What we’re watching
Tuna: It’s What’s for Lunch
Albacore, a member of the tuna family, is prized around the world for its tasty flesh, much of which ends up in cans, and ultimately, in salads, sandwiches and other fishy gastronomical creations. Harvesting these pelagic ocean wanderers isn’t just strenuous, it’s also extremely dangerous work. “Battlefish,” a reality series on Netflix, highlights the Pacific Ocean’s northwest albacore fishery and the seasoned fishermen from Oregon and Washington who each year battle high seas, long working hours and injury to bring these fish—and a hefty paycheck—home. Season one encompasses eight episodes, each filmed by videographers who are embedded aboard vessels manned by albacore crews who aggressively compete for their share of this lucrative fishery.
More salty spooky reads
Deep Dark Sea
Author Jeffrey James Higgins describes his latest release as a sailing story woven with threads from the cloth of The Shining by Stephen King. The book, Furious: Sailing into Terror unfolds as protagonist Dr. Dagny Steele is on the verge of fulfilling a lifelong goal of becoming a pediatric surgeon. But Steele’s dreams are shattered when the unexpected death of her daughter spirals her into depression. Her husband, Brad, recommends an Indian Ocean voyage as a tonic for her woes, but it quickly becomes obvious that he has an agenda. As they depart Bali for the Maldives, things quickly unravel. The vessel that was supposed to be Steele’s salvation suddenly turns into a dark, violent horror show, fueled by an unseen darkness that seems to overcome the boat and her crew. ($20, Black Rose Writing)
Icy Insanity
It’s the late 1890s when Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache and a crew of 23 set sail from Antwerp, Belgium, toward Antarctica and the South Pole. This true story unfolds in Julian Sancton’s Madhouse at the End of the Earth. The crew cast off on August 16, 1897 aboard Belgica, a refitted Norwegian whale ship. The voyage was beset by problems from the beginning, including a near-collision with a yacht, bad crew behavior and morale, and a man lost overboard, among other complications. Belgica eventually became locked in ice, condemning the crew to months of cold, darkness, hunger and insanity. Explorer Dr. Frederick Cook, who had come aboard in South America, eventually conscripted Belgica’s first mate to devise a plan out of the ice. Did Cook’s plan pan out? Read this salty tale to find out. ($30, Crown)
What we’re listening to
The Bonnie Boat Sailing Podcast
Chris Smith is an avid sailor who says he started a podcast as an excuse to interview interesting boating and sailing characters from the waterfront and beyond. His podcast, The Bonnie Boat Sailing Podcast, consists of 40 episodes with discussions about everything from refits and bluewater cruising to liveaboard life and circumnavigations. Each episode runs from 30 minutes to more than an hour. You can listen on Apple’s Podcast app, Spotify, iHeartRadio and other podcast services.
