Yesterday we went fishing – in the Atlantic ocean. That still sounds strange to me having lived in Texas all of my life before moving to Boca two years ago. Unfortunately, we didn’t catch many fish; we only caught a remora.
If you aren’t familiar with remoras, it’s the fish that you see attached to sharks.
Also, if you know Jimmy Buffett’s song, “Fins,” you’ve heard the reference to remoras:
Chorus:
Can’t you feel ‘em closin’ in, honey
Can’t you feel ‘em schoolin’ around
You got fins to the left, fins to the right
And you’re the only girl in town
Sailed off to Antigua
It took her three days on a boat
Lookin’ for some peace and quiet
Maybe keep her dreams afloat
But now she feels like a remora
‘Cause the school’s still close at hand
Just behind the reef are the big white teeth
Of the sharks that can swim on the land
I have a confession to make about this song. I only found out recently that the song is about “fins.” For years, I sang, “…dance to the left, dance to the right…” It seemed to work at the time. I also never knew what a remora was until we were saltwater fishing last summer and once again, caught a remora. I makes me wonder if sharks are nearby when remoras are all that are caught!
It was still a fun day even though the fish weren’t cooperating.
