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Capt. Mike Holmes

The last message I got from him, a few days ago, was a picture of one of Mike O's wonderful UVI shirts, and the question: "You live, you die - but have you ever fished the UVI?" I replied that I indeed HAD, and was forever grateful to him for the opportunity to do so. Expected then he knew the end w...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Vic, when I got your email last night it was like a blow to the body, as well as the spirit. Like some others, I am not ready to say "good-bye" yet, but I respect your wishes and wanting to be prepared. Hang in there, and got out kicking and screaming. You are already missed, and when it is really y...

Capt. Mike Holmes

CORRECTION! Remember, I've been away awhile. It is a cabin roof I made the dawg house out of, not a hardtop. But it IS heavy.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Pete, I have a hardtop that came off an express in my back yard, using it as the base for a dog house. The thing weighs a ton. We loaded it on a lowboy trailer with a forklift at the marina. It would be a real job to move it and mount it, and as Mikey said, they needed more support than Bertram gave...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Mikey, hardtop Bahia Mars are fairly common in my area. I ran one for a few years that Brian now has in Guatemala. That one had a big, heavy tower that was almost a bridge on pipes, made it roll pretty bad in a heavy sea, but was very comfortable in smooth going.

Capt. Mike Holmes

One of the things I've never liked about the flybridge 31's was the bench seat, Peter's and Bob's look like a real improvement. On my express, I had to modify the engine boxes anyway, to mount the Cummins where I wanted them, so I changed the hatches around and mounted big Murray Brothers teak chair...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Good luck, Harry! Remember, all that boat work is good therapy!

Capt. Mike Holmes

The Flophouse is a legend unto itself. Best cheap place to stay in Likkerdale, and well-located.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Drink beer? I don't know if i can come over if there's gonna be any drinking involved!

I'll be around next week, as far as I know.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Can't be the same Timmy! Last I heard of the Tubb, it was being used for a flower planter or something, but I'm always up for an interesting story - and I've been through enough stuff myself to be sympathetic.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Mike, in that area, he might need it, and warning signs in both English and Spanish. Dug, there are pros and cons to the marriage thing. I've been through it four times now, made a friend promise if I ever get "free" again and talk of getting hitched another time, he'll shoot me and put me out of my...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Capy - nice to hear from you! I'd like to hear the sad story of the demise of the Tubb, also, but I'm sure I'd need to be sitting down with strong drink and a box of tissues handy.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Pat, I'll make a effort to get out that way one of these days, and I'll call when i can come by. I know I'll be going to New Braunfels in late February, not sure of any other trips in that general direction coming up yet, but could be.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Sure were! How is Timmy The Thud doing thee days?

Capt. Mike Holmes

John, sorry I forgot the phone number in the previous post. Home number is still 979/415-0535. Cell is 281/814-1464.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Mike O. - keep the heat on, man. Every now and again I remember something from one of our late night talks on the dock at Port Eads - and dodging the snakes and gators on those mornings when the tide was a foot over the dock!

Capt. Mike Holmes

Tommy and Tony - appreciate the welcome and the sentiments. As much as I've missed the boat and the water, in many ways it was good for me to explore other avenues in life. I had not been more than 100 miles from the coast for years, and then just on my yearly visits to see my family. The wife and I...

Capt. Mike Holmes

I lost your number, also. Found it the other day, started to call, but wasn't sure it would be the same one anymore. I am sure sure rock salt is the proper ammo to use on kids that are so drugged out they try to fight armed law enforcement officers. Might need to use something more lethal. Sad situa...

Capt. Mike Holmes

I had something similar once on a 24' cuddy. Big ol' window unit mounted on a pole. Unit ran on 220v, had to wire 120v to the controller. Guy I bought it from had used it to cool two boats sized similar to mine, made a split manifold out of PVC. Worked pretty well, actually, but dimmed the lights on...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Gary, I was meaning to ask Vic if you still posted on the board. Evert find the boat you were looking for?

Capt. Mike Holmes

John, I been huntin'. Killed a bunch of pigs and a few deer on my little woods place, got coyotes and bobcats, as well. Damn zoo out there. Been having trouble with thieves and trespassers. Broke into my 30' camp trailer a couple of times, stole a new TV, bunch of small stuff, damaged other things. ...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Thanks, guys. Good to be back among friends. Sorry I was away so long, just needed to mourn.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Dug, not intending to leave you out, I think you were the first of the "Old crew" whose posts I saw when i logged on the other day. Hope things have been well. Did you and liz get married, if I am not too bold in asking? Yep, some days I find myself reaching for the gears and throttles, getting read...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Rawleigh! Great to hear from you! I was in New Orleans in July and ran into an old friend of yours, he said to tell you the "shrimp pimp" says hello!

Like I said earlier, good times!

Capt. Mike Holmes

My replacement "boat" right now is a hopped up golf cart. I replaced the stock motor with a higher torque model, all wiring and electrical components with heavy duty stuff, added a receiver trailer hitch, gun racks, and other hunting equipment. It was lifted 6" and had big tires when I got it. I lov...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Pete - great to hear from you! I find your card in my wallet every time I have to dig for a credit card that isn't "full"! I know you have tried to sell it, but glad to hear you still have your express. That one certainly can't be replaced. Everybody goes through changes, but it's harder to understa...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Doug, I saw that about Dale last week. I "got resigned" from my Advisory panel post (Coastal Pelagics) after about 8 years. Just didn't get selected, so they saved me the trouble of resigning. Of curse,w e hadn't had a meeting in over 5 years, so what was the point.

Capt. Mike Holmes

And most of the Lockheed-Martin contract employees who administer the TWIC program have no idea what it is for, or what they are doing - so don't bother asking questions. We can fish snapper in Texas waters 'year 'round, with a smaller minimum size and more generous bag limit - BUT, if you hold a fe...

Capt. Mike Holmes

I don't think it's regulating to make it safer - just for the sheer joy of regulating. Our red snapper season was open 48 days in the summer - which is not the best time for snapper fishing - with a daily bag limit of 2 fish per person. They said we overfished the quota by a million pounds, because ...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Doug, let me check. A lot fo those pictures were slides, but I have a slide to digital converter - if I can find them. Doubt I'll have any copies of Mariner's Log left. They went out of business several years ago, so the office would be no help, ether. I will see what I can do. Those were good times...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Walter, nice to hear from you. Last time I renewed I had to get the damn TWIC card, have proof of enrollment in a drug testing program, and promise to carry an alcohol test kit to test myself in case I had an accident. I called Washington and asked if that wasn't self-incrimination, the guy in charg...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Been gone quite a while, folks, but Uncle Vic said I should check back in. Many who remember me might know that my boat got totaled by Ike, and I was too under insured to justify buying another. Also, the economy, fuel prices, and fishing regulations have just about killed the charter bidness here o...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Absolutely. I've seen a lot of wild stuff Noe has done - rebuilding a burnt 35 Bert into a big center console, puting bubbles in the hull to fit an engine under the cabin sole, and turning that Vietnam river patrol boat into a classy sportfisher. He does good work. Just depends on the insurance comp...

Capt. Mike Holmes

I just looked at it again, definitely a big hole in front of the shaft logs on the starboard side, but it has to have happened AFTER the water went down, as it settled on the piling. Talked to Noe at the boatyard down the street, he says he can get a crane to lift it and move it to his yard, where I...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Harv, I zoomed on my pictures of the hull, don't see any hole. I'll go over in a little while and look again - with binoculors. I'm not curious enough about it right now to go swimming - it has to be picked up, regardless.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Bob, Tony, - thanks for the support. I'll look at it more closely tomorrow, more closely yet when it gets on the ground. Need to get my radome off before looters do, also some of the cables for the chart plotter. Took just about everything else off before we evacuated.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Ed and I aren't real close, like we used to be. The wife has an uncle who has a 50 Hatt on "A" dock at Kirby. It sunk - the only boat in the marina that did. He's been trying to sell it for years, had it "well insured". Sorta makes you wonder. Also, he came back Saturday to "check" on it. My hogs an...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Thanks, John. Did your place in Hide-a-way come out OK? I haven't driven much past Kirby, where it was interesting to see the big crane lifting pieces of the tall shed off of Akela.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Pete, you hit the nail on the head with the part about not gettign any younger. I put many years of my life into this boat, and I don't know that I have enough left to rebuild it yet again. I had been thinking of tryign to sell, anyway, but there isn't much market - even for 31's - in the current fi...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Thanks, guys. I sort of feel the same way about the hull, need to see it out of the water. If the engines did go under, might be more than I want to deal with, unless they want to buy new ones for me. I'm interested in seeing the running gear to see how much pounding that part took.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Thanks, Doug, that is what I'm hoping.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Just got back from the boat with the surveyor. He thinks the hull is holed. I might agree, but in a different spot than he suspects (hard to see under there, would have to be in a small boat or swimming. He's calling it a total loss right now, wants to crane and barge it to the bank where we can loo...

Capt. Mike Holmes

Would make a nice surf fishing reserve.

We got a bigger generator today, hooked it up, took a short nap, went to get more gas, came home and the power was on.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Don't think there is enough of her in the water to back off, sitting at a pretty steep angle. Cabin door is jammed, can't get to the keys. Got lots of other stuff to take care of first, I'm afraid. The boat will be OK where it is, certrainly can't sink. Would like to left it off to make sure the hul...

Capt. Mike Holmes

My house had little damage, just limbs and trash. Camper flipped on nit's side again, but it's been there before. My property in the woods has some trees down, none hit the camper out there, but I won't be tending my feeders for awhile - until I cut up the trees down on the road. Black Sheep climbed...

Capt. Mike Holmes

John, looks VERY nice! Almost looks like you had hired Paul to do it again!

Capt. Mike Holmes

I was telling my wife last night I see the need for a shootin' feud.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Wonderful!!!

Capt. Mike Holmes

Pee Wee had some class, alright. I remember when Vic first introduced us, and telling him I'd met a guy who used to fish with him. He thought over the name for awhile, then said, "Oh, yeah, he's a lawyer son-of-a-bitch, ain't he? Oh, sorry Vic."

Fun guy, sure seemed like.

Capt. Mike Holmes

Very, very well put.

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