7:32 PM
Today we pulled up the test traps, with some success, and continued running north. Unfortunately, we wound up having to turn around about four or five hours out, because Tony's motor died - apparantly some repairs that were done recently fouled up, and his fuel injector blew. So we wound up wasting a couple hours turning around to get him, tieing his boat behind ours, and taking off again. We might run all night tonight - don't really know. But we're getting closer and closer to the grounds we hope to fish, in the long, narrow inlets and fjords surrounding Bella Coola.
Laura is extremely neorotic, to the point of mild OCD. It can get extremly wearisome, but I'm pretty good at putting my head down and letting it roll off my back. I'm also new, which excuses me to ask questions, and to not be offended when she tells me how to do something for the millionth time. Ollie, on the other hand, gets pretty frustrated with her. He's been fishing with her for four years, and could probably run the boat himself without any major problems. But Laura still treats him (and everyone else) as if they don't comprehend what she does, even though we've already thought about it (and sometimes done it) before she's even asked. The problem with this is if it already has been done, She'll make us go and check or do it again, even if it was perfectly fine the first time.
Anyhow, I'm pretty good about not getting bugged by this. If her and Ollie start yelling, I just put my nose in my book, or back to whatever task I'm doing, and wait it out... I think it'll be better once we start actually fishing. And regardless, It's only a couple months, and they're both good people. Tony, Laura's husband, is one of the most patient men I have ever met - Laura gives him all kinds of crap, and he just stays quiet and lets it blow over. Which, with Laura, is all you can really do.
Two more days til the opening - tomorrow will be spent running and test-fishing, and then Wednesday we build the gear and get ready to do the first set. Then we set on Thursday, and wait and see what we get. Hopefully we hit good spots right off the bat, and then we just hit groundhog day - same thing, every day, for two weeks, when we unload. And then we go and do it again. And again. And again. And then we go home.
I'm looking forward to actually fishing - I practiced boxing with some of the prawns we caught for the test fishery, and I'm starting to get the feel for it. I think I'll pick it up quicker than I first expected. Not having to box the mediums helps too - they're all getting tailed and frozen, which is a pain, but makes the boxing go faster, as there will only be Larges and X-Larges, and the occasional box of Jumbo, to sort through.
Whatever. Money is money, and this ain't a bad way to earn a living. I'll definitly be glad to be back on the island once I'm done though.
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