The good life

June Casagrande

Things were already going pretty well for Chris and Melissa

Fischer. The active young couple -- 33 and 26, respectively -- came

out of early retirement in Newport Beach last year to pursue a dream:

sailing around the world on their 72-foot yacht, fishing, preparing

gourmet meals and exploring exotic coastal locations, all in a day’s

work on their own TV show, “Offshore Adventures.”

But good just got even better. Their innovative travel show, which

was broadcast on the Outdoor Life Network, has just been picked up by

ESPN 2, an accomplishment that will increase their viewers by nearly

tenfold and prove very profitable for sponsor Red Lobster.

“We’re really lucky to be getting this chance,” Chris said.

The couple are co-hosts on the show that also features Capt. Brett

McBride and Chef David Traylor. The foursome sail around North

America, fishing and spearfishing for the best that any local waters

have to offer. Then Traylor shows viewers how to turn the ocean’s

bounty into gourmet meals, which the Fischers enjoy before heading

off to explore the local landscape.

“It’s a show for everyone, not just really serious fishermen,”

Melissa said.

The first season of the show, which appeared on the Outdoor Life

Network, featured the foursome’s adventures along the coast of

Mexico. The second season will kick off Oct. 6 on ESPN Outdoors,

which appears on ESPN 2, with a segment filmed in Alaska -- the first

leg of the show’s transcontinental voyage.

“This is a huge opportunity for us,” Red Lobster spokeswoman Wendy

Spirduso said. “ESPN 2 allows us to reach almost a million people

with offshore adventures, and it lets people really discover the

exciting majesty of the world offshore.”

It’s an excitement the Fischers are getting accustomed to,

finally.

“It’s been quite a lifestyle change,” Melissa said. “You go from

living in a place where you have to worry about things like traffic

to living on a boat, where you have to worry about bears.”

But the cast has no worries about how well they will eat.

“David did some incredible stuff with salmon when we were in

Alaska,” Chris said. “But everything he cooks is incredible.”

Though he said it’s hard to pick favorites, Traylor’s grouper ribs

top the list, as does his tuna steak topped with fois gras.

“It’s just off the charts,” Chris said.

The crew, fresh from the Alaskan frontier, are on a break in

Newport Beach before continuing their two-year transcontinental tour.

After getting in a few fishing contests in Mexico and California,

they plan to head back to sea, eventually coming through the Panama

Canal and up the East Coast to Maine.

“Chris and I are both really fortunate,” Melissa said. “We met

about four years ago, and we both have always had a passion for

travel and exploration and adventure. So this has been a wonderful

thing for us to do together.”

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].