Sunrise on on the Sundown

Sunrise at sea

Back in Darien, GA to get some footage of an actual shrimp boat catching shrimp.  We came to Darien the first time for the blessing of the fleet, but the shrimp weren't cooperating so we decided to make a return trip.  You really don't need an excuse to visit Darien, but we did have some work to do to wrap up the show on Georgia seafood.

Captain Fred Todd agreed to take us “hill people” to experience a day on a commercial shrimp boat.  We boarded the Sundown at about 4 a.m. and headed out beyond Sapelo Island.  The night (morning?) was inky black save for brilliant flashes of heat lightning on the horizon.  The sun finally made an appearance around 6 a.m. and it was a sunrise worth waking up for.  The sun rises (or, to be a bit more accurate, the world turns towards the sun) every single day without fail, but it’s still breathtaking to see those colors emerge and wash out the night sky. 

 One of the effects of my cancer surgeries is that I can no longer physically vomit.  I can still gag and be queasy and such, but those muscles that allow you to upchuck are no longer a part of my anatomy.  I mention this because this was my first experience getting seasick since my innards have been remodeled.  I leaned over the edge of the bow out of habit, but of course nothing came up.  I just gagged for about 3 minutes and then the sensation was gone. 

 I didn’t really feel solid until breakfast was served shortly after sunrise.  The ship’s striker (a term for the person in charge of the nets on board) was a man named Reed and he knew his way around the kitchen on the Sundown.  Shrimp with bacon and gravy over grits is not what you’d usually think of for breakfast, but this was no ordinary day.  The meal was simple, but incredibly flavorful and seemed to inspire a restorative effect on my heretofore shaky constitution.  It was still delicious two hours later when the gravy was cold and the grits were solid. 

After several passes with the nets, Captain Todd decided to cut his loses and head in with about 80 pounds of shrimp in the keep.  The ever-increasing price of diesel fuel has made this already fragile industry even more unstable.  I left the Sundown with sea legs and a strong appreciation for the work those shrimpers do.  It’s tough work with an increasingly slim profit margin and a sometimes fickle catch.  I don’t think I’ll look at shrimp the same way again.

 Still eating peaches, at least one a day.  I’ll be sad when the season is over, but it’ll give me something to look forward to next year.

Be well…gesundheit!

Hans