California Waypoints

By John Platt and Irene Marie Hurwitz Well, I must say it’s nice to be back at the keyboard. I really didn’t think I’d miss it, but I was mistaken. The sea, the boats, the fishermen are my soul. It’s something I need to feel whole and I really miss it. It’s the little things, the weather reports, the jokes, the old-timers, the youngsters, the jargon, the slang, (the “mother tongue” so to speak). Comments you make like, “I threw the pick.” “I set the heavy first and then the dogs! Got my first bite three stops down. They’re coming right on top today! I love this hoochie!” Anyway, you get the point! As for fishing, the latest reports I hear are not promising. As most of you know, crab season has been dismal, with reported numbers being ones and twos and zeros per pot. If anyone is doing be...

By John Platt Hurwitz and Irene Marie Hurwitz As most of you know, a new boat carries with it a multitude of hidden secrets. When we tried to leave Dana Point for a temporary slip in Long Beach, California in our new (to us) boat, we encountered several humiliating false starts. Finally on our way we made it to our slip in Long Beach and then found a nearby shipyard to address some issues that needed fixing before heading north. With our boat in the shipyard, and no place to sleep, we headed home for a few days. Once things were wrapped up at the yard, we’d take the boat north to our homeport in Half Moon Bay. By then we’d be hitting it just right for the start of salmon season in May. A few days at home stretched into a few more days. Progress on the boat was slow. Each call from the s...

By John Platt Hurwitz and Irene Marie Hurwitz There comes a time in your life when your old trustworthy boat becomes just old and not so trustworthy. This happened to us early in 2006. The leaky stack pushing its way up through the floorboards at the back of the wheelhouse belched out toxic fumes from the old 371 Jimmy below. The diesel engine warmed up the wheelhouse nicely, but filled the bunk area below with choking exhaust. “Bilge pump alarms sounding with every roll of the boat,” Irene would point out. With the asbestos insulation around the stack cracked, a soft floor and a leaky roof, I had to admit that continuing with the same rig was not only injurious to our health, but grounds for divorce. So began the long tedious search for the next great fishing boat. On a trip to Sout...

By John Platt Hurwitz and  Irene Marie Hurwitz Every boat we’ve had was special to us, but our second boat, the Zachary M, was one of our favorites. The Zachary was special because it enabled us to imagine what we could do. A little narrow in the beam but strong and sturdy as she cut through the water, she handled the weather, caught plenty of fish, and in time allowed us to dream big. We started looking for a bigger boat. Frequently a tuna boat would pull into Noyo to unload or refuel on the way up the coast, and we would catch of glimpse of what could be. Then one day, that bigger boat pulled into the Noyo River harbor. This one had a “FOR SALE” sign in the window. It was the mid-70s. For flat-out living the dream; this was Irene’s dream boat. It had a double bed surrounded with...