Friday, March 22, 2024

Post 3000! A Fish Story

I have been looking forward to this post for some time. I started the blog almost 20 years ago on a different platform. Found Blogger and have been here ever since. In honor of this auspicious occasion, I give you my favorite fish story: After a 7 day passage from San Diego to Cabo, it's early morning and I am at the bow of my sloop looking at the sunrise. Thinking about how sailing has enhanced my life and all the people I have met. I am having a moment of clairity. Out of nowhere, a flying fish comes out of the water and hits me on the tip of my penis. I am shocked. God, are you talking to me? Anyway, it’s about 8 inches long (the fish not my penis). It’s flopping on the deck and so I pick it up and toss her into the ocean. They call that crotch and release! True story. Oh yeah, the blog has well over a million views!! I am pretty proud of both accomplishments. Took one hellava long time!
Flying fish are ray-finned fish with highly modified pectoral fins. Despite their name, flying fish aren’t capable of powered flight. Instead they propel themselves out of the water at speeds of more than 35 miles (56 kilometers) an hour. Once in the air, their rigid “wings” allow them to glide for up to 650 feet (200 meters). The winglike pectoral fins are primarily for gliding—the fish hold the fins flat at their sides when swimming. Their streamlined bodies reduce drag when the fish are “flying.” Another interesting characteristic of the flying fish is its unevenly forked tail, which has a top lobe that’s shorter than the bottom lobe. Flying fish can be up to 18 inches (45 centimeters) long, but average 7 to 12 inches (17 to 30 centimeters).

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