Ross James
13th January 2002 Since I last wrote anything here the weather has been really bad (as opposed to bad). Bad weather is horrible as there is absolutely nothing to do. Really bad weather though, by some quirk of my nature, is fun and exciting. You see, in really bad weather the weather itself is spectacle … Continue reading Day 88
25th December 2001 Apparently Christmas Day isn't much celebrated in Portugal, with Christmas Eve being the main event. Certainly on the boat it was a day like any other except there was more alcohol with lunch. Nonetheless I had a little Christmas morning for myself. The ridiculousness of it cheered me up. I felt … Continue reading Day 69
24th December 2001 It might be Christmas Eve, but that is no reason for Basil to change his routine, and so I was turfed out of bed early so that he could change the bedding. I really would be happy to change my own bedding, but he won't hear of it. Good old Basil. I … Continue reading Day 68
18th December 2001 Today I have a new philosophy on life, or at least this trip anyway. Yesterday was my 60th day at sea, and people keep telling me that for some reason the worst period away at sea is around 60 days. I guess the logic is that before this point everything is relatively … Continue reading Day 62
12th December 2001 The storm moved north when it left us, and went on to cause mischief on the Flemish Cap and Nose of the bank. One ship suddenly ‘disappeared’ from radio contact with no word from it for a couple of days. People feared the worst as ships can and do just disappear in … Continue reading Day 56
11th December 2001 The storm was travelling fast and left us as quickly as it arrived; today was fine and bright, a few big swells remain but conditions are good enough to fish. So it’s back to reality and I’m up to my elbows in fish guts again. Yesterday was a welcome interlude though, and … Continue reading Day 55
10th December 2001 The storm reached us late last night and got progressively worse through the night and this morning. I snatched the odd doze during the night but gave up on sleep in the early hours. I went onto the bridge, but couldn't see much of the weather in the dark. Not that I … Continue reading Day 54
9th December 2001 Over the past weeks I’ve almost been willing a storm. In true British fashion I’m never happy with the weather. When it’s calm we fish relentlessly, day in, day out around the clock, so the work becomes a monotonous daily grind. When it’s very rough we can’t fish and I complain about … Continue reading Day 53
5th December 2001While I was on deck earlier, watching the net being hauled, I noticed a little bird scurrying around. It hid between some barrels. It was slightly oiled so I went to catch it, but it took off and flew away. It was a very odd looking bird, like nothing I’ve seen before. It … Continue reading Day 49
2nd December 2001From the fog came the Canadian warship ‘Ville de Quebec’ early this morning. As she did so the VHF radio crackled into life. ‘Santa Maria, Santa Maria, this is Canadian Fisheries Inspector onboard the HMCS Ville de Quebec, come in, over.’ Miguel picked up the radio and replied. He already had the pilot … Continue reading Day 46