Out on the water with OWEN

I have learned a lot about the fishing business in Senegal - it will take time to become profitable, and put enough money in the bank to cover trips to sea where we don't catch fish.  I met this American at the airport at JFK, and we had a rollicking ride in OWEN from Île N'Gor where Owen was anchored, sheltered from high seas, to the port at Yoff where we picked up the rest of the team (additional 4 men).  We went out a bit to sea on the way so we had a small experience of rocking and surging on waves which seemed huge to me.  It was a calm sea, in fact.  The sea is huge, and wild and I got a glimpse of how difficult fishing is.  These men are all in, brave and excited...such a positive vibe.  It was amazing.

The smaller pirogue arrived at Île N'Gor to load the motor and 8 of the fishermen.  They pull up alongside.

Gas is very expensive and we burn through a lot.  If there is a good catch, it's not problem.  If not, it's an expense that needs to be borne until a better day.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don't forget joy - Tabaski in Senegal

Image
A young girl on the day of Tabaski.  This is the Muslim version of Christmas where everyone gets new clothes, the family slaughters a goat/sheep and everyone eats well, enjoys being together.  This is a screen shot from a video that Makale sent me of his family, she was dancing and smiling to music.  The fishermen are all happy to be able to earn money to make these purchases.  
Read more

Sénégal trip: Day 2

Image
  Today Makale picked me up around noon.  We went to see Owen, docked by Île N’Gor for protection against high seas.  It takes about 20 minutes to get there from Yoff, by motorcycle.  By car, much longer due to horrendous traffic.  On the motorcycle, we weave carefully between cars.  No one is going very fast and I feel completely comfortable (I do wear a motorcycle helmet.).  To get to Owen, we take a pirogue with a bunch of other people which goes across the channel to Île N’Gor, then takes us to Owen (who is adjacent to several other pirogues).  Every day, Makale comes here to empty any water which has accumulated.  It’s quite an effort.  Sitting on the pile of nets, we had a long discussion about the fishing business, which opened my eyes to what is involved.   I also learned that many fishermen have left to try to get to Europe and it’s essential to keep the team together.  We are a team of 12 adult fishermen and 3 ...
Read more

Mimi - our third pirogue

Image
We needed one last pirogue, a smaller one which would pull the cord to close the nets around the fish.  We had been borrowing one, and it was just a matter of time before that arrangement would falter.  We started building Mimi April 12 and she was finished in about two weeks.  As soon as OWEN comes back from Kayar, we will return the smaller pirogue to the owner, and start using Mimi.    
Read more