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Seaworthy: A Swordboat Captain Returns To The Sea (2010)

by Linda Greenlaw(Favorite Author)

3.51 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

067002192X (ISBN13: 9780670021925)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Viking Adult

review 1: The third of Linda Greenlaw's fishing memoirs, this book decribes how she returned to captaining a swordboat after a decade of lobstering on a tiny Maine Island. . As in previous books, this account discusses family issues as well as the sea and fishing, as she and her parents are not getting any younger. Unlike the Hungry Ocean, this book describes a single voyage in a beaten up bucket of a boat which goes astray, so there is less description of longline fishing.
review 2: Linda Greenlaw was the first (and best, according to Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm) female swordfish boat captain in the United States. Throughout her 20s and 30s, she worked her way up through the ranks from crew member to captain, but always fishing for swordfish. This book... more chronicles her return to captaining a swordfish boat (the Seahawk) at age 47 after a 10-year hiatus. She assembles her crew: Archie, nearly 60 but with a steady positivity and mechanical and fishing skills; his friend Timmy, an expert mechanic and physically massive and strong; Dave Hiltz, Linda's neighbor and friend who has always wanted to fish for swordfish; and Machato, a long-time deckhand who brings much-needed recent experience to the team and is an expert at preparing caught fish for storage. Their journey is frought with problems from the beginning - the Seahawk is an aging and falling apart disaster. Everything breaks over and over. Additionally, Linda is arrested after accidentally drifting into Canadian waters. Despite the problems, the crew is a good team and they do manage to catch a few fish and have some good times. Ultimately, this book is about leadership, and how Linda's abilities in that arena have grown and changed over time. At 47, she is a more adaptable captain, who takes things in stride and leads her staff with less of an iron fist. She has more emotional control than she did in her younger years, but her drive to succeed and competitive streak are alive and well. I was fascinated by Linda as a person and as a captain, and I like that she de-emphasizes the fact that she is a woman. She is one, of course, but that has nothing to do with anything, no more than her hair color or shoe size. In addition to being a story about leadership and growth, this is an adventure story. It gives a good picture of what life is like on a swordfish boat and the explicit fact that everyone involved is living with a great deal of unknown. Fish, and therefore paychecks, are not guaranteed. I was also impressed with her writing - it was quite good! The story was interesting and easy to follow, and very personal. There is an occasional repetitiveness, but only when Linda is reflecting inwardly on herself and how she's changed. Basically it functions as a way for her to solidify her reflections as new evidence for or against her thoughts comes up.Themes: fishing, leadership, aging, adventure, facing challenges, loving your job less

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