She was about 50 feet long and stoutly built. Her hull shined with a new coat of white paint. I stopped at her berth for a few minutes, and watched the guys load. Finally Tony said, " Hey guys, this is Howard, Anne's son, I fetched him from Frankie for the day," I smiled and waved hello, they reached out to shake my hand and said,"welcome aboard!" I replied, "I'm happy to be here," and I was! I threw down my coat and began helping the men stash the stuff in the wheelhouse and down below where there were others doing the same things. There was little grumbling, they worked quickly to unpack. I went back topside to help.
On the aft deck, there were boxes of large chrome plated hooks being opened by a dark-skinned guy, he looked up at me, "I'm Benny," he said. Alongside him, another man, who just grunted to me, was tieing leaders to the same hooks looped them into a circle and placing them neatly in another bin. I felt useless among these experienced fishermen.
Soon Benny took me forward towards the bow amidst the fishermen was the owner, the captain. He was holding a chart and outlining his plan for the hunt. We were going after Albacore tuna on a trip of, for me, an unknown length. After a few minutes to captain "Alonzo" looked at me and said, " your going to be our new baitboy, are you?" "I guess so, yes sir!" "Once we get underway one of the guys will show you what to do." I'd been accepted and now a member of the good crew of Arlene S.
