Happy Birthday America! Our most heartfelt appreciation is extended to all the patriots before and among us who built this great nation. It is an honor and blessing to be American. In honor of the spirit and tradition on July 4th we celebrated in fine style thanks to Royal Star angler Hugo Klopper who hosted a burger and hot dog fest with the finest ingredients. Taking a quick break from northward travel we stopped for an extended final fishing drift nabbing one nice incidental yellowtail in the process. Most importantly the pit stop made a fine setting for the improvised picnic to the delight of all. Afterwards the uphill slog resumed fighting a legendary downhill current that set us back a few minutes even though accounted for. Tomorrow sees Captain Duke Ekstrom return to the helm on our annual Island Tackle three day summer run. Look for Duke to keep the narrative and images current as the trip advances. Final voyage photo rightly goes to Hugo as he was the uncontested hero of the 4th far from our home ground. Thank you again to all!