Thalassophile

Shrimp boats, we see them all the time from our shore. They seem fascinating, maybe even a little romantic (you know, men and the sea and all that jazz). Many moons ago I spent a night shrimping on one (when I wasn’t throwing up) and got a glimpse as to how they operate. It was complicated then and complicated today, as I once again boarded a shrimp boat to learn just how they work. Not to bore you with the technical stuff I’ll refer you to a page on google called HOW SHRIMP BOATS WORK. So, back to the romantic stuff–I’ve always believed that it takes a certain type of person to be a fisherman and I don’t mean the type that fishes on weekends or from the pier, I mean the kind that makes their living from the ocean. Thalassophile-that is “lover of the ocean”–you have to be one of those to work on the sea–it’s a soul thing–one has to do it, since shrimp boat work is hard and demanding. And if you’re not careful, can maim or kill you. My hat is off to all the shrimpers working on those round hulled boats that dip and sway constantly, dip and sway, dip and sway–

QUOTE:

“And the fog’s liftin’
And the sand’s shiftin’
I’m driftin’ on out
Ol’ Captain Ahab
He ain’t got nothin’ on me, now.
So swallow me, don’t follow me
I’m trav’lin’ alone
Blue water’s my daughter
‘n I’m gonna skip like a stone”  Tom Waits

WRITING TIP: Writing is a pleasure, enjoy it.