A Canadian writer's life: Captured! Small dogs and fishing nets don't mix.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Captured! Small dogs and fishing nets don't mix.

It's early in the morning, and Sparky and I are ambling along the malecón on the western side of the island.

We are poking along at Sparky-speed. Sniff. Pee. Sniff. Pee. And then he added a bit of vigorous dirt kicking to clarify the situation.

"This is my mark."

I have my camera with me and photograph the fishing nets strung across the beach.

Looking for the 'Lady Fish' run

For some reason, my eye is always drawn to the boats and nets, probably because they represent a way of life that is slowly disappearing from the island.

Until tourism started to boom in the 1980s, the traditional way of making a living for islanders was catching fish or diving for lobsters and conch.

The open-deck panga-style boats and crews head out early in the mornings to pull in the hopefully heavy nets.

If they are lucky, four or five fishermen per boat will be needed to haul the catch into the boat.

Cleaning and repairing nets

In the evening, the reverse happens, the fishing crews return to their favourite locations and reset the nets, hoping for a successful night.

When the weather turns grumpy, the Port Captain closes the port, restricting the size of the boat that can leave the harbor until he gives the all clear.

During port closures, the fishermen repair and clean their equipment.

Weaving a new net

They string the nets between palm trees, searching for rips, pulling off bits of seaweed that have been snagged in the weave.

On very stormy days, the mending takes place under covered basketball domes.

Watching the fishermen repair tears in the netting is very reminiscent of the folks who weave hammocks.

Holding a wooden bobbin in one hand and a tough nylon line in the other, their hands weave in and out, neatly filling in the torn area. It’s a beautiful skill.

But what happens when a small, inquisitive dog investigates the nearly invisible webbing? Nothing good, let me assure you.

Captured, and not happy!

This morning, he followed his nose into the small tunnel created where the mesh was lifted off the ground. Then he tried to get out by walking straight through the tough nylon filaments.

Thankfully, I noticed his struggles and was able to calm him down long enough for me to crawl in the same small space and untangle him without damaging the netting or hurting my pooch.

Life is never dull with The Sparkinator.

Cheers, Lynda and Sparky