Our 5-Year-Old Wants to Catch a Tuna | SSL787

Anchored in clear Caribbean water off San Andrés, Colombia, Captain Rick Moore watches his five-year-old son, Ricci, cast lines off the deck of the schooner Sophisticated Lady with a single objective: “I want to catch a tuna.” After enduring eight and a half months in a boatyard refit, the vessel has reached open water, giving the young boy room to explore the sea again.

The transition back to open water also marks Ricci’s return to swimming after nearly a year on the mend. During the final stages of interior varnish work at the foot of the boat’s bed, Rick and Maddy had removed the furniture steps used to climb in and out. Ricci slipped off the edge while reading, landed heavily on his elbow, and suffered a fracture that required hospital care. Now fully healed, he jumps into the turquoise anchorage, eager to swim and resume his daily angling routine.

Commuting by Dinghy and Visiting Alvaro’s Fish House

Life at anchor in San Andrés quickly revolves around school days and water transit. Ricci begins attending a local island school, riding across the bay in the family’s Highfield Sport 390 dinghy. To show the five-year-old where commercial catches originate, Rick and Maddy navigate the dinghy through a marked mangrove channel leading inland to Alvaro’s fish house, an operation that purchases directly from the island’s artisanal fishermen.

As the dinghy threads past the navigation markers, Ricci keeps watch along the mangrove edges, asking his parents whether any crocodiles inhabit the shallows. At the wooden dock, island fishermen unload fresh barracuda and reef species into the processing area. Ricci’s attention fixes on an enormous needlefish laid across the cleaning boards. Prompted by his father to compare heights with the specimen, Ricci remarks, “Yes, he’s much bigger than me,” keeping a cautious distance and joking, “He might eat my feet.” After picking up freshly cooked empanadas for lunch, the family runs the channel back to the open anchorage.

Rainy Season Routines and First Driving Lessons

With the arrival of the first heavy downpours, the rainy season settles across San Andrés, establishing a steady weekly rhythm for the liveaboard family. Rick takes Ricci to shore each morning by dinghy before taking personal walks along the waterfront, while afternoons aboard Sophisticated Lady are devoted to homework, visiting friends, and creative projects.

Ricci covers drawing pads with deep blue ocean scenes, painting waves, local kittens named Penny and Boots, and the vessel’s hull and flag. Between school runs and art sessions, Maddy introduces practical seamanship skills. Under her close supervision, Ricci takes the tiller of the Highfield dinghy, receiving his first hands-on steering lesson as they motor across the harbor toward the beach.

A Dedicated Tackle Box and Deck Encounters

For Maddy’s birthday, Ricci dictates a card expressing affection while reminding his parents of his persistent desire for proper angling gear. Rick and Maddy respond by surprising the five-year-old with his own tackle box, loaded with hooks, lures, and a compact backpack designed to organize his fishing kit for dinghy expeditions.

Excited to test the newly acquired tackle, Ricci casts off the deck of Sophisticated Lady. The maiden trial hits an immediate hitch when a cast catches the hull’s rigging, prompting Rick to laugh, “You caught the boat.” After clearing his line from the deck hardware, Ricci continues experimenting with different lures, seeking hooks sized properly for small reef fish rather than snagging the schooner’s hardware.

Exploring the Reef Aboard Uncle Mario’s Clearboat

A distinct break in the daily routine arrives when Uncle Mario, a local island operator and family friend, motors alongside Sophisticated Lady in his newly launched commercial vessel: an entirely transparent Clearboat designed for reef sightseeing tours. Mario invites the family aboard for an excursion over the barrier reef and shallow coastal formations.

Looking through the see-through hull into the water, Rick observes that the view feels like “walking on the bottom of the ocean.” As Mario steers across the shallows, the glass floor reveals submerged coral heads, schooling jacks, and the rust-streaked skeleton of an old steel shipwreck teeming with marine life. Towards the end of the tour, Mario circles near Sophisticated Lady, allowing the family to gaze straight down at their own shiny stainless steel anchor firmly set into the sand.

Daily Pursuit of the Elusive Tuna

Returning from the glass-bottom tour, Ricci heads straight back to the rail of Sophisticated Lady with a handline and rod. Rather than relying on commercial artificial baits, he recruits provisions directly from the galley, securing pieces of breakfast sausage and diced ham.

Working his line near the hull, Ricci hooks small reef fish, including yellow snappers, while brushing off the ones that slip the hook before reaching the deck. His focus remains fixed on landing an offshore prize. Rick notes that while “he hasn’t caught his tuna yet, but he’s out there every single day with a sausage, a piece of ham, or whatever the galley will spare.” For the family aboard Sophisticated Lady, Ricci’s relentless angling reflects the natural independence and curiosity fostered by growing up on the water.

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