Well, after going through school writing countless book reports, never really thought as a fisherman (I was always going to be one) I would ever have a need for the skill, but here it is.
I get a little down time at work which gave me a chance to read “Salt of the Sea”, it took a little longer than I thought because the seat behind the book on the galley table, always seemed to be taken by someone gawking at the stunning photo’s. Some of which would spark a tale or two by the crew about their own experiences at sea.
But really that is something which has made me fall in love with the industry, every fisherman has their own tales from their time at sea and all seem to be able to tell them well.
I have spent many an hour sitting at a bar in a regional coastal town with my fishing friends talking shop, so to speak. Everything from mother loads to epic failures and down right ridiculous bureaucracy. Regularly you would look around to see a 9-5 tourist who had overheard these yarns while getting a frothy, absolutely transfixed by the conversation, like you were some sort of live entertainment. And really this is what Dave Dawson has managed to encapsulate in Salt of the Sea – Tales from Commercial Fishermen. The stories of the characters were not dissimilar to those you’d hear having a frothy at your local with them.
My only criticism is that the book was not long enough, it needed like another hundred or so characters to help fill in those days when your stuck at sea sheltered in the lee of an island while gale force wind and seas rage outside. Perhaps Dave is holding out on us, to leave us itching to get hold of Salt of the Sea 2.
All in all, I highly recommend the book to anyone, it was a great read for a seasoned fisherman. But also I can see would appeal to others from outside the industry. Would love to see it adopted into high school curriculum to help inspire a new generation of fisherpeople, because god knows not every kid wants to be a Doctor, Lawyer or Extremist Greenie when they grow up.
Great work to everyone involved in the books making!
