Marlin sinks sport fishing boat.
February 6, 2013 10:23 AM   Subscribe

Yesterdays Vancouver Province had a story about a marlin sinking a sport fishing boat in Honduras. This is a hoax, no? There's no way I can see the physics of a 220Kg. fish being able to exert enough leverage to capsize a 9M. boat. Plus the fact that implies the fishing line/pole/person holding the fishing pole are strong enough to capsize the boat. Is this possible in any conceivable way?
posted by Keith Talent to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (6 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Snopes has the answer (boat sank, marlin didn't cause it).
posted by yoink at 10:28 AM on February 6, 2013


"Mr Saenz hooked the 270kg fish and the boat started reversing to reel in the line. But a wave knocked the stern, causing the captain to slip and hit the throttle, the company said.

The movement swamped the boat, causing it to capsize and sink."

Operator error... backing a boat into waves is NOT a good idea... The fish had nothing to do with it.
posted by HuronBob at 10:30 AM on February 6, 2013


This is NOT to say that black marlins can't be extremely dangerous fish. I've never had the chance to catch a black marlin, but I've caught my share of blue marlins. They are awesomely strong. Imagine a jumping, pissed-off horse on a string with a javelin for a nose. People have gotten gored, although I'm not aware of any deaths.

(In saltwater billfishing, the captain is a very important part of boating a fish. His job is to "back-down" on the fish; essentially back the boat toward the fish, while the fisherman maintains the line tension and reels in line. If you back down too fast, water can come over the transom. A little is no big deal. But here the throttle got stuck wide open - not good. In some black marlin fishing areas, the boats are set up with the fighting chair at the bow instead of the stern so none of this comes into play.)
posted by Benny Andajetz at 10:49 AM on February 6, 2013 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: God The Province is a terrible newspaper.
posted by Keith Talent at 11:08 AM on February 6, 2013 [1 favorite]


Imagine a jumping, pissed-off horse on a string with a javelin for a nose.

Well, a pony, maybe. 270kg is about 600 pounds. The average horse weights about 1000 pounds.
posted by Dolley at 12:50 PM on February 6, 2013


Well, a pony, maybe. 270kg is about 600 pounds. The average horse weights about 1000 pounds.

Yeah, but 600 pounds is a decidedly average blue or black marlin. Blue marlins can push 1500+ pounds, while black marlins can reach a ton. Of muscle.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 1:18 PM on February 6, 2013


« Older How can I sync free/busy data between my multiple...   |   Temperamental garage door Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.