MIGUEL’S LOBSTER PAELLA

MIGUEL’S LOBSTER PAELLA

With lobbys fresh from King Island on the menu, we figured it was time for Miguel to pull one of our favourite salty recipes from his locker of watery wonder — his signature seafood paella. It’s a visual feast as well as a damn tasty one. And it’s perfect for cooking...
CEVICHE: CITRUS-CURED KINGFISH

CEVICHE: CITRUS-CURED KINGFISH

Kingfish are great to catch and awesome to eat. If you’re reading The Captain, you probably knew that. But did you know just how versatile kingfish flesh is? No, you didn’t. I reckon kingfish is the black angus of the ocean, full of Omega 3 fatty acids and ideal for...
LIFE’S A VEITCH!

LIFE’S A VEITCH!

The numbers on Roger Veitch’s new 27ft Hardtop are so sexy we had to check the specs twice – and when it pulled into port it proved an absolute face melter! What’s more, beneath that white gelcoat is a laminate that leaves most Australian boat...
WAYNE’S WORLD

WAYNE’S WORLD

Down the Great Ocean Road in South West Victoria, we discover one of the natural wonders of the Australian coastline. Nope, it’s not the 13th Apostle. It’s the legendary lobster lover Wayne Hanegraaf, who has steered boats around these ancient stones for more than 40...
TASSIE DEVILS

TASSIE DEVILS

Few places get The Captain’s juices flowing like the East Coast of Tasmania. It’s raw, rugged and bustling with big bluefin – usually.        As loyal Captain readers have pointed out, we’re not always the most reliable sailor on the...
THE GRADY BUNCH

THE GRADY BUNCH

When Dan Londero’s wife said, “Buy a bigger boat,” he went straight to the Grady-White showroom at Short Marine. Now he steers a sweet Marlin 300 with twin 300 HP Yammies and Furuno screens wrapped in a custom dash.      The Captain is...
5 COOL COVES OF SYDNEY

5 COOL COVES OF SYDNEY

Armed with a case of Budweiser, a mask and fins, a couple of fishing rods and a Grady-White Freedom 325, Alli Ficarra goes in search of Sydney’s coolest coves. Sydney Harbour is IMO the best waterway in the world. It takes a lot for me to say that. Ya see, I’m a...
PART 7) FITTIN’ THE FOURFIE

PART 7) FITTIN’ THE FOURFIE

The Nub-Tub is finally ready for the fit-out phase. We take her to the experts at Johnson Bros Marine who say, “We’ve never seen anyone want to fit this much shit to a 4.5m boat in our lives.” Trav and his cohort of contractors have slogged away on the base for three...
SALTY SAYINGS

SALTY SAYINGS

Many words and phrases of seafaring origin have weaseled their way into regular English usage. The Captain — often a bit of a “loose cannon” when he’s “three sheets to the wind” — shares a dozen of his favourite nautical crossovers.  01. LOOSE CANNON In today’s...
HUNTING GIANTS ABOARD AN O’BRIEN 43

HUNTING GIANTS ABOARD AN O’BRIEN 43

The Captain’s crew head back to the Great Barrier Reef with a new mission: to catch the first giant black marlin of the 2018 season. We’re aboard Hellraiser II and equipped with a new special weapon. This is one of the first game boats to be fitted with a thru-hull...
THE BIG CHILL

THE BIG CHILL

Are iceboxes all they’re cut out to be? To find out, we kicked them out of the ute and them through their paces.    We’re simple men with simple needs. There are fish in the ocean, we catch the fish. Warm fish makes us crook, we keep the fish cold....
FORMULA 233 REBUILD

FORMULA 233 REBUILD

Darren Brown has Formula fever. He’s on his fourth 233 rebuild and reckons the latest is his best yet. That’s enough for the Captain, who heads up to Gladstone to check it out.  We meet Darren at a well worn ramp at Gladstone in mid-north Queensland. It’s...
MINI FLYBRIDGE CRUISER

MINI FLYBRIDGE CRUISER

Julian McGarry couldn’t afford to buy a flybridge cruiser, so he built his own mini version.   When Julian McGarry’s mate sold his flybridge cruiser, Julian lost his regular ride. Heartbroken, he couldn’t see the value in owning his own moored boat, so he took...
10 PLACES TO FLY (FISH) BEFORE YOU DIE

10 PLACES TO FLY (FISH) BEFORE YOU DIE

I’ve always been a frequent flyer. Working for a large multinational company, I’ve made the most of every opportunity by tagging a fly-fishing trip on the end of every business trip. I’ve fly fished 25 countries in less than five years. Not every trip was a...
BRILLIANT TRAILERBOAT HACKS

BRILLIANT TRAILERBOAT HACKS

Joel Ryan brings big game-boat know-how to his Edencraft 6M Offshore. Here’s a typical game-fishing scenario. See on Facebook that the hot bite is on during the week. Chuck a sickie. Drive all night and get a flat tyre. Eat salt and vinegar chips for dinner before...
LOBBY LEGEND

LOBBY LEGEND

This Hawkesbury River legend has been snaring crustaceans for more than 50 years — but he isn’t ready to hang up his crayfish pots any time soon. Keith Sewell can pilot his 115HP Yamaha powered tinnie at more than 30 knots, steering with the tiller between his legs...
BOATS OF THE FUTURE

BOATS OF THE FUTURE

The Captain catches up with respected boat designer Paul Bury, the man behind the computer behind many of the boats you drool over at the ramp. WHO IS PAUL BURY? Paul is the principal of Bury Design and has worked in the industry for over 20 years. Before starting...
EPIC SWORDFISH BATTLES IN BASS STRAIT

EPIC SWORDFISH BATTLES IN BASS STRAIT

The Captain’s crew are on the hunt for the enigmatic swordfish — charging out past the fire-breathing oil rigs of Bass Strait aboard a Bass Strait Offshore 30, which has a certain synchronicity to it if you give a rat’s about such things. This rig has a huge...
PART 5) THE NUB TUB GETS A NEW FLOOR

PART 5) THE NUB TUB GETS A NEW FLOOR

The Nub Tub gets a flash new glass-encrusted Thermo-Lite floor.  The Captain has a declaration to make to all future Whitepointer owners. The 445F project boat known as Nub Tub , sitting in the Whitepointer factory in Cann River among the eucalypts is not the reason...
MARKER’S MARK: EDENCRAFT

MARKER’S MARK: EDENCRAFT

    There’s been a fair bit going on at Edencraft — what’s the drum, Josie? Well, we moved to Moolap, Victoria, a little over 12 months ago. The new 2ha property is divided into four workspaces — the office, the lay-up shed/moulding shop, the joining shed...
GO PRO BRO! EXPERT PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

GO PRO BRO! EXPERT PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

Hopefully by now, you’ve figured out the basics of photographing a fish. Keep the eye in focus, use the rule of thirds, don’t cut off the angler’s head and use the available light to your advantage. Got it? Good. Now it’s time to go expert. Time to tell a real story....
FULL METAL JACKET

FULL METAL JACKET

Dan Brauman has been a soldier with the Australian Defence Force for the past 20 years. When he’s not running sorties to Timor, he’s skippering his Sailfish S8 with his crew, aka the Cuzzy Bros. We infiltrated Dan’s posse at Port Fairy, three hours out of Melbourne on...
SPEARFISHING TIPS

SPEARFISHING TIPS

Big kings are the hoodlums of the sea – and a prized catch on spear. Here are a few spearfishing tips Kiwi Luke Potts has learned while hunting them in Australian and New Zealand waters. Most beginner spearos swim directly at big kings then take a pot shot. That’s...
SON OF A GUN

SON OF A GUN

He’s got a job and lifestyle many young men dream about. He owns cool boats, cool trucks and drinks like a fish. He also happens to earn a living under the water, rather like a fish. But he assures The Captain it’s seriously hard work (the drinking, that is). Grant...
THE ABALONE FACTS

THE ABALONE FACTS

They’re the bigfoot of the ocean floor. The humble abalone (Haliotis) is a marine snail — or more precisely a univalve mollusc with a flat, smooth, pale, oval shell, containing a large muscular “foot” with a frill or lip. This rounded foot is very large in...