Reason #3 that I love to run a charter business. Again, in no particular order.

Everyday on the water is different. Conditions, the guests, what we are trying to catch, the bait or lures, etc. No two days are alike. Yes, there may be similarities, but no two are alike. It makes going out for the day less like work and more like fun!

You never know what to expect. Not all days go great either. Maybe less fish caught than we would like, maybe someone gets seasick, maybe a surprise shower, or a slew of other possible surprises. We try to prepare for everything, but we don’t always succeed.

But many days are magical too! Calm day, perfect sunrise, find bait or birds quickly and have that first fish in the boat before most people eat breakfast! The smiles are priceless!

Lastly, there is very little technology out there. People talk to each other, we learn a little about who they are and where they are from. New friendships are formed. For a few hours, people escape their everyday lives and are able to get close to nature. It revitalizes us!

Reason #2 that I love running a charter business. Again, these are not in any particular order.

I love watching people catch their first fish or first big fish. Many people join us that might have caught some smaller fish in a pond or have never caught a fish at all. But watching them enjoy catching that first fish, that experience is really priceless for me.

You can see their excitement as the board the boat in the morning. It’s all over their face. We get to our fishing spot and start to drop lines in the water. A nervous energy comes over them. Then BOOM!! First fish is on the line! A bit of panic sets in with what do I do next! We help them get the fish into the boat and that big grin comes over their face – a memory was just made! One they won’t forget. It’s priceless!

It happens over and over again – it never disappoints me. So much fun! One of the real thrills of what we do is sharing this experience with people.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I will share some of the top reasons I love to run a charter business. Not in any particular order!

Reason #1 – I love to see the sun rise over the water, hence our name Ortus. Ortus is Latin for rising. There is something special about being up early, getting to the boat, loading everything up and heading out in the dark. Only to be on the water somewhere and watch the world wake up!

Like a snowflake, no two sunrises are alike! Sometimes the sunrise is 100% over water, some times we have some land with special features as a backdrop, like the Provincetown Monument and so on. They have a magical glow to them and a different hue than a sunset. It always brings excitement and energy to the morning.

Yes, we do have those days where it is cloud covered and not much to see, but we are up and out on the water. Many people don’t see the sunrise as compared to it’s twin sister, the sunset. For them, the same energy and excitement of seeing something new and unique. A rebirth of the day!

Many times I am asked what we do in the off season when we can’t fish? Well, we keep pretty busy and have normal lives like everyone else.

But, here are some of things we do related to our business:

Clean and maintain our gear, marketing work, paperwork for permits and regulations, attend seminars and public hearings related to our industry, and the biggest of all – boat work! The list of things that need to be done on a boat can change from year to year, but we always have work to do. I describe it as the office building that I have to maintain so that I can go to my office in the summer! All this behind the scenes work that we do from November until April is so we can have a fun and safe summer. Time on the water is precious in the warmer months when the fish are here, so we do everything possible in the off season to avoid having to be off the water due to boat related issues.

But I also go to my daughters basketball games and events at school, home improvement projects and travel. I went to Costa Rica for the first time in December for a fishing trip. It was fun to be the charter guest and have the roles reversed. So this side of life is similar to what most people have to do everyday.

We will soon be on the water again and look forward to sharing our little slice of heaven with you all!

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