"Two Sisters" arrived yesterday afternoon. She's a weatherbeaten, wooden tuna boat about 35' long with a bit of a tugboat look to her. Very old fashioned to look at, she has clearly seen better days but she seems stout and, though slow to maneuver in wind, steady of soul. The young couple on board clearly know her well and their calm manner of handling her make it clear they have a close, working relationship with each other as well as the boat. As they pulled up to the dock Patty & I took a line to help them tie up in the wind and though they thanked us it was clear the hand was unnecessary.
I asked about the conditions off shore and they stated it was pretty lumpy with 10 ft swells and 5 foot wind waves but the tuna were biting well and they would not have come in had the ice not run out.
A Miniature Dachshund in the wheelhouse was standing on the shelf above the wheel with her head out the open window and wagging her tail, completely at home in her constantly shifting environment.
It's a bit of an incongruous picture, the weathered fishing boat with her tiny cabin snugged up tight behind the shiny, new 46' Nordhavn pleasure yacht and surrounded by large, expensive sailboats, all of us, power and sail, waiting for the weather to break so we can continue our southbound trek to winter in Mexico.
Like a common house wren among a flock of exotic birds.
1 comment:
Oh my god! My father has been a commercial fisherman for over 30 years, and this was his first boat. We sold it when I was still very young, but some of my fondest childhood memories took place on this boat going across to the Gulf Islands in BC.
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