You’re invited to the party

I love a good party. Whether I’m cooking dinner for 10 and we’re dining on the deck, or it’s a beach party for a few or a lot, parties are fun.

Last week, I went to one of my favorite parties — the Skipper party boat out of Oak Bluffs Harbor. I’ve been on the Skipper with Capt. John Potter at least a dozen times. I’ve gone out with friends, and taken out youth groups. When it feels as if there are no fish from shore, Capt. John will prove to you that there are plenty of fish in the sea.

We boarded the Skipper on a gorgeous, sunny morning. John’s son Zak, a media management major at the University of Miami in Florida, was aboard as first mate. I chatted with Capt. John as we motored out to our first location. I had no idea the Skipper is the oldest working party boat in the U.S. Built in 1941, the Skipper was one of 12 original New Jersey “head boats,” named so because people pay by the head to board.

“I’ve been doing this since I was 13, and I’m 64,” said Capt. John. “I was a bait boy on the Ranger, which was also one of the 12 head boats, and sadly sunk in Hurricane Bob.”

Capt. John bought the Skipper in 1987. He originally partnered with Todd Alexander for the first six years, before Todd became the Oak Bluffs harbormaster. Fun fact: Todd retired after 29 years as harbormaster, and has returned to captain the Skipper for a few trips each week. Sounds like the perfect retirement job to me.

We reached our first location, and Capt. John shouted for everyone to drop their lines. Hooks were baited with squid, and thumbs pinched the line so weights carried the tempting morsels slowly to any fish that might be hungry 70 feet below. Rods were soon taut with fish. Capt. John had found a productive spot.

Immediately to my right, Ceci and Owen Schickel were enjoying their annual outing on the Skipper. “We’ve been coming to the Vineyard for about 20 years. Owen was 3 when he first visited. We probably come on average every other year,” said Ceci. “I believe we’ve gone out at least eight times with Skipper John. It’s one of our favorite things to do. It’s a highlight for us.”

“I still look forward to it,” said Owen, who’s now 23. “It’s partly tradition, and it makes the trip if we do it. And we get to eat the fish.”

I had a lot of fun watching Ceci and Owen catch black sea bass and scup. They definitely caught enough keepers to have fresh fish for two or three nights during their vacation.

As I helped Ceci release a small sea bass, we heard a shout from the other side of the boat. I looked over and saw Capt. John helping two people. Drake and Tina Kolarik had double-hooked a big scup. The keeper size for charters is 11 inches. This fish was definitely a keeper. Capt. John measured the fish and called out, “17½ inches!”

I don’t know about you, but if I was visiting the Vineyard, or anywhere, for the first time, I can’t think of a better souvenir than catching a big fish. Of course, the Kolariks didn’t take their giant scup home to St. Louis, Mo. The dinner and memories, though, were perfectly portable.

We’d been on the boat for about an hour, and I hadn’t dropped a line yet. I was having so much fun watching others fish, baiting hooks for people, and either releasing fish or putting keepers into a bucket.

Yara Lopes and Ethan Lenahan were near Ceci and Owen, and we got to chatting. Ethan was no stranger to the Vineyard or the Skipper. He’d been to the Island six times with his family, and they’d been aboard the Skipper on three of their vacations. Yara, on the other hand, was fishing on a boat for the first time.

“I thought it would be all splashes and fish smell. I thought I would get seasick, but it’s so nice. I love it. This is the first time I’ve caught a fish. I’ve fished before on the beach, but I’d never caught a fish,” said Yara, after reeling in her 12th or so fish.

Yara hauled in dinner with scup and sea bass, and she also caught and released a sea robin. I shared with her that sea robins talk, and then held the fish so she could hear it grunting after I released the hook.

“That’s the cutest one. It’s the creepiest, but the cutest,” said Yara, 20.

We saw many sea bass, scup, sea robins, and even a few sand sharks reeled in. I have no idea how many fish were caught, released, or kept, but I can tell you Larry Mack had the hottest rod.

Larry lives on the Hudson River in Highland, N.Y. He’s been vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard for 23 years. He comes for two weeks, and he fishes on the Skipper every day of those two weeks. “This is my happy place,” said Larry, who admitted he was too busy at home to fish. “I like to be on the boat, and I like helping out. It’s a friendly atmosphere. John’s become a good friend of mine. We keep in touch all year.”

I watched Larry put a few nice sea bass into his bucket and smiled. “I eat fish every night I’m here,” said Larry, adding, “and I take them home too.”

I walked back over to Capt. John and mentioned that a lot of the people on the Skipper had been there before. “I’m in the business of repeat business,” said Capt. John.

As someone who loves going out on the Skipper, I understand why folks keep coming back. The tug on the line, the joy of reeling in dinner, and the taste of fresh fish that you personally harvested from the sea: That’s a trifecta that can’t be beat. 

I asked Capt. John the best part of his job.

“Every day I help a kid catch his first fish,” said Capt. John. “I’m grateful. It’s a good life.”

I’m one of Capt. John’s repeat customers. The Skipper is on my list of activities for visitors, and it’s a great way to introduce children of all ages to the simple pleasure of fishing.

I hope to see you on the beach, or on the Skipper, with a group of us reeling in dinner.