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Five years ago, a huge steel-hulled trawler took out the stern of the Richard & Arnold while it was tied to the dock in Provincetown. David recalled, “The men on that boat started screaming at me. One of them yelled that if I had been out fishing instead of tied up at the dock, they wouldn’t have hit me.”

The last thirty years have created anxiety levels as great as the happiness factor of bygone years. David and Judy, whe are confident of who they are and what they have, cannot describe their good life without drifting into the muddy waters that now envelopes America’s entire fleet of independent, small commercial fishing operations.

“I could see the handwriting on the wall. The men on that boat were stoned. I could picture what would happen to my equipment if I fought the case in court. I was advised to take this boat out somewhere and sink it.”

But he didn’t. David fixed the boat himself. With regulations then limiting his catch, he didn’t need all the space in the hold. “I transformed the hold into better living quarters for Judy. I added a real galley to replace two hot plates. Over time, running hot water and even an air-conditioner.“

The rebuild after the stern was destroyed created space for a galley. The stove replaced a 2-burner hotplate.

The transformation paved the way for this holiday on the ICW. David explained, “Last winter, we used 7 cords of wood and a barrel of oil to heat our house. I shoveled snow off our walk 14 times. This cruise avoids all that. And we needed a vacation. We are just taking our time to enjoy every little place along the way. I’ll turn back north when it’s time to fish this summer.”

As government regulations continually diminished the size of allowable catches, less and less space was needed in the hold. Living quarters expanded into what had been the hold. The permitted smaller catches can easily fit in boxes on deck.

There is another story floating on coastal waters that has been painstakingly written by players with in-congruent perspectives. It’s a story containing plots and counter-plots that have critically impacted the Dutra family and all small fishing communities on the American coast. It’s ominous beginning took place in a meeting for Provincetown commercial fishermen in 1985. A man stood before the group and literally spoke these exact words, “I am from the government and I am here to help you.”

David is a gentle soul. He and Judy are connected to the environment. They profess great love and respect for the planet. Recalling the 30 year aftermath of that meeting, David slams an outstretched hand on a table in the “parlor/library” of the Richard & Arnold. Almost screaming, eyes tightly focused on the listener, he proclaims, “I’m angry.”

David can manage anxiety with humor. When Marine Fisheries observers come aboard, he labels tools such as shovels – hold other end – to apprise them of how to hold basic implements correctly.

The last thirty years was the impetus for Judy to write Nautical Twilight. It’s not simply an autobiographical account of their life on the water, but an objective, in-depth look at commercial fishing and seafood stock sustainability. It offers a broader perspective on what David labels as greed on and offshore, a lack of common sense exercised by regulatory agencies, flawed research, or no research at all.

“I work in God’s garden. I’m an old man now. They will have to drag me off this boat before I will quit.”

Judy acts as a calming agent when David is riled, talking about an industry that reaches far back into his family’s history. For now, this is their bus-man’s holiday.

David summarizes, “This boat could be a tugboat. It has a big transmission connecting power to that 4 ft. propeller. All of its owners have used it for fishing. Over the 35 years I’ve had it, I’ve rebuilt a lot of its parts, always holding on to the original design. It’s a wooden hull that has been glassed over.”

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Captain Dave Dutra passed away in June of 2016.

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Posted Wednesday March 30, 2016 by Melinda Penkava

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