Hola Capt. Jose

  I am compelled to write to you because I think you should know how you impacted my son and I. As a long haul truck driver from Kansas I don’t get to spend much time with my son Jeff. I’m a single parent and I admit it is tough to raise kids in today’s society. The influences from friends and television seem to undermine every ethical and moral lesson a parent teaches their child. My son Jeff will be turning 16 in a few more weeks and is looking forward to getting his driver license. You should know Capt Jose that Jeff would not be getting his license or have his freedom if it were not for you.
Just a few months before our trip I noticed Jeff’s behavior take a turn for the worst. He slept through classes and began failing the ones he showed up for. I admit I missed more parent teacher conferences than I should of but choosing to provide for my son was more important. I thought he was going through a phase and like all parents believed he was a good kid. One day while on the road I received a call from our local sheriff’s office from Jeff. He was brought into the station for possession of a controlled substance and needed to be bailed out.
As a father I thought I had failed, I thought about how I could have let this happen. I also thought about what I should do with Jeff when I got back home. I had hoped spending a few days in jail might straighten him out and teach him a lesson. Well it didn’t teach him a lesson he just became much more angry and withdrawn from me. I found out that he never actually had possession of any drugs he was simply pulled over in a car with friends who had hid the drugs under their seat. None of his buddies admitted to owning the drugs and so the police charged everyone in the car with possession.
Instead of jail being a wakeup call for Jeff it just made him bitter. He had been harboring resentment for me always being on the road and didn’t know how to express it. Jeff told me that the older kids he got in trouble with made him feel cool and the kids at school looked up to him because of them. I thought my son was OK in school with friends and a good social life when actually it wasn’t the case. Jeff had self esteem issues and needed someone to help him deal with the problems most teenagers go through. He wanted a girlfriend and a job but didn’t feel confident enough to pursue them, basically he didn’t believe in himself.
My fatherly instincts kicked in and I decided I needed to take a vacation and spend time with my son; I needed to show him I cared and he needed to know I cared. I searched the internet for father son bonding vacations and found the Angry Marlin’s website.  The thought of sport fishing excited Jeff and I and we booked the trip. Jeff had never even seen the ocean before let alone the deep blue waters of Costa Rica and the Pacific. Our experience with fishing was limited to local ponds and flathead catfish, good eating but not much excitement.
The expanse of the ocean was overwhelming to Jeff at first; he seemed hesitant to get close to the water. It took me an hour to convince him it was safe to swim and he wouldn’t be eaten by a shark ha. The day before our fishing trip was the first day of Jeff’s transition from boy to man. He couldn’t get over how salty the water was and how deep blue the water looked. I could see just while swimming his confidence grew. He figured out how easy it is to float in salt water and ended up on a sand bar about a hundred feet from shore. He didn’t panic or shout out for help he just stayed calm and swam back catching a nice wave on his way in.
That night neither Jeff nor I slept much, we were making bets on who was going to catch the biggest fish and have bragging rights for life. We stayed up until three in the morning talking about the next day; it was like we were in summer camp together. The next day as we made our way to the boat we Jeff and I agreed to stay positive and enjoy ourselves whether we caught no fish or a hundred.
Out on the water that morning exceeded our expectations, and had us working together more than we realized. I had an idea the fish were going to be big but those Sailfish were monsters! The fish seemed drawn to your hooks, Jeff and I fought with those first four Sailfish for hours and the time flew by. Fishing back home in Kansas felt like going to a pet store with a net compared to the fishing we saw that day.
Four Sailfish and three Mahi Mahi later I was ready to collapse. Jeff continued to cast his line and I have to say it made me proud to watch him work so hard and smile while doing it. While sitting at the bow with a few brews and the conversation I thought to myself life couldn’t get better. I know why you do what you do and how you love it so much. When you jumped up and hurried to the rear or stern of the boat I almost had a heart attack. I thought Jeff fell overboard.
Little did I know that while I had your undivided attention you were still keeping an eye on Jeff. I had a feeling Jeff hooked a nice fish his eyes showed fear and excitement like when he swam in the ocean for the first time. I wanted to jump in and help Jeff fight the beast, I was concerned he didn’t  have the energy on his own. Boy was I wrong. Thank you for having the confidence in my son that I wanted to have. After the two hours of fighting that 300 pound monster Marlin with your coaching and encouragement Jeff finally landed it. There is no doubt in my mind without you there Jeff would not have been able to do it alone.
This may be the longest thank you ever but I wanted you to know exactly what you and the Angry Marlin team mean to me and my son. Jeff came back from that trip a man. He soars with confidence and has a girlfriend now. He said landing that 300 pound behemoth made him feel like he could do anything. I believe now that my son can do anything he puts his mind to and I have you to thank Capt Jose.
Once again thank you for the memories and helping a father and his son connect. Most importantly thank you for helping our small family become stronger. The world would be better off if more people had your qualities Capt Jose.

Your biggest fan,
Richard Candry.