A Fisherman's Journey

Headed out to sea

Paul Nichols

Published Sunday, August 3, 2008

As I sit in my hotel, typing this entry I am next to two duffle bags. Two duffle bags filled with everything I will be needing for the next four months. Tomorrow, I move back on the boat after a summer off, and two weeks working in the shipyard. Only a leaking hydraulic valve keeps the work of leaving from beginning. Once the leak is fixed tomorrow morning, the race is on. Dock number four at the Fisherman’s Terminal in Seattle will be humming all day as we load eighty-thousand pounds of bait, fifteen pallets of food, thousands upon thousands fathoms of line, and everything else that a fishing vessel needs. Sometime tomorrow night, the Baranof will pull away from the dock and make the short trip to the Ballard locks. Once through the locks, our crew will navigate the Puget Sound, pass up through the hundreds of islands that make up the inside passage of British Columbia, across the Gulf of Alaska, before finally turning Priest Rock and docking in Dutch Harbor. The entire journey will last between seven to eight days depending on weather. Along the way, we will be working to get the boat ready, rigging gear, mending lines, and painting buoys set ups. There is some fun to look forward to though, as we steam up we will jig for tuna, catch up with each other after a summer off, and each night pile five guys into the stateroom that Danny and I share to watch a movie on the big screen t.v. The next time I post, I will be at sea. Hopefully bragging about how many tuna we’ve caught.