Linda Greenlaw's "The Hungry Ocean" revealed to me a lifestyle in which I had only minor previous knowledge from The Discovery Channel, and other semi-educational television shows, of a profession that is both dangerous and exciting. Being a enthusiast of the ocean and the lifestyles that are attached to it, I was intrigued by this book.
The basic idea and plot of this book was one of Linda's monthly sword fishing trips aboard the Hannah Boden, along with her six-man crew. Each crew member, Ringo, Charlie, Kenny, Peter, and Carl, has a comical story to tell that is all of their own.
The story begins in September with preparation of the Hannah Boden for a fishing trip to the Grand Banks. 'Steaming out' to the fishing grounds takes a week because they had to find the correct ocean temperature and set out their fishing gear. Once the 1000 hooks have been set into the ocean the process has been completed and the boat must stream back to the first buoy to start the extensive procedure of bringing the gear back into the boat.
English: Trawler Hauling Nets Source: http://www.p...
Linda
Linda & LindaThe duration of a usual trip is anywhere from ten to fifteen days of fishing. Within this book there is description of the excitement of sets with 100 plus fish and the disappointment of less than 10 in an entire set. Linda also describes the advantages and disadvantages of being the captain of a fishing boat. The main advantages being that she receives the biggest paycheck and gains the respect of other fisher people for being the only woman sword boat captain, while the disadvantages include dealing with the crew problems, keeping on top of the best fishing grounds and beating other boats to the punch, and also dealing with whatever mother nature throws...