If one is planning to voyage out into the Gulf Stream of the Atlantic on a 80-foot-plus boat the following morning at the crack of down, some advice: don't eat a late dinner of fried fish (including out-of-season oysters), don't drink half a dozens beers before and/or during that meal, and finally, don't forget the Dramamine.

My dad, brother, and I survived the excursion out into the open sea, but right about this time yesterday I wasn't sure if I was going to. I don't think I was seasick so much as suffering from a bit of a hangover and a stomach full of acid. We all took Dramamine, which I'm sure helped, but what didn't help was being close to the rear of the ship and sucking down exhaust with each breath. I thought I was going to lose it a couple times, but after munching on some peanuts and raisins and thinking happy thoughts, I started feeling much better.

Unfortunately, one of our colleagues, Nackmo, who works with my brother Matt, wasn't so lucky, and he had to make a couple trips to the tiny bathroom on the boat. It was that half-peck of oysters he ate Friday night at about 10 p.m. that did it, I'll bet.

Other than the brief, 2-hour bout of nausea I had (I have a whole new appreciation for Lizzie now when she talks about feeling sick to her stomach from the baby!), the fishing expedition was pretty cool.

Our trip to the Gulf Stream took about three hours, and at first the waves were rough as hell (not helping the seasick vibes), and I enjoyed watching the sun rise over Cape Lookout and seeing the lighthouse pass by on the northern horizon. We stopped about 10 times trying to find the perfect fishing spot (usually over old wrecks), and I caught a whopping two fish.

I'm not a very patient fisher, and it was REALLY crowded on the boat -- about 60 other people were crammed on the ship, so it was shoulder-to-shoulder the whole day, lines getting snagged every few minutes -- but it was a cool experience. I thought I'd be more freaked out by the fact that we couldn't see land any more, in any direction, but it wasn't that big of deal. After a while it was no big deal -- just wave after wave, with the occasional fish or shark pulled up from the depths (yesterday was a bad fishing day for everyone, for whatever reasons).

One dude snagged a seven-foot-shark, which would've torn some folks to shred if he could've hauled it on board (they cut it loose). That guy's buddy caught a flounder and some sort of 4-foot-long eel. It was wild. All you had to do was drop your line over the side and wait for a fish to hit. Not a lot of skill involved, which I guess explained why so many folks were onboard to do it. Sort of like shooting fish in a barrel...

But going out on the "high seas" was a fun experience, another one to chalk off on the list of To-Dos for my life, and for that I owe my brother for making it all happen. Maybe I'll buy him a beer and some fried oysters (when they're back in season!). Now I'm off to cut the grass and and think about what happens next on my short story-in-progress. Later.

Now Playing:
"Memphis, TN," Pearl Jam

Now Reading:
Harry Potter 4, JK Rowling

Today's Quote:
"I was too sick to smile" -- Nackmo, from yesterday's voyage