Take a Master and Commander (a regular old Captain Birdseye with a taste for fishing) and a couple of young novices; give them a little boat called “So What?” and an early start on a beautiful sunny morning on the Southside of Brisbane. Take the cheeky boat to Victoria Point (where the ferries leave for Coochiemudlo Island) and ease it off the boat ramp into the water of Moreton Bay.

Start engine of perky boat first time and venture out into the bay… for two hundred and fifty metres. Find that engine stops abruptly for no obvious reason and try to restart… too many times to count. Discover that the tide is taking wilful little boat in the direction of the ferry jetty and, quickly, throw out anchor. Also put out fishing lines (Captain Birdseye never misses an opportunity) while considering what to do next.

In the blink of an eye a one metre long mud shark lurking close to shore (according to the good Captain) likes the look of the Captain’s speciality squid and decides to have it for breakfast. After a mighty tussle the shark is netted, de-hooked and swimming back in the water. Before long one of the novices feels a strong tug and sees his rod bend in the middle – another big one! After a long and exciting battle the second shark, almost as large as the first but a different variety, makes it on board for a quick bit of surgery and is soon back in the salt water (which is good for his sore mouth). But the stubborn little boat still has to make it back to the boat ramp…

Captain Birdseye is not worried; he is prepared for any mishaps at sea (or on shore in this case). He puts the back-up engine, albeit just a little one, into action and thirty minutes later they arrive at the ramp. By midday they are home for lunch (maybe fish fingers).

The captain laughs as he considers what he shall tell other fishermen when they ask (as they always do) where the best fishing grounds are… He decides he will not tell them to anchor two-hundred and fifty metres from the shore, near the ferry jetty at Victoria Point – it will be his little secret. He doesn’t fancy answering any difficult questions like “Why take a boat?” Do you say “so what?” – precisely.