Profile; Interview with Linda Greenlaw

She's one of the best fishermen on the East Coast a bestselling author and now host of a new PBS series Quest. Join us for a conversation about island life lobsters nature writing and adventure with Linda Greenlaw next on profile. Linda Greenlaw was raised in Maine and graduated from Colby College with a degree in English. A summer job as a cook and deck hand led to a career as one of the most talented and only sword boat captains on the East Coast. Her portrayal in the book and movie The Perfect Storm led to fame and a book contract The Hungry Ocean describing a month long sword fishing trip became a best seller and now she's out with a new book about her life on an island off the coast of Maine where she reconnected with family and took up lobstering. Ms Greenlaw is also the host of Quest an Emmy Award winning series on Science and Nature now airing on New England Public Television stations. Fortunately it's off season for lobstering so we're able to convince

Linda to come to New England's West Coast for a visit. So it's a funny term we try to pull off now and I like it. So tell us how your life changed after the publication of the book and the subsequent movie The Perfect Storm. You know after I was mentioned very generously in the perfect storm I started getting attention from a lot of different places. Publisher is from New York I actually got in from one night not a message on my answering machine from someone at Simon and Schuster saying hey you know we're at the perfect storm really intrigued with this female fisherman thing you have going on do you want to write a book. And at the time I thought I want to write a book. Pretty happy with my female fisherman thing I have going on. And I ignored the phone call and within a week's time I had calls from like three major publishers and I at that point had to take it very seriously say while you know how lucky am I. I have friends who have written and written and written and they can't like hire someone to read their material. They get rejection letters from people they know haven't even taken the material out of the envelope. Here I am being offered a contract basically to write a book that will be

published. I took it very seriously after that point. Did they know that you were an English major or did they say will get you ghost writers. You know I was there originally. They knew only that I was a fisherman and I was offered originally ghost writer co-writer anything I wanted to do. And I said you know I can write it myself. Oh sure. So I was told to write a proposal which I did which was actually five pages a writing sample. Yeah I had a few things that I would like to include in the Hungry Ocean. My first book and they said great you know. They had an auction actually for for my five page proposal ended up going with Hyperion micrometers and an intriguing book. Let's talk about that and fishing deep sea fishing for a minute you know what. What is the most dangerous is that the as the weather is it the gear is the fish is it falling asleep. I think probably the most dangerous part about being offshore is a combination of bad weather and fatigue. We fish 30 day trips 30 days dock to dock. And

once we start actually setting and hauling the gear we're getting very little sleep. So we're working on a moving platform. When the weather's bad of course it's exaggerated and people are tired and towards the end of the trip people are sort of just going through the motions you know maybe not concentrating as hard as they should on certain things and people get hurt. And then as captain with you in charge of everything you're hardly sleeping at all because you've got an ear or sensibility to everything while you're supposed to be getting your sleep. Right the captain is responsible for everything that goes on aboard a boat. The bottom line is you can't be sleeping on the job. So I don't know three or four hours a night is pretty good in terms of sleep in the middle of a trip. How do you deal with fear or do you do think about it at all or do you just have to let that go. I think most fishermen don't really do well on the fact that they're engaged in a very dangerous occupation maybe they were afraid or always worried about things you probably never leave the dog. So fortunately you know the weather's not always perfect storm conditions and we have some really nice days and really nice

trips. All right and you just to imagine that I really didn't get the idea that you have 40 miles of lie that you're fishing with. I think that's the thing people find most amazing when they read The Hungry Ocean is you're getting 40 miles of line. Yes we set a line called a long line and it is 40 miles in length with about a thousand hooks attached to it and we we set that every night and haul it back the next day. Now lobstering is quite different from running a sword boat. It's close to shore there still are there any dangers with that or is it must be just completely deaf. Well I think the weather factor is almost negated in lobster because you're fishing so close to the dock that you know you get up in the morning. If the weather's bad you can go back to bed and you don't have to go and you're only 15 minutes from the dock at least where I fish. I'm not that far from the dock so if the weather's going to get bad I can I can scoot home. Right. And you certainly can't do that a thousand miles out to sea. No that's one of the problems with sword fishing is you're so far from the dock you be a thousand or fifteen hundred miles from

the dock and we fish off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland during hurricane season so bad weather is a factor you can't run to the dock every time a low pressure system is sort of threatening. So you just get to get really good at. Practicing good seamanship and riding storms out and getting a little bit off to the side of them or something I think in the book The Perfect Storm you were in a better place. You were right. Yeah I was very fortunate I was 600 miles east of where the Andrea Gail is suspected to have gone down and further east than the rest of the fleet. So I had warning. And we have all kinds of high tech stuff on the boat we have fax machines and satellite receivers and single sideband radios we get all weather information from all over the world. But still even with all the high tech stuff the best indicator of what our weather's going to be is about west of us whether in this hemisphere moves from west to east. So if the guy west of you it has 100 knots of wind chances are you're going to have 100 knots of wind at least you have some warning. So they really had no idea why the Andrea Gail went down. But were you helpful

you were a consultant too. Figure well maybe they're entitled they lost their antenna. Well was that part of how Sebastian Younger got his ideas or or was that just from a lot of different people. Very little is actually known because nothing was ever found of the Andrea Gail. Why opinion. Everyone has an opinion is that whatever happened happened very quickly. Of course that would have made not much of a movie. I was a consultant for the movie and Warner Brothers made. A great effort to get things right and accurate and but the whole thing is speculation the book is speculation the movie is speculating on speculation so I mean I think it's a little far fetched in Hollywood. You know it was a great movie. So you. Yeah. You've often said that gender just isn't an issue with you in your life even though you're in this male dominated profession but there are some some male characteristics of isolation competitiveness a certain toughness and you've got all those. But I was wondering what female

characteristics have served you well. As a fisher fisherman I think it's interesting that I was start to laugh when people say a male dominated field of fish he was I mean I'm. I've been outnumbered but I certainly never felt like I've been dominated. The female thing that has really been an issue at all. What do I feel like a female attribute that says that I am the new terms of fishing. Do you not think that I can actually think of is I've had crew members who have fished with men captains say they really like fishing for a woman because this is really weird I think they are nicer to each other the crewmembers are more polite. And. You know. There's not as much of a life that exact when you talk about in the lobster chronicles how you aren't are going to conflict you try to avoid it and yet now well how can you when you're on a small boat for 30 days with six guys.

You get good at skirting it and the sort of crisis management has got I guess because you know guys are might strike each other but it probably wouldn't it would be something you would do to solve a problem wouldn't be for me and the guys are much bigger and stronger than I am but I would be jumping in the middle of a couple of guys. Have you had any women on your cruise. No I never have and I get asked that question all the time. Fishing isn't something that young women consider in the realm of possibilities and I've never been approached by a woman. When I was swordfish and asked for a job so it was guys. But you did it. I did and I started off as a cook on a sword fishing boat I needed a good summer job to help pay my way through college. I fell in love with it and I literally fished my way through school when any vacation or summer break I was I was hopping on a on a boat so I knew I was out of the top very quickly. So after 18 years of commercial fishing you chose to move back onto the island where you'd

spent some summers and where your your parents were living. And that is that the lobster Chronicles which is wonderful is is the subject of that that life that new life the lobster Chronicles life on a very small island why did you return to return to the island for a couple of different reasons. I wanted to get out of sword fishing but I wanted to continue making my living on the water. All I had done since college was fish I really didn't feel like I'd want to jump into a whole different field. A lot of differences between lobstering and sword fishing but at least to still want to boat is still catching. Something to make a living. It may be the other reason for moving to the island or at least getting out a sword fishing was partly a female thing partly an age thing I was in my late thirties. I wanted to settle down and start a family of my own and it just wasn't happening sword fishing. Well that's about two days at a time. Yeah yeah makes it pretty hard to today because you just. Just so we get a sense of your writing this is a this is a nice passage about the island.

Sure. We have one general store one church one lighthouse and a one room schoolhouse for good for grades K through 8. A town hall the second says a school gymnasium three selectmen a fisherman's co-op forty seven rugged acres of which twenty eight hundred belong to Acadia National Park and 13 miles of bad road. And we have lobsters. We do not have a Kmart or any other mart we have no movie theater roller rink arcade or bowling alley. Residents can't get a manicure and pedicure dry clean but hot tub facial tented for older indoor and we have neither fine dining nor fast food. There is no dairy queen Jiffy Lube newspaper stand or Starbucks. There is no bank. Not even NATO. No cable TV golf course movie theater gym museum art gallery. Well you get the picture. I certainly do. You know it's difficult for your residence to live on an island and they're pretty tough characters but also the community is fragile. You know it's tough to get people to

stay on the island who does choose to stay. Who are these people that choose to live year round. Well as as you indicated it's a rugged existence and it's not for everyone a lot of people come and after the first winter they like it we're so out of here there's no way we're doing this again. It's very quiet there aren't there's not a lot of stimulations to sort of have to be able to stimulate yourself so you spend a lot of time alone or among you know just a few other people. There's a real sense of community among the people who live there. And as I say in the book you know the list of have not the things we don't have is much longer than the things that we do have. But people choose to live on the island because of the length of both lists. There are people who like to be out of the mainstream and away away from the hustle and the bustle that's the kind of people who thrive on Arlo. How is the family situation your concern that the population of the school was going down does that continue to fluctuate or is it we really do you populated it.

It's to a point of being sort of scary. Three years ago there were 70 year round residents this winter and we're always doing these life mental headcounts you know what who is here who is here. There are about 35 people on the island this winter and there are six people six kids in the school which six is OK. But there are a lot of little babies coming up. So after eighth grade you know the kids go off the island go to high school. So I think like in two years unless some new people move to the island will be down to four kids in the school. Well maybe your book will help it OK. I heard that drinking can be a major problem on an island. Is that a problem. No surprisingly we don't we don't have a lot of drunks on island. I think there are more drunks there in the summer time but it is a problem on other islands I mean I have friends who live in other islands say alcoholism is a real problem. I don't know why that is not true but I am not sure you know where we don't have

to try to figure it out in the lobster Chronicles you bemoan the fact that lobster It wasn't great the year that you were looking at it I guess which is over a year ago. The book just came out this summer was that of an environmental crisis just a bad year too much competition. And how was this year. This this past season was great. I didn't get to enjoy it because I was on a book tour with a lobster Chronicles but my dad took care of my boat my traps and he had a great season so that was good. I'm not the best lobster fisherman. I think a lot of it. Has to do with the fact that some of us just experience in knowing when to move and you know it's a time thing and I haven't been lobstering all that long I can go through the motions of of hauling traps and setting traps and I can haul as many traps is as the next guy in a day. I'm all about hard work it's like my only asset is my ability to work. But just having like the local knowledge and the experience to know when to shift the gear to a different depth

or a different area is something that sort of comes through time. So you think next season you'll be back with your dad doing some more lobster. Oh yeah I definitely will be. Will start setting my gear in May and I'll miss the month of July because I'll be booked touring again. But just for a month this time so I'll miss the first good month of lobstering But now what is that you know it doesn't really matter if you do OK with lobstering or not except for your own good feeling because your income is being derived from other things from books to a bestseller here you command ten to twenty thousand dollars as a speaker. Right I feel like I'm going through a little bit of an identity crisis. It's weird when I'm introduced to somebody introduces me as a bestselling author I'm like really. Oh it's me. I am so used to calling myself a fisherman. My my heart says I'm a fisherman my checkbook definitely says I'm a writer. I feel like I am almost writing now to support my fishing habit. I get accused of taking busman's holidays

when I go on vacation I like to go places where I can fish actually pay somebody to take me fishing which is is a switch. How do you like the writing life. Well I used to say that I that I didn't like it at all. That hasn't changed a whole lot that the writing process. I don't enjoy it's agony for me it's very hard work. Sometimes I think people get the sense because my my voice in my book is very conversational. People that know me say they hear my voice when they read when they read it in my voice which is neat. And I think it's very easy to just sit down and you know chit chat. And I the book but but it's not it's it's more difficult than that especially for me I think. Some other author I don't remember who said this but it's very accurate I think. I don't like writing but I like having written or I like my books and I'm very proud of them. And you're working on another book now. I am. I am I just started about a month ago writing a book number three. It's another nonfiction I don't have a title yet. It's a book of sea stories. And the thing about this book is I wanted to write a

novel in the worst way as the publishers are saying no no we're going to pay to write another nonfiction because that's what your audience is. But this is something I can write. Some of the book in the third person I can use other people see stories. I am like so sick of Linda Greenlaw I just I couldn't bear the thought of sitting down there writing for a year about me. I like if you read both my books you know everything there is no gold in their brain like I have no more thoughts. It's all right there. So it can be fun to write other people's stories right and kind of playing with that fiction element. Yeah exactly. It's interesting that you talk about your busman's holidays and kind of interested in that you fished in the Caribbean and Brazil and all different types of fishing besides a long lining and lobstering. Is there a type that that that you're most interested in or that or other types that concern you some of this dragging you know concerns some people. There I think the first part of the question. What do and why do you like that is

us fishing. If I could do anything it would be hard putting swordfish. And when I first started fishing at the age of 19 we were harpooning and long lining and harp which is nothing I'm sure that's what I fell in love with there's nothing more exciting then it's a sight fishery see official on the surface you have to get the boat out of the fish it's a hand grown harpoon or any guns or it is nothing like you know like think about how they used to do whales. Right exactly it's very primitive. And it's it's very exciting it's a real thrill and it's a challenge it's fun. If I could do anything if I could make enough money with my books to do anything I wanted and Jeff really didn't have to really worry about a paycheck I'm sure I'd go hard putting swordfish wouldn't matter if I got one fish a year that big that be enough to keep me going. My concerned about the I'm not concerned about the health of the fisheries swordfish or the ground fish fishery which we hear so much about the whaling ground fish fish was cod haddock hake all these fish that are dragged for and Gill netted. All the all the species that have been regulated all the science shows that they're rebounding they're in

good shape. My concern is that there is no discussion of a point of re-entry for fishermen who have been forced out regulated out of bankruptcy it out so the fish stocks are getting bigger and bigger the pies getting bigger and bigger but the fishermen slice keeps getting smaller. And I think it's sort of disheartening to not hear any discussion of well a point where a young person wants to start fishing to get into the business. Fishing is not something young people are getting into anymore because it's just so hard you can't get a license you can't get a permit for your boats. The regulation feels like it's an order. I think so. I mean certainly numbered in that opinion but I feel like I have a pretty educated opinion. About that I've been involved in all the different fishing and people always ask about swordfish docks and all the years I was sword fishing I didn't see any sign of the fish being depleted and now the latest science shows that the stocks are very healthy. But the regulations aren't loosening up. So some good news there. You talk about wanting a husband

and kids and yet your lifestyle choices certainly are not the least bit conducive to those things being out to sea for 30 days and coming back or living on an island. Is the call of the still much stronger or are some of these speaking engagements or are are you getting out has. Problems. Getting out I mean I was hoping to avoid this topic already either but I've never able to let my sister refers to my books as like these 200 page personal ads and I get all these letters from mom from guys you know what I do. It's funny though. With the lobster comics on the book tour I call home every night my mother reads my mail to me and like after a week of book tour I had five letters from guys that all five were from inmates at federal federal penitentiaries I said well this is great. And I was attracting the best the best guys. Oh my situation has changed a little bit I'm seeing a really interesting guy right now. There's no one on the island for me. So the move home to find a guy I knew there was an

AB there from when I moved there. But it was you know it's where I want to live right. Right. And so you'll you'll find your way. Sure I will. Actually I think one of the things that struck me is how your your mother must have felt when fishing what she did not really approve of. As a graduate from from Colby College to go into fishing Did she ever imagine that the fame that you would get from fishing you know that would would bring you such fame and I'm sure she never had ended I mean I never did know was more surprised than I am about the way my life has changed over the course of the last few years. You know for 17 years of fishing I entered the well intentioned advice of my parents to get a real job right. My parents were never happy with my decision to go fishing when I was fishing because it was a way to pay for college that was pretty good. But I graduated from college and I told my parents I was going to take one year off before going to law school and they bought it for a while you know. Seventeen years later they're still saying are you

going back to school this year. So then it really gave up on that and of course my parents are very proud of my books. And you know the CIS been really neat. Yeah it's wonderful. And I think Maine PBS has come out with a special series of quest investigating our world which actually they've been doing for a while it's an Emmy Award winning series but this year they have joined with Vermont and New Hampshire and a lot of people from Vermont are actually on it and a lot of footage from Vermont. And you're hosting this piece How did you how did you get involved with Quest. Well originally I did an interview very similar to this one with me in PBS. And I think that's how I got my introduction to the people who were you know in responsible for the question show. They wanted to get me involved as a host as a very small obligation on my part basically I have a couple of lines to open the show in a couple of lies to close the show. I've seen tapes of the show I wasn't familiar the show at all. They sent me some tapes. I'm thrilled to be a part of it I'm

delighted to be the host of the show because it's good television. The whole idea of science in your own backyard is nice and they wanted to get me of all they think mostly because they want to someone who was a hands on sort of working knowledge of science and technology weather and all of these things. And I sort of I think just like fit right in right and and courage people to do these things. The other thing that struck me about you and your work is that you are so in touch with nature everything about what you do. You have to understand the fish you have to understand whether yes there's some technology but it's also really being in with nature. What. Does that resonate with you at all as well as does you know it sounds like it's almost like a romantic notion to sort of be in tune with nature. I definitely feel closer and more in tune when I'm at sea. I think maybe because I've had so much experience on the water I just have a better feeling

I like the way I feel when I'm at sea and I do feel in tune with what's going on. What happens I mean you. You've said that you're most at home on a boat or on an island surrounded by water what happens when you're on the mainland I mean do you start getting restless or you. Are you just happier when you're somewhere else. I think I'm becoming more adjusted to being off the water. I still love the way I feel when I step aboard a boat I really look forward to making a fishing trip or just going for a boat ride. I don't go through withdrawal if I'm a long way from the ocean. You're in Vermont. You know I feel very much at home here by taking up snowshoeing. I love to ski. So you know it's not it's not all bad to be away from the salt water for a time I guess right. What's it like working with your dad on a lobster boat. I love working with my father. It's been almost like getting reconnected with him. I always been a tomboy when I was a young girl I always

was hanging out with dad working on the boat or going hunting and fishing right there with my father. So I left to go to college and started fishing. I was really away from home for about 18 years and didn't really see a lot of my folks or any of my family for that matter you know a couple days here and there. So moving home and working with my father has been really nice it's like it's like I never left almost you know people say oh you know you can never go home. Yes you can yeah I want him is right and he's in the 70s and you're your mom also successfully battled cancer. That's part of the Bach. Yeah my mom's stories were right. Well it's been great having you on. I'd like to encourage some people to watch quest which will be airing every other Tuesday on Sunday on Vermont Public Television winter actually will air tomorrow night on the 21st. So look for Linda Greenlaw there check out her books there. Terrific. And thank you very much for being with us. Oh thank you for having me. And thank you for joining us on profile.