“Perhaps I should not have been a fisherman, he thought. But that was the thing that I was born for.”

Fair winds and following seas, Jaxson Marston. On Thursday I posted a photo of several scallop boats at Cape Ann Marina….and the very next day the fleet lost one of their own in a horrific accident… “Perhaps I should not have been a fisherman, he thought. But that was the thing that I was born for.” Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea. Cruelly, with just a couple of short days left in this year’s scallop season Jaxson Marston, just 26 years-old, lost his life to the sea on Friday after a horrible accident on the F/V 25 to Life. Another reminder of how dangerous the livelihood of fishing is for those who are called to it. Sometimes, fishermen don’t choose fishing….fishing chooses them. I’ve sat and watched the scallop fleet outside of Gloucester Harbor after dark several times this season. It is such a beautiful, albeit somewhat solemn, sight. I also found myself compelled to turn around and finish my coffee at Cape Ann Marina after seeing the boats tucked safely in their borrowed slips for the day. Scallopers in town from Maine have rolled into the bar while I’ve been working for the last several years….always so nice…and funny….and young. Full of promise, excited about the day’s catch and the money that was temporarily filling their pockets. This year I’ve sat on the periphery at The Lobster listening to them joke, and share stories, and enjoy a needed respite from the long day done ….and the full day ahead of them. Gloucester, Massachusetts is an incredibly special place. The rich fishing history and heritage defines so many families and should be appreciated and revered by others. The work can be grueling….the days are long….and it is always dangerous. I took these photos of the Fishermen’s Statue almost four years ago to the day. There he is, doing his thing…Honoring and protecting the fleet and serving as a memorial for “Those Who Go Down To Sea in Ships.” Fair winds and following seas, Jaxson Marston. So, so sad. Thinking of his Captain, his fellow crew, his family, and his friends.

Scalloping