26th March, 2023
The Lone Fisherman
Jay and I were sitting in the cockpit of Cadenza in the NW corner of Chamela Bay. There was a steady flow of 20 knots of wind. The boat was rocking and rolling. We were staring off into the horizon. We were watching children play on the beach. Every once in a while, a panga would pass by. We saw a lone fisherman and we were trying to figure out what he was doing.
He was on what looked to be the bottom piece of an old jet ski. It had no engine. He had an oar. He was picking up the long lines he had set earlier. Hand over hand he pulled up the fishing net that went on for nearly a half mile. This wouldn’t be an easy task in calm weather. But here he was in this heavy wind with bumpy seas pulling with all his might. He had a bucket on his “boat” and I figured he had water in it and was putting the fish he caught in that.
Once he finished bringing in the fish net – that was by now about four feet high on his half jet ski – he threw down the anchor and laid down the entire thing again. Then he just sat there. In the wind and the waves. Eventually, he began to pick up the net and made his way to shore. It was quite a struggle, paddling against the wind. At one point, Jay was going to put the dinghy down and tow him in. But then we saw him making his way successfully.
What a difficult way to make a living.
The next morning, he was at it again. I wondered what kind of fish he was catching. Did he eat the fish he caught? Did he sell them? Was it bait he was after? Here is where I admit that I have been in Mexico for eight seasons and still know very little Spanish. It is in moments like this I get irritated with myself. If only I could ask him.
I looked away for a bit and when I turned around, I saw him at the bow of our boat. I ran up to see if he was tangled. He was. He motioned to me that it was okay. He untangled the line from our bobstay. No harm done.
While he was fussing with the line, I had a chance to look in his boat and into the bucket. The bucket had no water, just a few tools. And he had absolutely no fish! None! In my somewhat limited Spanish, I tried to ask him what he was after and why. All that work and no reward. But he just stayed silent and continued to raise the net, leaving me to ponder… Why?
Keep them coming and one safe.
Such resourcefulness! The bottom half of an old jet ski? I love Mexico! Just sorry he had no fish.
I assume he was still trying to catch fish. He will persevere until he can bring some fish home for himself and his family.
My mother used to say, ” Necessity is the mother of invention.” Indeed it is, I once saw a man on the jetty in Nuevo Vallarta with an empty 2 liter soda bottle, string and a hook. That was his fishing rod. Indeed, he had caught a fish and put it in his bucket. May we all learn from these people and simplify our lives.
Thanks for posting . . . Always enjoy your stories!!
Terri, do you remember the guy in the small boat with a single oar he used to skull around Paradise Marina every morning and evening? He used a net, and told us he was able to get all of his children thru college with his meger earnings from this kind of fishing. A motor would have made his life easier, but would have taken away from his ability to support his family. I admire the ingenuity of the Mexican people to make something out of nothing, like the lone fisherman in your story. We leave for Nuevo for a week with Bill and Cynthia, sorry we will miss you and Jay.
Yes! I believe that is the same man I based this story on.