The Dream

We have been working on gear and setting traps so intensively lately, that I'm even dreaming about it. Last night I had a dream that I was setting my own traps. I motored out of a non-descript harbor in my 12' aluminum skiff with a backdrop of an eery gold sky. I steered hard to the starboard to avoid a ledge and continued out the mouth of the harbor to set my traps. I spotted the ledge where I planned to set around, the tip of it just peeking out of the water. At that point I slid a trap off the rail and let the line out, motoring away as the trap sunk, just like Cap does. However, at the last minute I realized that the line was wrapped around the bridle end of the next trap. I frantically tried to untangle it with one hand while I steered with the other.

In the dream I had two realizations:

1.) I am clueless when it comes to the strategy part of setting traps. Sure it's easy enough to slide traps into the water. But there's a whole other part of it that I know nothing about: knowing the topography of the bottom, where to find lobsters, and how to set the trap in relation to those contours. When I arrived at the ledge in my dream, I realized that I actually didn't know what the heck I was doing.

2.) It is incredibly dangerous to be working out on the water alone. When the rope caught on another trap it crossed my mind that at any moment it could pop off, catch my arm, and drag me into the water. No one would be there to save me. I realized that having someone else on board is a safety measure as well as a big help with the work.

Good lessons for a sleepy sternlady!