The Kolius clan with a sweet trio of Wahoo.
Olympic Silver medalist and former America’s Cup skipper John Kolius and his wife Joanne are living the good life on their 45ft Viking Express in Florida. The following interview has been shortened for our print copy. For the full interview, please go to www.gulfcoastmariner.com
GCM: Why did you leave Texas?
JK: We can’t really say which came first, deciding to cruise the Bahamas or wanting to fish more. All we know is that we both love the ocean and we both enjoy the feeling of being offshore.
GCM: What type of boat do you own?
JK: We have a 2006 45ft Viking Express Sportfish. The engines are 900 Common Rail Mans. She cruises comfortably at 24 knots. We have three AC units, two refrigerators, two freezers and two live bait wells.
GCM: What kind of fish do you like to fish for?
JK: Really big fish. There is nothing more exciting than a BIG fish behind the boat. The marlins, both blue and white, arrive in the Bahamas sometime in late April and when they do, we have a great time.
GCM: Who does most of the cooking on board?
JK: It’s about even. We have a small outdoor grill that travels with us and I usually do the grilling. Joanne prepares most of the sashimi along with any pan cooking that requires the stove.
GCM: Do you have any special recipes you can share with us?
JK: Sure! We eat fish a lot and we keep our recipes pretty simple. Bacon wrapped Wahoo: Take a loin and slice it open down the middle so that it opens up like a hot dog bun. Inside the loin use a mixture of paste wasabi and cream cheese. Close the loin. Wrap the loin in uncooked bacon. Place on the grill and cook until the bacon is done. Cut into medallions and serve with some rice.
GCM: Do you have any special places you like to go?
JK: We like to go to Hawk’s Nest on Cat Island. It just has a special charm we like. It’s a small hurricane hole with a good marina and the fishing is good.
