It is 2 a.m., and Grant Watson has just woken up. Working aboard the Dylharis, Grant will be out on the sea before there’s even a crack of dawn in the sky. It’s the same most days he works.
There’s no regular shift on a fishing boat. Everything depends on the tides and weather. Sometimes the boat will set off around midnight, and sometimes it will be as late as 4 am (Late?!!).
All aboard
So, it’s down to the harbour to load the bait and other supplies for the day. Then, all aboard, the boat will set off into the open sea. Fortunately, Grant and the crew get to sleep for most of the 3-5 hours it takes to reach the pots where they will be working. This means that, apart from a bit of tossing, turning, and working nerves, Grant and the boys can make up a lot of the sleep they miss. The 5-man crew just need to take turns watching and steering the boat from the wheelhouse while the others sleep.
The Dylharis is mostly a day boat, but it will quite often go out for a two-day haul or 24-hour round trip, especially when it is going out to haul some of the more distant pots up to 60 miles out from Bridlington. The nearer 20-milers make for ‘shorter’ working days, but we’re still looking at a serious day’s work
Hard work hauling shellfish
When the boat gets out to the pots, the crew get to work. The Skipper will control the automated hauler to bring the pots on board safely and efficiently. Meanwhile, there will be a man on the other end of the hauler, guiding the pots onto the deck. Next to him, a second man will put fresh bait in the pots. A third will empty the pots, taking out any lobsters, crabs and anything else from the pots. The larger catches are kept, while those that are too small are thrown back. Finally, there will be one man stacking the pots ready for them to be shot back into the sea again to wait for their next salty occupant. Grant and the rest will rotate between the jobs to keep things interesting.
It’s tough, physical work in adverse conditions, and it can be very intense. On average, the crew do 15 strings of 40 pots per day: That’s 600 pots hauled up, guided aboard, re-baited, emptied, stacked and shot back out into the deep blue; No mean feat.
A good craic with the crew
Fortunately, the crew are looked after well. There’s plenty of good grub on board, from bacon sarnies, yoghurts, and fruit for breakfast to revitalising coffee and sometimes Sunday dinners and restaurant grub.
It’s not just the food that’s fulfilling, either. Grant says, “When you’re out there on the open sea, you leave the world behind you. There’s no one around to bother you, and you can have a good craic with the crew.”
“We get on really well most of the time, and if something is getting you down, you can talk through it with the other lads.”
Back home …
Finally, after all the pots have been hauled and the catch is on board, the crew turn back to Bridlington harbour. Tired but happy and eager to see their families and kids. As with everything about the job, the timing depends on the tides, but landing is generally between early evening and midnight. Fortunately, unloading the shellfish takes under an hour. Then Grant and the lads are off home.
Watch this space for more on the lives of the Independent Shellfishermen in our Co-operative…