by Bob Kranich
This is a story titled, The Sponge Adventure. Captain Bob and his two mates, Dave and Amos fish the Gulf out of Key West in Bob’s sea-going Trawler, Sea Breeze. The guys have just taken the Sea Breeze out of Key West trawling. There are just off the Continental shelf. They don’t know it but a real storm is on the way!
The Sponge Adventure
“Aye Capt’n! We’re on it!” Amos said.
“Captain!” David knocked on the wheel house door, ”Sea turtles, two...no there’s three of them.”
“We can’t catch’em David, they’re protected.”
“Yep, Capt’n. But I’ve got a hunch.”
“What’s that David?”
“Calico scallops.* They might be feeding on the Calico larva. I thought I detected signs on some fish we just brought in.”
“Tell you what David, I’m going to flip around 180 and then get the net out. We’ll move in off the shelf a bit and hit bottom. Just a short run, 15 minutes or so.”
“She’s out, Capt’n!” David yelled.
“That’s 20 minutes, guys, bring her up.”
They went through the same motions. Nets up and in, booms up and then the modified boom superstructure pulling the net with the catch over the rear.
“Look Capt’n, I was right!” David exclaimed with glee.
Amos was dumping out the nets. A huge pile of Calico Scallops poured out on the deck.
“Well guys, it’s a good catch! That’s the good news. Now for the bad. We’re going to anchor, and shuck them out here. I want to get those shells back on the bed so the juveniles have a chance to live and grow.”
“Ooooh, Captain!” they both said.
“It’s a good catch,” Amos reminded David and he started up the freezing compartment.
“We’ll pack them in there. Now let’s get going. I’ll help.” Bob said, “This is going to make this trip worthwhile, guys. Think about that.”
Later…
“Sun’s going down. Amos rustle us up some grub, and we’ll eat, and rest up,” Bob said yawning.
Middle of the night…
Captain Bob woke up, sat up on the bunk. He could hear David and Amos forward breathing heavy, almost snoring. He thought, something's strange, something's up. The boat was rocking quite a lot and the wind was blowing a lot more than when they bunked down. He slipped on his clothes and boots and went out through the lower area to the rear deck.
The full moon was up there, but the clouds were racing by. The wind was blowing in gusts and the swells were long and deep…and becoming large choppy waves.
He hurried back through the galley and hollered, “Hey guys, Amos! David! Something's up! I think we got a storm on the way!”
The two men started to move. Bob went up the steps to the wheel house. He flipped on the radio…nothing but static.
Just then Dave came up. “What’s up, Capt’n?”
“Make sure everything is tied down, and batten down the hatches. Let’s get the anchor up.”
“Amos is on it, Capt’n. I’ll help him.”
By this time the moon was gone, the wind was screaming through the booms and rigging. Waves were up, and the boat was rocking violently…from left to right and front to rear. “Anchors up, Capt’n.” David came through the door, hanging on to steady himself.
“You guys watch the gear aft. I’m going to head for the Tortugas.”
“Watch out, and don’t do anything crazy! You guys are worth more to me than this boat!”
The motor roared into life. Bob checked the compass and pointed the boat north-northwest. Even though Tortugas was due north, the wind and waves were hitting them from the west. He had to over steer, partially into the wind. The big and high outrigger booms were banging left and right.
He was going to holler to the guys when he heard the winch tighten up the topping tackle which lowered and lifted the booms. Amos had tied a rope around his waist and David was holding and watching as Amos jumped out and momentarily engaged the winch.
Bob could barely see back through the inside of the wheelhouse through the rear quarters. Amos was crawling back through the rear door. David was holding on and reeling him in, hand-over-hand as he pulled on the rope.
Bob put his attention back out front. He couldn’t see very far, just up to the bow. All he could do was point the boat with the shaking compass. Rain was coming down in torrents and blasting across from port (left) to starboard (right). This combined with the ups and downs as they climbed one huge wave and then went crashing down into the trough with mountains of water all around.
The higher center of gravity caused by the two booms and the rear boom superstructure didn’t help any. They made the boat lean way over...first one side and then the other. Waves were awash over the deck.
Bob thought, sure this is an ocean-going trawler...but not an ocean-going storm trawler! We should be in port now, not trying to fight a storm...at least not one so violent as this!
Just then the boat climbed up and over a giant wave...Bob heard the motor race as the prop came out of the water. Then they went rushing down hitting the bottom of the wave. Another wave hit them from the side, totally engulfing the boat. They came out of it, and as they climbed another wave, huge sheets of water were pouring off the deck.
My second full-length book , Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers is composed of 336 pages. There are 12 stories running from 6 pages to as many as 72 pages. It is fully illustrated with 88 watercolors and sketches. The watercolors I made roaming around Key West after I finished my 750 mile hike from Georgia to Key West. (See book or Don Browne’s SouthWest Florida Online News records, A Walk Across Florida.) As you read these stories you will experience Key West, the Keys, and the Caribbean. These stories span the time of the early 1800’s to 1969. bkranich.wixsite.com/bobkranich
This is a story titled, The Sponge Adventure. Captain Bob and his two mates, Dave and Amos fish the Gulf out of Key West in Bob’s sea-going Trawler, Sea Breeze. The guys have just taken the Sea Breeze out of Key West trawling. There are just off the Continental shelf. They don’t know it but a real storm is on the way!
The Sponge Adventure
“Aye Capt’n! We’re on it!” Amos said.
“Captain!” David knocked on the wheel house door, ”Sea turtles, two...no there’s three of them.”
“We can’t catch’em David, they’re protected.”
“Yep, Capt’n. But I’ve got a hunch.”
“What’s that David?”
“Calico scallops.* They might be feeding on the Calico larva. I thought I detected signs on some fish we just brought in.”
“Tell you what David, I’m going to flip around 180 and then get the net out. We’ll move in off the shelf a bit and hit bottom. Just a short run, 15 minutes or so.”
“She’s out, Capt’n!” David yelled.
“That’s 20 minutes, guys, bring her up.”
They went through the same motions. Nets up and in, booms up and then the modified boom superstructure pulling the net with the catch over the rear.
“Look Capt’n, I was right!” David exclaimed with glee.
Amos was dumping out the nets. A huge pile of Calico Scallops poured out on the deck.
“Well guys, it’s a good catch! That’s the good news. Now for the bad. We’re going to anchor, and shuck them out here. I want to get those shells back on the bed so the juveniles have a chance to live and grow.”
“Ooooh, Captain!” they both said.
“It’s a good catch,” Amos reminded David and he started up the freezing compartment.
“We’ll pack them in there. Now let’s get going. I’ll help.” Bob said, “This is going to make this trip worthwhile, guys. Think about that.”
Later…
“Sun’s going down. Amos rustle us up some grub, and we’ll eat, and rest up,” Bob said yawning.
Middle of the night…
Captain Bob woke up, sat up on the bunk. He could hear David and Amos forward breathing heavy, almost snoring. He thought, something's strange, something's up. The boat was rocking quite a lot and the wind was blowing a lot more than when they bunked down. He slipped on his clothes and boots and went out through the lower area to the rear deck.
The full moon was up there, but the clouds were racing by. The wind was blowing in gusts and the swells were long and deep…and becoming large choppy waves.
He hurried back through the galley and hollered, “Hey guys, Amos! David! Something's up! I think we got a storm on the way!”
The two men started to move. Bob went up the steps to the wheel house. He flipped on the radio…nothing but static.
Just then Dave came up. “What’s up, Capt’n?”
“Make sure everything is tied down, and batten down the hatches. Let’s get the anchor up.”
“Amos is on it, Capt’n. I’ll help him.”
By this time the moon was gone, the wind was screaming through the booms and rigging. Waves were up, and the boat was rocking violently…from left to right and front to rear. “Anchors up, Capt’n.” David came through the door, hanging on to steady himself.
“You guys watch the gear aft. I’m going to head for the Tortugas.”
“Watch out, and don’t do anything crazy! You guys are worth more to me than this boat!”
The motor roared into life. Bob checked the compass and pointed the boat north-northwest. Even though Tortugas was due north, the wind and waves were hitting them from the west. He had to over steer, partially into the wind. The big and high outrigger booms were banging left and right.
He was going to holler to the guys when he heard the winch tighten up the topping tackle which lowered and lifted the booms. Amos had tied a rope around his waist and David was holding and watching as Amos jumped out and momentarily engaged the winch.
Bob could barely see back through the inside of the wheelhouse through the rear quarters. Amos was crawling back through the rear door. David was holding on and reeling him in, hand-over-hand as he pulled on the rope.
Bob put his attention back out front. He couldn’t see very far, just up to the bow. All he could do was point the boat with the shaking compass. Rain was coming down in torrents and blasting across from port (left) to starboard (right). This combined with the ups and downs as they climbed one huge wave and then went crashing down into the trough with mountains of water all around.
The higher center of gravity caused by the two booms and the rear boom superstructure didn’t help any. They made the boat lean way over...first one side and then the other. Waves were awash over the deck.
Bob thought, sure this is an ocean-going trawler...but not an ocean-going storm trawler! We should be in port now, not trying to fight a storm...at least not one so violent as this!
Just then the boat climbed up and over a giant wave...Bob heard the motor race as the prop came out of the water. Then they went rushing down hitting the bottom of the wave. Another wave hit them from the side, totally engulfing the boat. They came out of it, and as they climbed another wave, huge sheets of water were pouring off the deck.
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