and drop a set of lures called "niners''. This type of fishing lure is designed to mirror a school of fish. Pretty soon the fishing rod was tugging, and I decided to take the initiative and grab it. The fish was surprisingly strong! It put up a very good fight, but I was able to conquer it and pull it onto the boat. Sadly although the striped bass was 22 inches, it did not meet the keeping size requirement of 28 inches. However, I was elated to have caught my first fish of the summer as well as winning a spanking new fishing rod for my feat!

Hung, myself, and Jean on the boat

My 22 inch catch!

Until next time,

Vinh Tran

Fishing Tournament with The most amazing person EVER!

Yesterday was the COLDEST day of my life. At first, I was chilly, but when we got on the boat it got even colder. Being cold on the boat was no fun. I was shivering and wanted to go home, but at the same time I had a lot of fun. I took one of the most amazing people ever. Her name is Dolly. She is the only person I consider a friend. She always inspires me to do amazing things in my life. I'm glad I met her. It was really delightful because she woke up early just to be with me on the fishing trip, which meant a lot to me. We caught at least 20 fish, which I was not expecting to happen. There were moments when I got tired of holding the rods. It was a lot of work, especially since there were no bites.

I liked the trip because I got to spend the day with someone amazing just laughing, talking and teaching her how to fish. I caught the first fish on the trip and it was my first time actually catching one on my own. I always wanted to catch a fish on my own. When I was being told to touch it I was scared because the fish felt weird. I actually enjoyed the trip and hope to go on another trip like this sometime soon.

Monique and Dolly fishing 

Didn't see that coming!

Trying to catch some fish in the ugly weather.

This week on Thursday, July 25  I was looking forward to so much because my co-workers and I got to take a day off work, have fun, and just go fishing in the nice weather (what I had in mind). I woke up at 5:30 AM on Thursday and had all types of things happen that I was not prepared for. First, I chose the wrong day to wear shorts. I had no idea it was going to be that cold, it literally felt like the beginning of winter. I was freezing! Even though it was ugly, that was not going to stop me from having a blast, especially when I saw the boat I was assigned to! In the boat there was a very nice couch with very soft and fluffy pillows, a huge bed that look good enough to just climb in and have a long nice nap in, a mini T.V, microwave, and a sink. It almost looked like a mini apartment. When I saw the boat it got me more excited then I was already about the fishing trip.

I was excited and nervous in a good way, thrilled, and felt all types of positive vibes (besides the weather) on this fishing trip until the boat stopped. As the boat stopped, there was a lot of wind which caused the boat to move up and down and sideways. I began to feel kind of sick, woozy and dizzy and had to put my head down immediately. That was one of the worst feelings that I have ever experienced. I got sea sick for the first time ever in my life and I was not prepared for it at all. Overall it was fun and good experience fishing.

Sea Sick! Wasn't feeling too good.

Thought we caught something... 

Fishing Tournament

Delilah and I on the boat cooling off while we wait for the fish



This is the rear view of our boat, us leaving the dock to go find some fish

This event was a first time thing for me. I have never really went fishing. I have been around people that fish but I never really learned how to fish until I came to this event. I was excited to do this event because I was going to learn how to fish but also I was with someone I am not usually paired with. I was paired with Delilah and Ahmed. We really had a great time on our speed boat. I dont remember the name of the boat but our boat looked like it had a jucuzzi behind the driver seat. Delilah and I were on the chairs that turn and are facing toward the water and Ahmed was facing the front of the boat on this long bench. He said he was getting soaked on the bench but Delilah and I were feeling majority of the motions of the boat going over the waves. It didnt hit me until after we settled down that the littlest boats feel the most motion. I never felt "sea sick" until I got on that speed boat. We went so far out that we passed Spectacle Island, Long Island, and Thompson Island. We even passed the Long Island Bridge and went to the Hull Peninsula. It was an event that I had never done before so it was a new experience that I enjoyed a lot. After this event I plan to go fishing with my mom's boyfriend more often.                                                                         

                                                                                                     By: Brianna Charles



Our boat in full speed action with the city behind us

The Biggest Fish I Ever Seen

I just want to start my blog off with a big thank you to the captian of the boat that i was on Mike Fallon and to Joe cirame who got us the biggest fish i ever seen and first place in the fishing tournament. I have to addmit it was one of the funnest days of my summer so far, the boat ride was great we all worked as a team but Joe made the big catch of the day. When we finally got it up out the water i was just in shock never have i seen anything like this 40 pound fish but im pretty sure Bruce was proud of my team for going out there and getting a great catch and having lots of fun

Me, Manny,Bruce and Joe with the catch of the day

Mark Rose

A Day of Fishing and Friendly Competition on Fan Pier

Manny Dejesus, Mark Rose, and Joe Cirame pose with their first-place winning catch on Fan Pier after a day of fishing out on the Harbor.

Nine-year-old Joe Cirame of Saugus took first place in the 2^nd Annual Save the Harbor / Save the Bay Youth Fishing Tournament at Fan Pier on Boston’s waterfront with a 46-inch striped bass weighing close to 42 pounds. The young angler made the impressive catch while fishing with Captain Mike Fallon on his 34-foot Regulator "Marinaro" with a team of young anglers that included Save the Harbor / Save the Bay youth program summer staffers Manny Dejesus of Fenway, Tom Kenary of Wellesley Hills, and Mark Rose of Dorchester.

Taking second place was 11 year-old Brady Marshall, of Mattapan, one of 22 kids from Camp Harbor View who fished aboard the head boat "Belle" with Captain Charlie Gibbons of Boston Fun Cruises, his mate Darryl, and an experienced crew including Save the Harbor / Save the Bay’s own Bay Watcher Bruce Berman as well as tournament sponsors Harold and Richard Tubman of Circle Furniture. Marshall’s winning catch was a 36-inch striped bass, weighing in at 21 lbs.

Tournament sponsor Joe Fallon of The Fallon Company set the tone for the day with a pep talk on the dock at Fan Pier Marina. “Don’t just go fishing, go catching,” he said as he wished all participants the best of luck.

After distributing bait, tackle, rods, and other equipment provided by tournament sponsor Peter Santini of Fishin’ Finatics, 18 junior program assistants from Save the Harbor / Save the Bay boarded a fleet of donated boats and set out onto the harbor looking for big fish. The fleet was soon joined by 22 teens from Camp Harbor View, who joined the competition from their base on Long Island.

The young anglers used a number of techniques throughout the day, including “chumming and chunking", jigs and worms, and trolling with deep diving lures, "9er" umbrella rigs, and of course the deadly Santini tube. The largest fish was caught trolling off Boston Light, while the 2^nd largest grabbed a jig and worm between Spectacle Island and Camp Harbor View.

After a couple of hours of fishing in the clear, clean waters of Boston Harbor, the young anglers returned to Fan Pier Marina for a weigh in ceremony and photos before enjoying sandwiches provided by Top Secret Sandwiches on the Boston Fish Pier and ice cream sundaes donated by Emack and Bolio’s Aquarium Store. After lunch, the captains and crew filleted the winning fish and distributed fillets to all the campers to bring home for dinner.

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay's Bruce Berman and Patty Foley, along with Circle Furniture's Harold Tubman, pose with tournament participants and the day's winning catches.

 “There really is no better way to spend the day than out on Boston Harbor with great kids like these" said Harold Tubman of Circle Furniture. "I think my brother and I had more fun than they did!"

Each summer Save the Harbor/Save the Bay leads two free Youth Environmental Education programs that combine experiential learning with hands-on education that brings the harbor to life for young people. Since 2003 their "All Access Boston Harbor" and "Boston Harbor Explorers" have connected more than 60,000 youth and teens from the region's youth sailing centers, community organizations and youth groups to Boston Harbor and the Boston Harbor Islands.

These free summer youth programs are made possible with Leadership Grants from Distrigas of Massachusetts/GDF SUEZ, P. I. Garden Fund, Bay State Cruise Company, Forest Berkley & Marcie Tyre Berkley, The Coca-Cola Foundation, The Ludcke Foundation, Yawkey Foundation II, The Fallon Company, Massachusetts Port Authority, P&G Gillette and Schrafft Charitable Trust.

Save the Harbor also appreciates funding support from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, The Dolphin Trust, Alice W. Dorr Foundation, Massachusetts Bay Lines, National Grid Foundation, John Hancock Financial Services, Lawrence J & Ann Rubenstein Charitable Trust, Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation, Boston Bruins Foundation, Clipper Ship Foundation, Jay Cashman, Inc., Mass Humanities, Bank of America Pavilion, Circle Furniture, Fuller Foundation, Thomas & Lucinda Foley, Lovett-Woodsum Family Charitable Foundation Inc., South Boston Community Development Corporation, Andus Baker & Rowan Murphy Family Foundation, Boston Centers for Youth and Families, Department of Conservation and Recreation, Martha Mazzone Charitable Gift Fund, Matthew J. & Gilda Strazzula Foundation,  Community Suffolk, Inc., DeMarco Produce and hundreds of individual small donors.

Hook-gull

So while others caught 28+ inches of striper, I had to settle for a seagull. Yes, I caught a seagull with a fishing line. Not what I was hoping to catch but it was exciting nonetheless. So Even though no one on my team caught a fish, we still enjoyed the trip. We had the fanciest boat (second to Bruce's of course) and had a great crew. At the end, there was no baseball ticket, but that didnt bother me as I'm no baseball fan. If it had tickets to an Arsenal match, well that would have been a different story.

~wilshere

The Big Fishing Tournament 7/21/11

Today Bruce is taking all the staff members from Save The Harbor/Save The Bay out fishing. This is my FIRST time fishing and I'm happy that I will have a the chance to go out into the Harbor and fish. I was the first one to catch a fish, my fish was 28 1/2 inches long. When I got my fish we were still in the Harbor now that's cool. On that day I learned a lot from Bruce and I enjoyed fishing and I would LOVE to do it again. Even though i didn't win first place, my friend Kristina Acevedo won first place with a 35 inch fish that's pretty cool. I'm proud of myself and also proud of her too. We both go to Fenway High School.

-Diana Gomez

Not the biggest but the tastiest!!!.

Hey everybody,
last week on Thursday I participated on the celebrity fishing tournament, which occurred at the Fan Pier dock .Captain Jason and his crew help us. Before embarking our little journey to fish ,we each went along with a captain. I got to go with David and also two of our staff members which were Mekhi and Timmy. Our first spot to fish was by long island ,we had set up the bate and was ready for a bite ,but unfortunately no one was home.So we decided to relocate to somewhere that had group of birds.Which did not brings us any luck.While we were struggling on finding fish, Diana and Kristina had gotten there first Bass. Diana's was 30 feet long and Kristina's was 35 feet long. That was pretty impressive. But then as it was time head back to the docks, I reeled in my rod and got my first Sea Bass which was very cool then Timmy and Mekhi got some skates .I learned that Skates looked like Sting Rays and they protected themselves with a bunch of pointy thorns. I wasn't the winner, but Bruce mentioned that my fish wasn't the biggest but the tastiest."oh by the way how was my fish Bruce" lol. So far so good. See you next time.

Hugues M.B.

Green Crabs and Spider Crabs!

All of last week I got the opportunity to attend the Children's Museum with Sheuli and then Community Boating after. Some days the Museum didnt have much kids and other days it did. On days where it was well populated, every child passing wanted to stop at our touch tank to view the Green Crabs and Spider crabs.

Some kids fished with us, even if nothing was caught, but more kids liked crab trapping better.

Later in week, the staff members and I took part in a race of who could catch the biggest fish - Save the Harbor's Fishing Tournament! Diana was one of the winners-- congratulations to her. The team I was on went far out of the Harbor and into the open ocean nearly, so we could fish.

The experience was all new for me, but I liked it more than I expected. After a long morning we were treated to lunch and ice cream. Can't wait to see what next week holds!

Josette