My hometown, Nantucket, is unique for many reasons, one of which is the ability to call around, and find out anything you need to know in a lightning fast manner. During my recent visit home, I had the unique assignment of photographing a commercial scalloper, or fisherman, on duty. "How the hell am I supposed to find someone still out this late in the season?!" was my first thought. During the winter, Nantucket all but shuts down, and it is nearly impossible to find activity unless you are exclusively searching for it. But, in the nature of Nantucket, I was able to find someone in just a couple phone calls, and the next morning at 6:30am (no, I'm not joking) I was on a boat headed out of the harbor and into the remote locations where scallops flourish. Here is my story.
As the sun ascended slowly over the horizon, I thought to myself, "okay, it's really not that cold. In fact, it feels refreshing, and it really is beautiful this time of the morning." While the thoughts of 'not being that cold' didn't last long, the beauty of the trip lasted throughout the 5.5 hours spent on the water. In the early morning hours off the coast of Nantucket, there is a beautiful calm-ness settled over everything in sight, something that most people don't get to experience in their lives. It feels as if there isn't any pain or suffering, no stress or worries, just beauty and calm.
We headed out to a spot that Bob Rank, long-time commercial scalloper and fisherman, was all too familiar with, and the work began. Starting with just one "drag" (a net connected to a metal frame) thrown overboard and dragged along the bottom to test the spot, and moving up to 9 drags thrown out and collected one after another. As the day wore on, it became clear that some spots were far more successful than others. As Rank pulled the drags onboard, he expertly sorted through the seaweed, shells, slime, and various abandoned objects caught in the net, throwing keepers into a metal basket, and wiping the rest back into the sea in one fell swoop. The quickness with which he sorted was incredible. Without any measuring, he could tell which scallops were regulation size, and those that needed another year to form a growth ring on the shell. Watching him made me realize how amateaur I was at many things in life, things that clearly only come with years of practice. Seeing him made me thrilled at the prospects of what I could accomplish over years of pursuing my passions. Seeing him sorting also brought some questions and doubts to mind. Would I still enjoy my passions in the future as much as he does? Would I grow old and tired of doing the same things? Only time will tell, but if I am anything like Bob Rank, which I hope I am, I will find the energy and interest to pursue my passions all the way through life.
