In case you haven't read part one of this story, you may want to check it out then pick it back up here. Here's your link.

Now, let's clear up a few things. First of all, there's no reason to feel bad about the the ugly feet on the girls in the picture above because those are actually our feet. You see, we wanted to have something to mix it up while we were floating around the North Atlantic with Frank Mundus waiting for a monster to wind his way up the slick in search of our baits.

After a little thought, we figured he might get a kick out of it if we pulled off our shoes to expose our port and starboard toenail artwork. It would be a touching tribute to a tradition Frank started many years ago. These days, he carries it on with socks of corresponding colors, but we wanted to go all the way. That's how we found ourselves painting each other's toenails at around 1:30am before boarding the Cricket II with Frank at 6. There's a first time for anything.

We had come a long way; leaving our home town on Wednesday in Florida to catch our flight an hour south in Fort Myers. From there, it was a plane swap in Atlanta and on to New York's JFK where we rode a metro rail train for two stops too many. Finally, it was behind the wheel of a rental and a drive for as far as we could go to the tip of Long Island. That would put us at our final destination in Montauk. It was a long trip full of trains, planes and automobiles, but none of us cared. We were on a quest and at the end of the road was a prize. We had been keeping in touch with Frank prior to our trip and he was reporting a pick up in the fishing action in the weeks before our arrival. Everything was looking right. The day we left, though, there was a tropical storm by the cute name of "Cindy" heading towards our home port in Florida. It didn't look too serious, but the timing couldn't have been stranger. Oh well, we had battoned down the hatches at home and wouldn't feel a thing in Montauk ... right?

Things finally quieted down and we made our move. After all these years, it was an honor to meet Frank. We got to know him long distance before heading to New York, but after just a few minutes, it was like visiting with an old friend of the family. We had a hell of a time listening to his stories, asking questions and talking about fishing, learning, telling jokes ... lots of jokes (Frank's got a million). Then, the subject of the weather came up, and Frank talked about the next day and our charter. Tropical Storm Cindy was making her way on a direct path to Montauk. We had all been watching The Weather Channel, but weren't going to bring it up until it was necessary. He assured us he uses a wrecking bar and not a shoestring to check conditions before going out, but you never know.

Without hesitation, we told him it didn't matter if he even put meat on the hooks, and all we did was float around with him on the Cricket II. This was about more than just the fishing part. After a while, and some more jokes, we all agreed to meet the next morning at 6 and see what Mother Nature had in store for us. Before leaving Star Island, a past mate and friend of Frank's, Rob Osinski, showed up to say hello. We ended up having a great time with him over next few days. Before dark, we parted ways and quietly prayed for sharks and good weather. Later on, we went to Salivar's to loosen up for our toenail painting party before getting a nap.

Fast forward to the next morning -- Charter Day. The Weather Channel didn't exactly kiss us good morning. The radar had Cindy moving directly over top of Long Island and she was expected to sit there through the entire day ... you have got to be kidding. We pretended not to hear that and headed for the dock to see what Frank's wrecking bar had to report. We knew, not so deep down inside, what to expect. It wasn't the best news, but then we realized it meant we'd have to spend the day with Frank Mundus in Montauk. No matter how you slice it, that beats a red-hot poker in the eye.

Upon arriving at the Cricket II, it was obvious we would be landlubbers on this particular day. Frank wasn't happy about it, either. As a matter of fact, he was madder than we were. After reminding him it wasn't just about the fishing, we made alternate plans. This also seemed as good a time as any so we took the opportunity to unveil our painted feet. We got the response we were looking for ... lots of laughs. He said nobody had ever done that. It was a first and might warrant a mention in his next book. It was now obvious we'd have a good time this day ... fishing or not.

We would make good use of our time and the rainy day. Frank had some documentary footage from upcoming shark week he wanted to show us and some footage of him on the David Letterman show after the catch in '86. We spent a few hours at Star Island while Frank sold books, signed autographs and told stories to many eager ears. And when the weather turned real nasty, we headed back to the hotel. Scott's computer had a DVD drive and it was a great day to stay inside and watch movies with Frank.

Later in the afternoon, when it dried up a bit, we went back to the dock for the late crowd. After it thinned out, we grabbed a quick dinner with Frank at one of his favorite burger joints. We dropped Frank off and said good night, but not before he told us to pick him up at 5:30am sharp to head to the dock. So that's what we did.

To wrap it all up, we had dinner at "The Dock" restaurant with Frank and Rob. Our adventure was coming to an end, but we knew we'd be back. It was four of the best days any of us have ever had and we made some true friends while we were at it. Thanks to Uncle Frank for one hell of a time. We'll see you soon.

UPDATE: We got a call from Frank on New Year's Day 2006 with the news he was coming back to Montauk. That night, we called and confirmed we'd be there. When asked what day we wanted to fish, we gave it some thought and asked if August 6th might be open. After a few moments pause, he said it was ours if we wanted it. Just so happens, that's 20 years, to the day since the catch of "The Big Guy", also known as the largest fish ever caught on rod and reel. As fate will have it, we're leaving for Montauk on the 2nd of August 2006. And like last year, Frank has informed us the fishing is starting to get good and ... the weather looks great for the 6th. Stay tuned. We'll keep you posted. P.S. Pray For Sharks.

A special thanks to the staff at the Snug Harbor Marina & Motel and the Star Island Yacht Club. We'll see you again soon.