Some of our member’s favourite fishing family stories come from Pilar Martinelli! Once again, she’s been kind enough to share a little glimpse into her fishing family’s life with us. We hope you enjoy this next chapter in the Martinelli’s adventures in lingcod fishing with their little one on board!
This is our fourth go with the little babe on board our commercial fish boat, except he is not a babe any more, and hardly little. He’s 35+ lbs of pure go. Every time has been different, bringing its own set of joys and challenges. We walk on board blindly, not knowing what the changing tides will bring.
This year we have discovered a T-Rex on board with us – a very active three-year-old filled with curiosity and counter-will. Telling him not to touch this control or that switch is just an open invitation for him to play trouble. Did I mention there are 6 computers and countless buttons and switches on board? Talk about temptation! It can be cute, funny, or damn right frustrating depending on who you ask and when. I’d say Captain Daddy-O was not least humoured when the T-Rex switched on the steering controls in the wheelhouse while he was fishing in the stern. Captain T-Rex decided going starboard was better than going straight and it wasn’t by much that he missed snarling the gear right into the stabilizers. Whoops! Or the other time when the Captain T-Rex decided one computer was enough and switched off Captain Daddy-O’s main seafloor mapping computer right in the middle of a fishing for lingcod. You don’t really need to see those sharp rocks, right dad? I’ve got this. And the time where T-Rex decided the new freezers were cold enough and it was time to shut them off. Who’s in charge here anyways?
For me things changed in that at three and a bit, the possibility of work beyond cooking, cleaning, and watching after Rex has opened up. This recent trip led me back to the stern to brush up on my knife and bonk skills. The guys say it’s just like riding a bike. True. Once a cheeker, always a cheeker. But now a cheeker with one eye on the job and another on the three-year-old rookie on deck, doing my best not to cut myself and keep Rex upright and on board. There were a few bangs throughout the trip, but no blood, lost digits, or boy overboard calls. Phew!
Captain Daddy-O built Rex his very own fishing station, getting him up to the level of the action. Rustic as it may be, it allowed him to be one of us for a hot minute or two. Maximus set him up with his own mat, scraper, and “knife”. And there he is, our growing little boy, fascinated with his big person place in line… until the three-year-old in him calls, and it’s time to watch the birds or check out the bubbles coming up from the propeller. Small steps. We’ve come a long way in 4 years’ time and who knows what next year will bring…
