Wow! It has been an incredibly busy two months here in Ocracoke. The first week of February we hauled our new 46′ Buddy Cannady out of the water in Buxton, NC at the Hatteras boatyard. The main goal of the project was to remove the old Detroit engine, and replace it with a brand new John Deere engine. Along the way we decided to go ahead and update a LOT of other systems on the boat. A few of these include all new battery banks and wiring, all new paint in the engine room, new engine beds, new transom paint, fiberglassed engine stringers, new controls, all new steering system, and SO much more. It has been a long project but this week we finally put her back in the water and…..
We are happy to announce that this week we launched and ran our new boat the “Free Ranger” powered by a 750HP John Deere marine engine by James River Equipment. SUPER excited about how the boat performed with the new power. She is going to provide a fast and dependable platform to fish on here in Ocracoke…
I cannot begin to thank all of the folks who have helped me out through this project. I just could not have done it without so many helping hands! The Outer Banks boatbuilding community really is a special group of people. It is so exciting to bring this custom Buddy Cannady sportfisher back home and back to life.
We are so excited to take you fishing this summer. It is shaping up as a busy one, so please give us a call early to get on the calendar. As of right now I have 6 days remaining available in May, and 8 days available in June.
As for a fishing report, it has been great so far. Lots of yellowfin tuna and wahoo offshore, and big drum nearshore. I would say fishing has been well above average already this year.
A little about the name, “Free Ranger”. In the world of offshore fishing, captains will often hear other captains report their catch in this manner over the VHF. “Just hooked a big blue marlin, no condition, just a free ranger”. A “Free Ranger” is a term that offshore fishermen normally use to describe a big dolphin (mahi mahi) or a big blue marlin that is out on his own in the blue waters of the gulf stream. One of the reasons I love fishing offshore on NC’s Outer Banks is because you never know when you are going to happen upon a that next giant “Free Ranger” just cruising by herself out in that blue water world. Even on the slow days, you could happen upon a monster at any moment. The name is also a bit of an ode to Ocracoke’s history as a pirate haven. The “Ranger” played multiple roles in the story of infamous pirate Blackbeard. One of the first fleets that Blackbeard was known to be apart of was that of the ‘Ranger’ and another vessel named the “Ranger” was part of the Ocracoke battle that killed Blackbeard…
As a final note, I’d like to give a special shout out to Fish Ocracoke’s new mate Alan Doshier. Alan is an Ocracoke native and has been absolutely essential during the “Free Ranger’s” renovation project. Talk about dedication, he has been with me for 72 days straight, leaving Ocracoke at 5:30 to catch the ferry to Hatteras, and returning around 7:30 in the evening. I couldn’t have done it without him…. In the midst of all this he passed his USCG captains license test, so who knows, you might see him behind the steering wheel before too long. And if you think that name sounds familiar, it is… Alan’s father is Ernie Doshier, the renowned Ocracoke captain/owner of the Gecko…. Who said a little family competition wasn’t a good thing!
Enjoy the pictures…
