For anglers booked on 9/14/17 Halfway Ledge. PLEASE READ

I hope and pray you are all safe and well in the wake of Hurricane Irma. I know you’re all ALL OVER the place right now. Some of you are in crisis, others are just trying to sort through what just happened, some of you just want to go fishing. My phone has been BOMBED. I get it. The not-knowing is killing us all. The media is doing their best to sensationalize the tragedies that South Florida is living through right now and its hard to pick and pluck the facts from fiction.

Here’s what we do know: Greg securely tied the Capts in her slip and evacuated the Keys last Friday. He rode out the storm with family in a safe area, but currently has NO POWER where he is and may not regain power for some days, according to some reports. He cannot regain access to the Keys, as authorities are only allowing residents, only as far as Islamorada until bridges and highways are inspected and proven in tact and passable beyond that point. They will literally go mile by mile, island by island and we simply do not know how long it will take to gain entry to Stock Island and Key West. The boat: We got early reports, and some vague pictures to attempt to assess, that Safe Harbor Marina may have mostly lived up to her name, “Safe.” Preliminary findings show that the Yankee Capts is afloat, and in tact, and still tied where Greg left her. That’s the good news. That said, he’s not there and he can’t get there to inspect her himself and know what the real situation is first hand. And we don’t know when authorities will grant him passage to get there. And even when they start allowing residents in, it will be some time before they allow NON residents (you guys) access.

So where does that leave your trip? I have no idea. Is it going to happen? No. Do I know if we will reschedule? No. Do I know when I will know this? No. I am sorry. For the time being, since we have no information about when and if we can get crew into the marina to inspect the boat and get ready, much less getting non-residents through the barricades, this week’s trip is cancelled. As soon as we know more, we will advise you. We graciously request your patience at this time. I’d like to keep my hands on this current manifest as is, in the event that we are able to squeeze this trip in in the near future, I’d like for you all to have first dibs on your spots and reservations, as it was a specialty trip that I know you were all looking forward to. That said, if it is easier for you and your schedule to transfer to another future date now, I can certainly do that.

Again, i know it is frustrating not knowing what is going on. Believe me, we get it. Please take care of you and yours. We thank you for the calls and texts and messages, and concern, but if I could respectfully ask that you refrain from contacting Greg directly. I can pass any urgent messages to him at a convenient time. He simply has been bombarded with concerns and questions from all angles and it really is vital he conserves his phone battery for emergencies while he can. As mentioned above, the media hype on the condition of the Keys is leaking misleading information about all aspects of the mission down there. It would be helpful to us, if you know other anglers, pass information on to them only if you get it directly from me via a blast, our fish reports page, or our official Facebook feed. ONLY there will you find facts about our operation as we know them. More to follow as soon as there is more to share.

Be Well,