Deck Hand-ettes

Early this Sunday morning, the girls and I went out to move pots to better grounds. And were greeted with a spectacular sunrise. A early fall chill was in the air and the waters were slick as glass.

Without Josiah in the boat, I fill in as the muscle. And the girls pitched in with the lighter tasks. While Sarah (8 yrs old) handled our boat, Claw'd, like a pygmy pro, AnnahBelle (10 yrs old) snagged the buoys.

( Editors Note: We say snag the buoys on our boat. It is common to say hook the buoy. Therefore on our boat the accompanying position would be a "snagger" rather than a ...... well, you get the idea. I can't quite bring myself to reference my precious little girls as ... the other. )

We were setting pots back into the South Battery portion of Charleston Harbor, I tossed a pot over board while Sarah keep pace with the boat. As the pot hit the water, I positioned my hand beneath the trailing line to monitor the feed and ensure that the trailing buoy cleared the deck. When I looked down I saw a rat's nest of tangle heading my way. Everyone's first instinct is to grab the tangle and try to free the mess before it goes over the side. And that would be a big, big mistake. Many a finger has been lost and deck hand pulled overboard attempting such a feat. The tangle disappeared below the surface as did the buoy with the
weight of the pot. Hopefully,  there was enough length of line to allow the buoy to reach the surface at low tide.

Yesterday, my wise and beautiful wife, declared that there would be no more flip-flops while crabbing. This morning, a feisty little blue crab grabbed Sarah's finger hard enough to draw blood. She was supposed to be driving but got excited and stuck her bare hand into the pot. When I pulled the crab off of her, it dropped directly onto my foot, and grabbed my exposed toe ... hard enough to draw blood. Why was my toe exposed ... flip-flops! A wise wife is a precious thing!