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W. W. NORTON, 1997
(available in paperback from HarperTorch, 2000)
IN OCTOBER 1991, an unprecedented confluence of extraordinary meteorological factors created a storm off the Nova Scotia coast of such power and fury it became known as “the perfect storm.” Caught in the maelstrom was the Andrea Gail, a swordfishing boat out of Gloucester Harbor in Massachusetts that had become known as “one of the best sword boats on the East Coast.”
Bobby Shatford was a crew member on the Andrea Gail. Born and raised in Gloucester, Bobby hoped the money he earned from swordfishing would pay off his child support, freeing him to marry his girlfriend, Chris. Their life together was full of hard drinking, violence, devotion to each other, and, for Chris, the constant angst of waiting for Bobby’s boat to pull safely into the harbor.
In The Perfect Storm, an account of the Andrea Gail’s final hours and the storm that consumed it, journalist Sebastian Junger describes the unique circumstances that created the perfect storm, the difficult and frequently tragic lives of those whose loved ones set out to sea to put seafood on the nation’s tables, and the courage of those often called upon to rescue them.
What actually happened aboard the Andrea Gail on the howling night she went down can only be imagined, and Junger does just that—vividly. But Junger also gives the reader real-life characters like Bobby Shatford, a journalist’s-eye view of the perilous lives of North Atlantic swordfishermen, and a harrowing description of what it must be like to face death on a cold and angry sea.
It is only fitting that we included a recipe for swordfish with The Perfect Storm. As you enjoy the fruits of their labor it is worth contemplating the lives of swordfishermen: the risks they take when they set out to sea and the ultimate sacrifice they are too often forced to make.
2 pounds fresh swordfish ½ cup fresh lemon juice ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
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1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard 1 tablespoon minced garlic Bamboo skewers 2 cups Tzatziki (see recipe, p. 265), thinned with juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons) |
Trim skin and dark meat from the swordfish and cut into 1½-inch cubes.
In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, salt, oregano, black pepper, cayenne, mustard, and garlic. Add the fish cubes and turn to coat. Cover bowl or transfer to a plastic bag and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
If using bamboo skewers, soak in warm water 20 minutes before threading. Remove fish from marinade and thread onto skewers. Pour any extra marinade into a small saucepan and simmer for 2 minutes. Set aside.
Preheat grill or broiler, and lightly oil cooking surface. Lay kabobs on grill and cook until firm to the touch, about 8 minutes, turning to grill all sides. Baste with reserved marinade halfway through cooking time. Do not overcook. Serve accompanied with bowls of Tzatziki. Served as an entrée, the kabobs go well with rice pilaf.
Yield: Serves 5 as a main course, 10 to 12 as an appetizer
Members of the men’s Pandora Book Club of Philadelphia favor nonfiction works rich in content, as well as current fiction. “Sometimes you get the best discussion with fictional, controversial books,” says Rudi Lea, a retired high school teacher and administrator who founded the group in 1996.
The Perfect Storm appealed to the Pandora Book Club’s thirst for vivid content and real-life adventure. The superstorm described in the book, a unique and tragic convergence of several severe weather systems, fascinated the group. Marty Cohen, who hosted the meeting, played a recording of a National Public Radio interview with author Sebastian Junger.
“Junger knew very little about meteorology before writing the book,” says Cohen, “but he learned so much, and was able to transmit his knowledge of weather systems so clearly.” The group also liked The Perfect Storm’s character development and tragic story line, but their discussion kept circling back to the awesome power of natural forces. Everyone tried to visualize a thirty-four-story-high wave as it was described in the book. Some of the recreational fishermen in the group recalled how it felt to set out on “iffy” days, only to find themselves facing difficult weather. “This book really got us talking,” says Cohen. “It did just what a book is supposed to do: get everyone involved.”
More Food for Thought
The South Florida Preschool PTA Book Club gathered at the Miami home of Donna Lyons to discuss The Perfect Storm, a book selected for the club’s annual Couples Night, when the members invite their husbands to a potluck dinner and book discussion. “In the book, Junger discussed the rescue of sailors by Coast Guard swimmers who jump out of helicopters,” says member Kathy Barber, “and Donna Lyons’s husband, Phil, who had served in the Air Force, explained the rigorous training that the Coast Guard who fly rescue and that Navy SEALs undergo to learn this type of open-sea recovery.”
The group’s Perfect Storm menu included a smoked-seafood-dip appetizer, grilled mahimahi, and New England corn pudding. “One couple came dressed in full weather gear just like the picture of the fisherman on the Gorton’s Seafood packages,” says Barber. “They were singing ‘Blow the Man Down’ and various other sea shanties.”
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper