Scalloping

It was just about daylight. The air was cold and crisp. We loaded the dredges and the burlap sacks in that sixteen foot open boat. It took a few extra pulls on that motor to get her fired up. Undoing the bow line we were off. We were headed for hands creek. About one hundred or a hundred fifty yards offshore we drop the dredges for our first pass of the day.
I was sixteen and going out with Dad to dredge for scallops. I usually didn't go with him as I would be in school. You know, you can only scallop in a month with an " R " in it. At least that is the way it used to be. It would be the last time I went but I didn't know that at the time. There was a light chop on the water and it was overcast. Pretty much a typical day in February. We were both hoping for some good hauls so we could get back in early. You were allowed fifteen bushel and Dad wasn't leaving without them.
We reached the end of our first pass and it was time to haul in the dredges. We were pulling two. Grabbing the line I began to pull. You say you are hauling in the dredge but the reality is you are pulling the boat to the dredge. Hand over hand until the line is straight down and you can see the steel dredge breaking the surface.
Grabbing the top of that dredge where the line is attached and leveraging it over the gunwale onto the culling board. Emptying the net onto the cull board you are never quite sure what will be in there. Crabs,fish,beer cans,peri-winkles,assorted trash and with luck the prize; scallops.
I wore heavy waterproof gloves. These of course made it difficult to work as they are clumsy things. And, believe me,your hands are still cold ! Quickly culling through the stuff on the board and placing the prized scallops in a basket you throw the trash back overboard. Then pull up the second dredge and repeat the process. Once both dredges are back aboard and set it is time to make another pass. Putting the dredge over the side and being careful not to step in the bite of the line you set one then the other. For you landlubbers that may not know, the "bite" of the line is any loop made while it is being paid out or retrieved. If you put your foot (or hand) in that bite there is a good chance you are going with it. That line will "bite" on and just pull you overboard. In a sixteen foot open boat this can happen very quickly. Wearing waders and heavy clothing you don't float so good either. That is just one of the many hazards.
Each scallop that you get has to be checked for size. That being done you can empty your basket into the burlap sack. Each sack will hold one bushel. Another pass done and repeat the process. It gets mighty cold out there. Dad always brought along coffee. I didn't drink coffee at the time but had a soda. Mom had packed our lunches in those little brown paper bags. Same one I took to school. A sandwich, some crackers and a banana would be typical fare. We ate that during one of our passes.
It took most of the day to get our quota. We hadn't found the mother lode but we got'em. Now back to the dock. We put the boat on the trailer and head home. Once we get there it is time to open. The women normally did the opening. The men hauled those burlap sacks into the scallop house and dumped the contents on the table. The shells and guts went into 55 gallon drums underneath the table. As they filled the men would empty them. Soon the bowls where the girls were putting the scallops would begin to fill up. We would empty those bowls into the hydrator drawer in the refrigerator. After all was open ,the buyer would come and weigh those rascals. Settling up, the day was done.
That would have been the winter of 69. Dad got sick after that year and never went scalloping again. I joined the Navy after high school. Never got to go scalloping again either. I hear things have all changed now. The scallops are all but gone from the bay. It was hard work and what I remember most,COLD ! My father really enjoyed that work. The open water and no one telling you what to do or how to do it. Freedom and a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. A man made his living on his own terms. I didn't appreciate that at the time. Guess that is why they say hindsight is twenty twenty. We didn't have any deep meaningful discussion that day. I didn't learn any great life lesson. No special bond was created with my Dad. It was just two men in a boat: scalloping.