Of Interest to Henning(and others)

[Lawreston]

My friend Linda just got back from a three month sea cruise. From 1200 miles out from Maine's rocky coast she brought the boat into Portland, Maine with a smaller than usual cargo, this time 10,000 lbs. of fish. Sometimes it's as much as 30,000 lbs. She's a special lady, America's only female swordfishing ship's captain.

The homecoming party was attended by several hundred who awaited the docking of the 96' HANNAH BODEN. Hannaford Supermarkets, for those of you on the East coast, will be featuring a special "Linda Greenlaw Sword Fish" section within the chain's seafood department.

During the cruise, other than the otherwise all male crew, also aboard was the Discovery Channel film crew which wrapped-up the next season's filming for the TV series, "Swords"(I think that's the name of it).

Between and around a few nips at The Porthole Restaurant on the wharf, along with freshly grilled samples of swordfish, I took nearly 200 pictures of which I'm still in the process of post processing.

Google Linda Greenlaw and you'll get many hits, including
http://www.lindagreenlawbooks.com/author/author.asp. If you saw the movie "The Perfect Storm," Linda was featured. She is a unique person.

HR

Photo #1: Cap'n Linda in the wheelhouse
Photo #2: Linda
Photo #3: Hannah Boden
Photo #4: Sampling the swordfish in the Porthole
(Photos not post processed when posted)

 

[Richard]

That load probably didn't pay even the fuel and food. Many industries have good and bad but in commercial fishing, when it's bad, it's really bad. The crew walked off that trip with not more than a fully belly.

But like the view out the front office when flying, commercial fishing is a wonderful endeavor.

EDIT: A quick search for east coast sword spot price reveals $5-6/lb to the boat. Assuming 10 equal full shares on the boat, a full share crew walked with $5,000. In retrospect, that's not too bad. Most green crew start at a quarter share.

Actually, how much a full share crew earned depends on the boat. When speaking of shares, some boats take all operating costs (including insurance and engine reserves) up front. This leaves the remaining to be divided into shares. So, a full share crew didn't necessarily walk with $5,000. I did the best when my share was off the top--before boats costs were deducted from the total catch.

The most I made when commercial fishing was $12,500 in 17 days. The least I made was $50 (fifty) in 72 days. The lower was when fishing Black Cod for a Korean firm who went belly up before we returned to the dock.

 

[tonycondon]

That load probably didn't pay even the fuel and food. Many industries have good and bad but in commercial fishing, when it's bad, it's really bad. The crew walked off that trip with not more than a fully belly.

But like the view out the front office when flying, commercial fishing is a wonderful endeavor.

i'm sure the royalties from the discovery show will make up for the lack of fish.

 

[Richard]

i'm sure the royalties from the discovery show will make up for the lack of fish.

Maybe.

More importantly, it kind of violates the reason for being in the industry in the first place; to be beholden to no one, to make or break on your own and enjoy the journey.

AFA contracts, we used to take state F&G out on surveys. Their promise to compensate for lost income often resulted in hundreds of days waiting for a paycheck or renegotiations. Add the incidental damage to the boat from landlubbers.

 

[Lawreston]

I went to one of Linda's lectures/book signings that was at a library not far from here.
Question and answer period: "What did you find most interesting when you were initially a ship's captain?"

"A crew of men, often many years sea-savvy, who for the first time had a female boss."

"And how did they adjust to that factor?"

"They knew who signed their paychecks."

Incidentally, one of the recent crew has been sailing with her since 1991.

HR

 

[Lawreston]

Richard: The boat off-loaded at other ports during the three months; however, the "home-coming" to Portland was a 10,000 lbs. landing.

HR

 

[Richard]

Richard: The boat off-loaded at other ports during the three months; however, the "home-coming" to Portland was a 10,000 lbs. landing.

HR

That the skipper of the Hannah Boden has achieved an unusual level of noteriety is evidence she is a "high liner".

 

[astanley]

Richard: The boat off-loaded at other ports during the three months; however, the "home-coming" to Portland was a 10,000 lbs. landing.

HR

That's what I was thinking; 3 month frozen sword isn't exactly a treat. IIRC they offload in Halifax, since they spend so much time out off of Sable.

Cheers,

-Andrew

 

[Lawreston]

Richard: Here's a good perspective.

http://www.dockwalk.com/Essentials/HotTopics.aspx?id=12318

HR

 

[Richard]

Thanks, Harley. So they call them "high liners" on the east coast too.

 

[Richard]

That's what I was thinking; 3 month frozen sword isn't exactly a treat. IIRC they offload in Halifax, since they spend so much time out off of Sable.

Cheers,

-Andrew

Many boats have blast freezers which can instantly freeze fish and maintain below 0F in all environments as long as the compressor keeps running. The palate of most consumers couldn't distinguish between fresh and flash frozen.

I know in the movie and in real life it may be common to keep the fish on ice. But that fits in with the stereotypical lure and romantic ideal of fishing. For coastal fishing--like Salmon fishing--making port every night or 4 days or so, icing may be a better idea. For large off shore boats like the Boden, freezing or a ice/chiller plate combo may be preferrable. Either way, the risks rises dramatically the further out of port and the larger the amount of fish on the boat. A $2 burst hose can ruin a catch worth tens of thousands of dollars.

 

[Lawreston]

Linda's sister is also into the sea but she stays dry and landlocked.
Rhonda's operation on Custom House Wharf(Portland, ME) is
http://www.seabags.com.

http://www.seabags.com/blog/

HR