Ship's Log September 9-16 2019
The Baby Seal
Previously while running the Manatee II, Walker and I got a chance to fish together for one trip at the end of the season. I really enjoyed this young man, bright and inquisitive, super hard worker and willing to do whatever it took for success in getting um. He had plenty of experience and knew what to do. Soon after fishing with me he made a mistake in judgement and ended up with a prison sentence. Once his prison term was served and he was back at home, I saw him working on another vessel while I was in Winchester Bay during a breakdown with my genset. Later in the season while ducking into Winchester Bay I saw him again but without a job at that point. I was working with Mark. But I knew Mark’s time was limited so I asked Walker to consider working with me on the James Lee once Mark was finished out in early September. I felt confident that Walker had served his time and deserved another opportunity.
I really like to work with people that I already know. It’s just a one guy deal. One good deckhand is all I need. I cook the breakfast and the dinner, I stock the vessel with lots of input from them on the foodstuffs, and seriously consider their needs when doing anything whatsoever on the vessel. I keep an eye on them at all times every day I know exactly where they are and what’s up unless they are covering me for a nap or sleep time and then I must rely on them and entirely trust them or I will not sleep. Or not very well anyways. So, I REALLY want to know them. I really want to LIKE them. Or they will very soon be outa there and I must go searching again. It is not a thing a guy can just “do”. I don’t know what some random dude will do once we are 200 miles out, 13 days into a 22 day trip, and it gets rough and something breaks. Plus, I don’t want to cook breakfast and dinner for some random dude. I have to cook it for me anyways, but often bend my ideal his way to accommodate and still have good harmony. So, I really want a person who will ultimately become a friend.
Walker was available and with fresh supplies, we headed out to sea on September 9th at 2pm with Mark and I’m near 4 tons of fish in the hold for ballast. We did not get to good water that day. My idea at this time of year is to work up north, thinking that’s the last area they usually hang out in to the end. On the 10th we got 76 fish while steaming past Heceta Banks.
We shut down that night to a glassy calm sea. Our lights illuminated the depths to see a lot of baitfish, blue sharks, and some squid. We were thinking Mackerel... They were big fast baitfish. So, while I was asleep, Walker took one of the rods and a Sabiki rig and brought 12 of them up and into the empty portside bait tank. We had some pets!! When I got up to pee late in the night, I saw the rod and the (missing all hooks) bait rig sitting next to the tank, and looked in and saw those fully 15 inch long fish in there looking at me and just hanging out all comfy like. We got 131 albacore that next day but did not throw any of our pets out, just lots of live and salted anchovies.
On the 12th, a baby seal of some sort was swimming right behind the boat and throughout our fishing gear for the longest time! It was a beautiful day with slick water all around us, and we were not catching any fish with that seal jumping up out of the water and following along for at least a half an hour. No shit! So, Walker came up with the idea of reaching in and tossing out one of the Mackerel. PERFECT!! That seal went all crazy top water rippin after that Mackerel. Way back behind the gear the seal finally caught it and started tossing it around the same way as a sealion does to a salmon. The seal did not return.
On the 16th, the forecast called for 40mph winds so we ducked into Ilwaco with a total of 1383 fish in the hold. It was 18000 pounds or 9 tons. Mark and I did 630 and Walker and I did 753. We took a chance to go shopping for foodstuffs. We had an offload appointment first thing in the morning. Easy pie, so out we went to get a drink. Well...shit. To protect all involved with the situation I will just say that an error in judgement was made that night, which led to a total aberration of behavior that resulted in problems for a few people which will be further discussed in the next trip re-cap.
The following morning, we offloaded the fish, then went to a friend’s house for a day of hanging out and having fresh grilled Razor Clams from Long Beach. The forecast was better. Back to the boat for the night, and in the morning, we moved to the fuel dock, made our live bait appointment, and headed straight back out to sea.
