The Fishing Dutchmen in Malindi

From left: Captain Robert, The Penn Brothers van Berkel, and Jan Mas with and Emiel van de Werf at dinner inside the luxurious Clue.

On a typically humid afternoon in Malindi town tuk tuk vans rave their way on the miraged tarmack past Malindi Museum and the old Poruguese cemetry just a few metres from the rotting Vasco da Gama pillar. 

A right turn unveils a welcome sign painted with two sailfish. The Sailfish Club is for fishermen and lovers of the fishing game from all over the world who enjoy the sport in the coastal town of Malindi.

 

Known for its deep blue waters with abundant fish foods (plankton), Malindi coast has been described by many fishermen sometime referred to as anglers, as one of the big game fishing paradise of the world.

To attest to this, one of the world's leading fishing equipment maker, Penn, oganizes the 'Penn Challenge’, a tournament that attracts anglers and enthusiasts from all over the world tha takes part every year off Malindi. Explained one fisherman.

Emiel van de Werf has lived in Malindi town for the last 23 years since he came as a toursist. An astute and successful Dutch businessman, he landed in Malindi away from the hard and cold winter of his native home south of Holland, "just to take a short holiday" .

His love for deep-sea fishing ensured he returned, and settled 'for good in Malindi'.

In 2001 he entered the world record with a catch of 162.02 Kg silver tip

shark, and an ‘all-tackle record’.

He has since become a Kenyan citizen, and runs his businesses in the sun-drop town with aplomb. His own a resort in the heart of the town; Sail Fish Club, operates almost solely for deep sea fishing sportsmen and women.

The black-tip shark caught by van Berkel aboard Tega weighed about 70 kilos.

Two fishing Dutchmen, known among the fishing fraternity as the Penn Brothers, Jan Maas and Frans van Berkel were already enjoying their game in the sea from the club in a town informally known as 'Little Milan' , already in preparation to defend their title in this year's Pen Challenge in March. 

Last year’s championship was being fished by over twenty five fishermen from Holland and Belgium on eleven boats. 

The duo left in the early hours, before the sparrows are awake, the air crisp and fresh and there is a light breeze blowing on your face, and the sky is black and the stars are clear and bright.

 
And then they swang. The motors were warm now, the captain pushing the throttles and made the boat leap out the water towards an orange line on the Arriving at their boat, it was methodically prepared and checked,

horizon as sun then rose making a golden highway on the water, 

sea birds birds crying, the water swishing past boat's hull.

They arrived at their first way point, set their lines way out towards the sun

following the golden highway whilst scanning the horizon for any (bird) activity.

"Presence of sea birds indicates presence of bait fish", explained the captain.

Then suddenly they see something in the distance, "the game is on", 

shouted one of the crew in Swahili, and they quickly headed towards it.

For a about half an hour, they trawled.

The powerful motor engine's sound renting the ocean air. Occasional marine communication radio could be heard on the background each vessel spread across the sea announcing their updates. A tuna here and wahoo there!

Then the out-rigger snapped as they arrived. This was the moment, and

the split second seemed like eternity as they turned around to watch the rod

suddenly bend, the line go tight and the reel starts to growl and a large shape

leaped out of the water repeatedly making splashes as it hit the blue water.

Everyone on the boat was filled with adrenalin and the hook was set, scuttling

around clearing the lines whilst the rod stayed bent as Frans reeled in the line

the first wahoo for bait.

Deep sea fishing is a great adventure sport, a chance to get out to the open seas to explore what the deep waters can give as an adventure.

The wind, the waves, the view it is a perfect weekend ticket away from
the bustling metropolis where the only chance to a relaxing ocean view
is when on the pages of a travel magazine.

Watching how to lure, reel and haul a mammoth catch, one also gets to meet underwater creatures that you only enjoy watching on television.

Beautiful dolphins, sharks - yes Mas caught a 70 kilos white tip shark ...
tunas, marlins, wahoos, and sea turtles all give a spectacular scene as the vessel chartered deeper waters in which they live.

"For those who like new adventures and challenges, deep sea fishing will
come as a new frontier. And it is not a team sports", as Emile warned.

"You have to struggle with the fish. You either win or the monster on the other side of the line will. Luring and hooking the catch is only half of the adventure, you battle with your fish".

When he broke the world record, Emiel's certificate awarded by International Game Fish Association (IGFA) recognized an 'all-tackle record'. 'It took him over two hours to bring the shark onto his boat.

One has to keep in mind that he was in the open sea. On the second day of fishing aboard Captain Robert's luxurious boat Clueless, they had traveled 70 kilometers into the Indian Ocean for an overnight trawl with depths of sometimes over 3000 feet but only chanced on a

tuna in the early evening.

"Fish in these areas are strong swimmers, something that they use to elude predators, bigger fish and yes, us, anglers" Says Captain Robert as he sipped

his coffee after a turbulent night of unclear waters full of green debris.

This game has a lot of surprises in store most often times, even seasoned fishermen like Emiel aren't spared from it. "But you have to work for it, it is part skill and part luck, the unexpected will comes when you get to face a biter at the end of your line, the one that you have been patiently and fervently looking forward to".

"Then a battle ensues. A fishing battle is like a duel", warns Emiel.

"A display of strength and endurance, man over fish or fish over man". To fishing aficionados, the battle is termed as the 'dance' says Captain Robert.

Once Frans hauled a fish out of the water, it was amazing to see a fisherman's face, even experienced ones like Emile flurry through a heap of emotions as they view the catch. They hugged and patted each other and

promised a toast later, which they did.

With the element of surprise and a handful of luck, one may even catch
fish of unimaginable size, shape, colour and most of all, species.

Remember when a crew of a Kenyan trawling vessel MV Venture II caught
an odd looking fish that turned out to be a species, Coelacanth, long
thought to be extinct some 65 million years ago.

There was never a trip where the anglers got the same results. Every trip was different from the previous which gives this sport its edge, as Frans says.

As the sport continues to add the much needed direct foreign currency

to the tourism economy, much more still needs to be done to attract more anglers and enthusiasts for a full exploit of the potential. 

Councilor Otieno has headed the Malindi Town Hall Tourism board formed to oversee ways of improving the sector at the  municipality, and he conceded that “to attract more visitors to Malindi,a lot still needs to be done, in terms of beach cleaning, and even line the beaches with beautiful palm trees among others.”

Says Emiel: "proper publicity by the Kenya Tourism Board is yet to capture the deep sea fishing aspect of Kenyan tourism at the coast", and he believes that "the image that he got as a young boy in Holland of Kenya of only mountains, lions and Maasai roaming barefoot must change".

He likens countries like Malaysia's eco-tourist strides in recent past to planned meditated publicity plan, saying "tourism is an effective development tool, that would no doubt have a major positive impact in Malindi”.

He believes the Kenya Tourism Board has a job to do. "Necessary interventions should be put in place to improve the quality of tourism in general in the country so that fishermen will choose to come here instead of other destinations"

At the fishing club in Malindi, one can see the passion of the anglers as they gather after a day's excursion, and Captain Robert summarizes it when asked why, of all the places, Kenya, for his Australian-built expensive boat, Clueless: "Malindi is going to be the world capital for bill fishing soon" He said.