Although Hurricane Sandy inflicted terrible damages on Long Beach Island and other areas of southern Ocean County, the residents and business owners have been working feverishly to get things back to normal.
The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are among those who have worked hard and now declare they are ready, willing, and able for the 2013 fishing season to start.
As an association, the captains will be making their presence knows at various fishing flea markets and fishing and boating shows.
Captain John Lewis of the "Insatiable" reports his boat suffered no damage from the storm, and his dock, the Beach Haven Yacht Club Marina, is well on its way to being completely repaired. Captain John will be representing the Association at the various shows this winter and is excited about his new website www.insatiablesportfishing.net
Two of the BHCFA boats are spending the winter having various work done to make them ready for this year's fishing.
Captain Bob Gerkens reports he is having the damages his boat, "Hot Tuna" repaired in the south which are currently about half completed. He regrets that he is missing out on the giant bluefin tuna this winter but is excited about his New Jersey charters this summer.
Captain Lindsay Fuller's boat, "June Bug" fortunately escaped the storm with little damage, but is spending the winter in Manteo, North Carolina as usual. It will undergo its usual refurbishing and make some offshore trips while down there. Captain Lindsay will have the "June Bug" back in New Jersey ready to go in May.
Captain Tim Knorr reports his boat, the "William Knorr" was high and dry when Sandy hit and is looking better than ever. After freshening up the gel coat and doing some painting, the remaining maintenance was completed, and the boat is now ready to go. Captain Time reports he has updated his website www.LongBeachIslandCharterboat.com with no price increases or fuel surcharges.
Once again the "William Knorr" will be running out of Forked River with customer pickups in Barnegat Light.
Captain Carl Sheppard reports the "Star Fish" survived the storm in good shape with only some cosmetic damage when another boat broke free and rubbed against her. He is waiting for some extended warm weather to apply the gel coat and anticipates an April launch with fishing to start soon after that. Once again the "Star Fish" will call Morrison's Marina home.
Upcoming plans for Captain Carl include the annual Coast Guard inspection, a multi-page safety check list, and live safety drills for the captain and crew. Captain Carl adds that he is excited about the state dredging the channels and eliminating any debris in the water from Hurricane Sandy.
Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com.