Kelly Warren is a long time client of the Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-op. His two beautiful old wooden fishing vessels, Misty Moon and Bainbridge, are side by side for annual maintenance and repairs. Misty Moon was built in 1953 and is new to Kelly’s fleet of three fishing vessels. Bainbridge, built in 1936, is the older of the three boats. Bainbridge had an electrical fire during rough weather this spring. It was taking on water in the bow which caused a short out and melt down. They were close to losing the boat. When I spoke to Kelly, he reminded me how fishermen are at the mercy of nature, with tide changes, storms and the movement of fish. Even the slightest change in water temperature could destroy the fishing industry in Alaska. This spring, for the first time since he can remember, there were suddenly no herring to be found. Kelly refers to his livelihood as a “game of faith”, adding “Fishermen are notoriously optimistic. We have no choice. So far it pays off.” Kelly manages seventy fishing vessels and twenty-five tenders for his fishery.
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