I have recently returned from sea and I would like to share the experience I had on a coastal trawler. Last Friday I was waiting for the call from the skipper of the Don Domingo to allow me to test some innovations on our ‘surfboard’ design (our special device that helps keep tori lines under greater control at-sea). I had to make sure I could get the equipment ready and initial tests done before I took it to sea on a long trip that would last over 45 days.
The weather was fine, so I went to the harbour to ask for more information from the skipper. This vessel is big enough to get some good experiments done and the trips are short, no more than 5 days so we have a good turn-around time. However, there have been some administrative problems (as always!) and the vessel is probably not going to be available for a few days. I was feeling completely disappointed about the delay as it takes ages to sort out trips, but all of a sudden I noticed a rush of activity in the Quequen port.
Most of the coastal vessels were preparing to leave so I ran up to the Volador, a coastal vessel that I know from previous trips, a bit smaller than the Don Domingo. I asked if they were about to go and fish and they replied, “Yes, in about one hour!”
I had to make a quick decision because I knew it would be a hard trip, uncomfortable, dirty and due to the small vessel probable sickness for several days!! I had been waiting for the Don Domingo for too long and I desperate to do some preliminary experiments. I asked the skipper for permission, grabbed all the materials, dashed to my house to collect my toothbrush, and was out at sea within two hours!
The trip was good, except for a day with winds over 30km/h. I wondered how these guys bear this work on a regular basis. The food is good but the living space is tiny (3 x 4 metres for 5 people) and an intense smell of gas oil, cigarette smoke and fish is present all day. The bathroom is the vessel’s best feature; a 0.5m x 0.5m space on the stern looking out over the soaring albatrosses!