Larry,
Was it a miracle, sheer luck, good captain or good first mate, that you were able to retrieve that rod and reel (I think it was a baitcaster setup) when sail fishing in the Gulf of Mexico?
It had slipped out or your hand and you yelled up to the captain on the fly bridge that you had lost the rig, he immediately hit reverse and the first mate scooped it out of the water.
You have had some exciting moments while traveling the world.
Steve T