Deeper Water's (part 1 of 2)

Deeper Water's (part 1 of 2)(Logan I. Sivils) It was a beautiful summer morning as I stood at the bow of the sixty foot snapper boat headed out towards the Gulf of Mexico. I was half way between seventeen and eighteen but had already fished most of the waters on the southern end of Tampa Bay. A few days before I hired on as a deck hand of the Sandy II, which I guess made sense for my first job since I loved the water and fishing in any way I could. After all, how different could this way of making a living be. The time I was about to spend on this floating house of work was about to show me just what difference really means.

I had met the Captain only a few days before, and to be honest he did his best, without saying no outright, to get me to change my mind and find other work. He let me know this was no 9/5 job and no matter when he gave the command to fish, we fished. We could only stop if and when he said so and there were no arguments about it. His word was law no matter the topic and there was no discussion. He talked about a lot of things like sleeping conditions, food, the kind of work needed and so on, but in my eagerness I think I missed the important parts. First in command was the Captain, then the first mate; after came the cook and the deck hands.

There were four motor driven large reels for fishing on each side of the boat welded to and iron pipe coming from the deck, with a four foot arm at an angle over the side. Eight men were hired to fish from these rigs’s making a crew of eleven for a trip to the Gulf lasting a month or more depending on weather and finding fish. There were eight bunks buried deep in the below decks at the very bow, but it looked and smelled more like an old storage area with no room to turn around in. With no window and little air it was not where you wanted to be unless passed out from being so tired where you were did not matter. The best place on the boat was the cook’s galley where we were served three solid meals a day. I put on almost thirty pounds in the time I was on board, and the food was great with plenty of it. You finished your plate every time because the next meal might be a while if you were on fish. The bathroom was easy to find, since it was the stern of the boat, and the first advice you got before using it was in humor with an older crew member saying, “Use care not to fall over, there be shark’s in these waters.”

After my first tour of the boat and my conversation with the Captain, he left my employment up to me. He told me that tomorrow would be the last day in port, stocking up on supplies, fuel and ice for the fish boxes and stowing the crew’s gear away. If I still wanted the job in the morning, show up, sign on and get ready to leave early afternoon for at least a month.

Bright and early the next morning my feet were holding down a spot on the dock, to make a good impression, which I found out later was not really needed, since just showing up was a good thing in this business. The Captain just smiled at me and said, “Welcome aboard!” With my gear on board I joined with a few others loading the groceries and started getting to know some of my mates I would be rooming and working along side of. The ones who had been doing this for a living ranged in age from their late thirties to their late fifties, and weather worn enough so there were no doubts about their profession. There was only one young man close to my age and I guessed him to be in his mid twenties. We made friends right off and I found out this was to be just his third trip out but he seemed to enjoy the work, at least for now.

Everything was near ready on the boat by mid day and all of the crew short of one had arrived and settled in. Everyone so far seemed friendly and easy to get along with, laughing and joking with each other while things were being put in its proper places, even the Captain was in good spirits. I could tell though the crew and Captain had doubts about the one missing crew member who had not shown up yet. We would leave mid afternoon but somehow they did not seem all that worried about missing this particular crewman. Finally the missing man showed up and right away I think I understood their lack of concern. He was already quite drunk, or had not sobered up from last night, and as soon as his feet touched the deck the Captain was in his face. This part of the Captain I had not yet seen, but it was easy to see he could be in control of any situation if need be. The man promised to do his best and behave on the trip, and even though the Captain had said he would give him a chance, everyone doubted that would work out at all.

When the Captain gave the signal we loosed the moorings and headed out to Tampa bay to then take on the Gulf about five miles away. We couldn’t have traveled more than three miles before the drunk started raising a ruckus and screaming for a beer to help with his DT’s which had already started. He knew the Captain had some on board for just such things, but the Captain knew one or two would not fix what was wrong with this old fisherman. The rest of us moved back and let the man in charge handle this, which he had no problem in doing. The drunk pulled out a knife and hollering for a beer lunged toward the Captain in the wheel house. In a moment to fast to see the Captain pulled a long Billy club from inside the wheel house and in the same motion connected it with the drunks head; naturally putting him into a nice deep sleep. The ship made the wide turn heading back, and in a few minutes pulled back up to the dock just long enough to transfer the drunk from the ship to the waiting Sheriff’s car. Well if this was just a sample of what was to come, this ought to prove interesting to say the least.

I had a good feeling inside about what I was doing, and was comfortable with the men who I would share this adventure with. The Sandy II was the largest boat in the fleet at the time, sixty feet long, strong and sturdy, and apparently Captained by one of the best men around the area. I think we took to each other right away and I knew without telling him, that he was keeping an eye on me. I guess it was natural, since we were closer in age that the other young man and I hit it off in the beginning and had been assigned reels next to each other.

We had several days of travel ahead through the Gulf before we would reach the fishing grounds, and this day’s work now done. I walked to the bow listening to the low rumble of the powerful engines below. A splash caught my attention and looked over the bow to find several dolphin playing games darting about the bow and its wake. There seemed to be hundreds of sea birds, Pelicans and Seagulls hovering around the boat. All they knew was boat and fish, with no sense whether we were coming in with fish or going out empty. As we passed the last Island between us and the Gulf there was nothing but water and the horizon ahead of us. I turned and sat on the rail and watched as Florida disappeared behind us, and the last of the birds headed back to shore disappointed. I had never seen the sun as beautiful as it slowly slipped into the water so far away with nothing between us to interrupt my view. With the sun gone the stars took over the job of lighting the waters around us, and looked around thinking just how alone we were in this place. It was late now and time to get some sleep, thinking that the gentle roll of the boat would rock me to sleep. I was not looking forward to the damp dark hold for the bunks, but finding mine I crawled up to the small bed and closed my eyes. Things did not go as planned and me never being seasick before had no meaning to the way I was beginning to feel. The dark confined space, the damp and old smell the permeated the room, the gentle rolling up and down of the boat, and a good meal earlier all came to a head as I ran out and up to the deck. The Captain gave me a few moments before coming over and saying, “I’d hang on to something leaning over the side like that; it could be your first and last mistake!” I was embarrassed a bit but he assured me many do the same thing at first, and then quickly get their sea legs. We talked for a while with nothing particular for a topic other than getting to know a little about each other and making me feel more at home. I headed back to the bunk, crawled back in and fell fast asleep, knowing the real work began tomorrow and I had a lot to learn.