Going
with the wind, an illusion of standing still is created. But we are in fact
moving, and pulling the dredges slowly behind us. Rick Kotolac pulls on one
of the tow ropes to gain some slack, and throws it over a pulley on his A-frame.
The donkey engine emits a particularly abrasive, high-pitched whine, hauling
the first dredge roughly to the level of the water in a matter of fifteen or
twenty seconds. Rick must then lift it manually the rest of the way until it
swings, dripping water and seaweed, over the fiberglass culling board which
cuts across the center of a scallop boat like a three-foot wide counter. Flipping
the full dredge, which looks to hold about thirty pounds of scallops and seaweed,
Rick empties its contents onto the culling board.
Photos
and text copyright Jim Patrick and Rob Benchley, 2002
