Ross James
15th January 2002 Yesterday was yet another fun filled day of wave watching. It was blowing a force 10 with 10 metre waves and hurricane force winds, nice. The epicentre of excitement was when a large wave pushed the ship off course and beam on to the waves. The autopilot couldn’t cope and we were … Continue reading Day 90
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
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
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
28th November 2001 My figures and the reported figures continue to be at odds, and I think I know why, but I can’t believe it. I’ve been over and over it but the only explanation is that they are up to no good. I’ll try to explain: Our catches are fluctuating daily between good catches … Continue reading Day 42
24th November 2001 I woke up and looked out of the porthole to see the tanker ‘Emma’ off the starboard bow with an arrangement of hoses and ropes connecting us. I went up to the bridge and watched what was going on. There was a towing rope to take the strain if the ships moved … Continue reading Day 38
22nd November 2001 Last night seeing dolphins swimming in the bioluminescence was mind blowing, but I was woken up at first light today for more marine mammal drama. I woke to a banging on my door this morning; it was Miguel ‘You wanna see whales?’ he said, ‘There are some outside of the ship.’ Within seconds … Continue reading Day 36
21st November 2001 The weather is good and we are fishing once again, but the fish have gone elsewhere. We have sailed north to target Greenland halibut, but the season has barely started, and as yet they are illusive. Not much fish means that there hasn’t been much work for me to do, and off … Continue reading Day 35
18th November 2001 It’s rough today, too rough to fish so we are hove-to and sitting it out. When I say sitting it out that is easier said than done, due to some quirk of a ship builder’s imagination. The only chair I have in my cabin is a swivel desk chair, and the effort … Continue reading Day 32
15th November 2001 I watched a trawl come aboard today. It had a surprise inside. There weren't many fish, but one very big fish made up for it. Once the net was on board it became apparent that we'd caught a large Greenland shark. It was a real monster, close to 5 metres long. It … Continue reading Day 29