As your sport fishing journey advances over the years, it’s inevitable to want to upgrade. Bigger boat, bigger tools, bigger fish. But what if I told you that bigger wasn’t always better? What if instead, I said more is better?
If a sport fishing boat is your vehicle of choice, remote destinations are somewhat out of reach even with yacht transport. Without the endurance, range, crew, and space needed to travel long distances, how can you ever cross such destinations off your bucket list?
Enter the mothership. A mothership/sport fishing operation is not a new concept, but it’s one that few boats have adopted so both the benefits and the challenges are not well understood. The concept is foreign to most owners and their initial assumptions may be:
1. It’s too complicated operationally and logistically
2. Fueling/fishing/provisioning while traveling together is not possible, therefore, the fishing boat must be towed. As a result, they will likely have to compromise on the size and quality of their sport fish.
Sometimes all it takes is one person to tell you that they have done it successfully in order to realize that it is not only doable but can be a very enriching experience. You will no longer be constrained by fuel, dockage, or shoreside amenities and you now have all of the resources that you need to fish anywhere in the world.
This is exactly how we operated 147-foot Dorothea III and her 63-foot sport fishing tender, Post One. Over two years, we traveled in tandem with these two boats and covered more than 40,000 miles across three separate oceans. The ability to travel to a sport fishing mecca like Brazil and catch blue marlin with the comforts of home is a dream for most, but a reality for the rare few that have made the switch to this style of operation.
The benefits of a mothership program extend beyond just fishing, especially if boating currently is or you would like it to become a family affair. One of the biggest delimiters in modern day sport fishing is that as the boats increase in size if one person wants to go fishing, everyone has to go fishing. Either that or you are restricted in your fishing grounds to accommodate for shoreside amenities. This is counterproductive when you are purchasing a larger, more expensive boat to travel further and/or accommodate more people. The rub is that even if you have a 20’ bigger boat than you did before, you still don’t have the resources that you need nor are you actually getting the benefits that you ultimately want.
Running a tandem program is not without challenges, costs, or logistical issues, but the benefits can certainly make it all worth it…
Bucket List Fishing
You don’t have to have an interest in traveling to Tonga or Vanuatu to justify a mothership operation, you just have to want the flexibility that it gives for all regions. For example, the Gulf of Chiriqui is just 300 miles south of Los Suenos with incredible fishing but is both out of range and without services for the standard sport fish program. One of the key advantages to the Dorothea program has been that we were able to get closer to the fishing by anchoring nearby instead of having a 60-80 mile run out and back every day. Mag Bay is yet another example of a popular destination that you could fish for extended periods without your vessel needing to return to Cabo for necessities. We would arrive in Mag Bay, set up and then pick up the owner and guests from the local airstrip. There are plenty of activities in the area to keep family members and guests entertained while you are experiencing world class striped marlin action offshore. A fishing trip just became a destination everyone can enjoy.
Places near and far are now an option, in my 20 years of running the Dorothea/Post One program, I will tell you some of the most unique fishing experiences have been in those destinations that are off-the-grid. It’s a much more natural and authentic experience with a few local boats around (if that) and fishing grounds that you have to seek out vs. the well known honey holes. The Marquesas in French Polynesia and Tonga in the Western Pacific have been two of my personal favorites over the years, offering both first-class fishing, unique cultures, and enough infrastructure for those willing to make the trip.
Privacy – for both owner and crew
As the fishing day typically concludes, you’ve spent 10-12 hours out in the sun hopefully with enough action to keep you busy and entertained. By the time the crew gets the boat cleaned up, it’s been a long day for all parties involved and you’re probably looking forward to stepping off the fishing boat. There’s something to be said for those steps leading to the back deck of a yacht that is fully equipped to handle service and guests in a more professional and spacious environment. We built and used Post One primarily as a fishing platform with the capabilities of extended travel; however, it was never intended to be used as the hotel. Dorothea III functioned as the home base for family and guests, whether fishing was the primary purpose of the trip or not.
While most successful programs have a cohesive bond between crew and ownership, it’s still nice for both parties to have some degree of separation at the end of the day. It gives the crew a chance to rest and prepare for the days ahead while the owner and guests can enjoy a different environment with family and friends.
Depth and Range of Experiences
While some trips and destinations are meant to be solely focused on fishing, not every trip needs to be structured that way with a mothership. For example, on our last 2-year trip we spent a few weeks fishing Brazil during high season, but then shipped Post One back to Panama so Dorothea III could continue south for a trip in Patagonia. It allowed for a change of scenery, new activities, dramatic weather, and the experiences progressed from catching blue marlin in 90 degree heat every day to watching a calving glacier from the tender surrounded by bergy bits.
Beyond separating the overall trips, there is also the opportunity to break up the day-to-day within any one trip. For example, we spent a few months in North Queensland, Australia based out of Cairns and Port Douglas where days were split between fishing, diving, or other shoreside activities. It allowed for non-fishing friends to make the trip and still be able to participate in all of the activities of their choice.
Break the Mold
After successfully towing sport fishing vessels up to 45ft for nearly 15 years, I can say that we finally got it right in having a separate and larger fishing boat run on her own bottom. Bigger isn’t always better, but more space, more options, more activities might provide more overall enjoyment. For our program a large capable sport fish and yacht combination proved to be the most effective and optimal platform to explore and fish around the world.
Running a tandem program certainly is not for everyone and it comes with complexities. I believe if you’re looking to spend more time on your boat, and not necessarily just for fishing, expanding to a mothership operation will open a world of possibilities for you and your family. Don’t underestimate the value of an experienced third party to help you investigate and navigate this new world. Knowledge and first hand experience are key to helping you determine how to spend more time onboard, and take your fishing experiences to the next level, while addressing all of the logistical concerns.