Longfin
I had now been in the business of harvesting sea
urchins for over 20 years. My sole occupation and income came from
diving for sea urchins. I had nearly 80 boats on my resume, which I
am pretty sure the second place diver on that record is not even
close. A dubious record some would say. Gary Wolloman, who broke me
in the business joked that record is a sign of instability. That may
be true, and a reflection of my personality as well. It was just
ironic and convenient that, there were 80 boats willing to let me
aboard. A handful of those boats were only for 1 day. Circumstances
were such that sometimes that happens for a variety of reasons. I
know on more than a few, I was not happy with the operation, for
safety or personality reasons, and I had a better offer somewhere
else. Some were seasonal boats that participated in other fisheries.
Not more than a few, I was fired, or replaced with a more suitable
diver, and many of those I was hired back. Divers, especially later
after the fishery closed, permit holding divers, became more and more
in high demand, Percentages were going up. When I started I would
get 50% of my catch and that was after a penny was taken off the top.
After awhile divers were getting 60, 65 and sometimes 70%. This gave
the divers incentive to stay with the operation, they might
otherwise, shop around for a better situation.
That arrangement was clear, to me that yea the boat
owner made more money, but had to do a lot more work and take on a
lot more responsibility. Then as the competition increased, and
regulations were established, some boat owners would sell there boats
and go back to being a walk-on. My attitude changed when my
experience with so many operations, exposed me to more efficient ways
of harvesting sea urchins, As I got older that was critical to my
health , mental and physical. I was also exposed to an ever
increasing list of favorable fishing grounds. Which became a
bargaining chip, with the skippers who were overly protective of
their secret spots. Treat me right, or your secret spot, would be
visited upon by some hungry divers. I hate to say it, I never did
that flagrantly, but it was always in the back of my mind, as I
became more “set in my ways” Some skippers would reap havoc upon
the crew, demanding, intolerant, selfish, etc. As time went on I
would not accept the pressure to perform. I had my pace, and that
was that.. I finally got to the point where my attitude was,.. I
would contract boat owners to transport me out to the fishing
grounds, and if they did not do a good job I would terminate the
contract. Somehow boat owners were not to thrilled by that analysis
of the diver boat owner relationship. It started becoming clearer to
me, as sometimes I may go weeks or even a month or 2 between boats,
that my choices were decreasing in the later years, as the preferable
boats had crews that would not go anywhere, and the less than
desirable had openings, but that eventual led to unhappiness. I
became more and more particular about which boats had favorable
conditions for me, and some of the boats were not available to me for
personality reasons. I was sort of just filing in, for a trip here a
trip there, but no commitments. I came into some money when my father
passed, so I finally broke down and bought a boat. Not to make more
money necessarily, but to have my own operation that ran smooth, and
as stress less as possible.
I was thinking of a break even proposition. I had
completed a tour as an able bodied seaman, with the Merchant Marines,
and I considered that my future, but I still loved the ocean and the
Channel Islands. I thought that I would just make a few trips, to
defray the cost of the boat and fuel, while I was between merchant
vessels. The tours last only 4 to 6 month's in the merchant service
for various reasons. One of them I think is crew familiarity can lead
to conflict, and so fresh crews were routinely rotated thru any
single vessel.
I was also leaning toward buying a boat and converting
it into a sea urchin/commercial dive boat. That had more appeal to
me than just buying a “turn Key operation”. It also would be a
lot cheaper initial investment. As, well as increasing the value of
the vessel after conversion. After all I knew many of the people in
the marine business, and relying on a John Gill euphemism. 'You do
not personally have to know everything, about what you are trying to
accomplish,as long as you knew somebody that did know how.
Little did I know those same people, knew how to get
away with the bare minimum and I was left having to do a lot more
work than I intended.
I also wanted something that would go to the outer
islands comfortably and that I could live on. I found a 33 ft
crystaliner. She was built in 1977 but she was sturdy and had a
Detroit diesel power plant. 8 tons without a load and documented. Marine surveyed at about $100,000 replacement value, my cost $20,000 original investment. She could make 12 -13 knots 14 if the bottom was clean. She could go into a sea real sweet and the chines on her bow got her surfin pretty good going downhill. She held about $200 gallons of fuel which was plenty for the long haul. I kept the name Longfin. She was sport
fisher, so all I had to do is install a swim step, davit, compressor.
With hoses and net bags, then I could go to work.
So I tracked down old Whitney, he was living on his
Urchin boat in Santa Barbara. He spent all that time and money
building that boat, but ended up just living on it.. He had a whole
yard full of equipment net bags, hoses everything I needed. I knew
two people that used to dive urchins that owned marine businesses, at
the same location. I needed the to have the mountings welded on the
davit for the winch. I also purchased a beefy diesel compressor, I
was not about to worry about getting enough air, I also had to have
a swim step fabricated and mounted. Guess who had to mount it? When
I paid for it I thought I was paying for that as well. I had to back
the boat down at the launch ramp and get knee deep in the water while
I drilled the holes. Pounded the mounting bolts thru the transom.
5200 marine sealant..now I could actually get up on the boat from the
water. The Longfin was officially a dive boat.
The only thing I did not have was a hydraulic anchor
winch. After making a few trips pulling that anchor by hand, which
was a pain and after doing that a few times I just wanted to quit I
decided Whitney had to follow thru and install the Hydraulic pump.
He finally did and gave me his winch off the boat. I ran the lines
and drilled the holes. He installed a switch on the dash that let me
activated the anchor winch, so I could pull the anchor easier when I
was by myself..
It was official I had viable operation and I was
proud of what I created. Stay tuned
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