Linda Greenlaw

Linda Greenlaw, Commercial Fisherman and Author

At left : Linda Greenlaw , who has captained a swordfish boat in the Grand Banks fleet and has worked as a deep-sea fisherman for 17 years , has earned respect in a male-dominated world.A mention of her in the bestseller The Perfect Storm has brought media attention to a tough woman who can appreciate the beauty of a storm while bringing in the biggest catch of the fleet.
...
Greenlaw , a deep sea fisherman for 17 years , is in her element.At 36 , she is the only female swordfish captain in the Grand Banks fleet.Perhaps anywhere.

The work is physically demanding and requires stamina , skill and considerable risk.Greenlaw has earned respect in this male-dominated world and often returns with the biggest catch.

Nobody cared , she said , until they read about her in the current best seller ''The Perfect Storm , '' about the Halloween Gale of 1991.She was one of the last to talk to the Andrea Gail , which sunk without a trace off Nova Scotia in huge seas.All hands were lost.

The next thing she knew , Greenlaw was in the October issue of Vanity Fair.People magazine called.She appeared on the Discovery Channel and on ABC.

...
The text describes Greenlaw as ''one of the best captains , period , on the entire East Coast , '' according to author Sebastian Junger. ''When the Hannah Boden unloads her catch in Gloucester , swordfish prices plummet halfway across the world.''.

''She beat every male on the Grand Banks five years running.She whipped their butts , '' said Orr's Island resident Capt.Alden Leeman , who owned the first boat she fished on , and the first boat she ran as captain.

Fast-talking dynamo

Just 5-foot-3 , Greenlaw has sun-streaked brown hair pulled back in a ponytail.Her face is crinkled around the eyes and tan from the sun and wind.She is a high-energy , fast-speaking dynamo , with flashing eyes and a quick smile.

But when her lower lip juts out and she exhales a blast of air , it's time to back off , according to Leeman. ''She's coming with everything she's got.'' He teased her once too often about her cribbage game , he recalled , and she threw the deck of cards at him , followed by the cribbage board. ''She can be one tough lady , '' Leeman said.

Born in Connecticut and raised in Topsham , she has been swordfishing for 17 years , starting her freshman year at Colby College , where she was majoring in English and government with an eye to law school.

''I fell in love with fishing and didn't want any more schooling , '' she said.

Grown men have come to Leeman with tears in their eyes , fearing for their lives in bad weather.Never Greenlaw , he said.

The worst storm she ever encountered was the March Gale of 1993.Winds reached 120 mph in driving rain , with waves more than six stories high.Greenlaw was in the 100-foot Hannah Boden at the time , off the coast of Baltimore.
...
Greenlaw tried to keep the bow into the wind , which moaned in the rigging like a church organ.She couldn't see the waves , by then so high that two large ships jogging the weather out near her told Greenlaw they couldn't see her boat on radar.

At left : Linda Greenlaw stands at the wheel of her lobster boat , the Mattie Belle , near Isle au Haut.Born in Connecticut and raised in Topsham , she started swordfishing while at Colby College.
...
Greenlaw , who is taking a break from swordfishing right now , steamed out of Gloucester , Mass. , five days east to reach the fishing grounds with the rest of the 25-boat fleet.They fish on the lunar cycle , returning to port every 30 days.

Swordfish like moonlight

Swordfish bite when the night sky is bright.Darkness is unproductive. ''You try to stay on the moon , '' Greenlaw explains.The best season is August through October.

Each boat lays 40 miles of line , with 1 , 000 hooks , along the best temperature break it can find - where the warm Gulf Stream meets the cold Labrador current.

The line is set in the evening.Two men at the stern bait each hook with a whole squid as it comes swinging off the spool.
...
Greenlaw drives the boat back along the connecting dots of floats - one hand on the wheel , the other on the line , feeling for telltale tension.

Swordfish weigh 100 to 500 pounds and grow to a length of 5 feet or more.When a hook hangs heavy , the boat stops and Greenlaw hauls the fish in , hand-over-hand.

As the fish comes to the surface , its electric blue and purple back flashes , lighting up the water.Its sides are shiny silver , and the belly is iridescent silver , white or pink.

''They're magnificent , '' Greenlaw said. ''And they look like warriors with that weapon.''.

A living swordfish puts up a fight and must be handled carefully. ''You could lose it , '' said Greenlaw. ''With a 200-pound fish , at $4 a pound , you could be watching $800 swim away.''.
...
About the only time they take a break is when they haul a huge swordfish , shark or sea turtle. ''Everyone wants their picture taken with it , so we stop for a minute , '' said Greenlaw.The turtles are released live.

As captain - a natural promotion after being first mate for several seasons - Greenlaw is responsible for navigating , repairing the boat , hiring the crew , keeping them working smoothly , reading the weather and finding fish.

A good trip meant as much as 60 , 000 pounds , before the 30 , 000-pound trip limit set in 1995.Greenlaw has made as much as $200 , 000 in three months , or as little as $50 , 000.

When it comes to finding fish she has no crystal ball , she says.

''It's not luck.I worked harder than a lot of people around me..I had the best electronics , and I knew how to use them.'' She also looks for areas where storm petrels are fluttering over the surface , and shearwaters gather.

Where they feed , there is bigger feed and , hopefully , swordfish below.

Whales and porpoise are seen often on the Grand Banks.Twice Greenlaw has watched pods of killer whales. ''You hear them before you see them , '' she said. ''Their high dorsal fins cut through the water like shhhhhhh.''.

Once , investigating some splashing , she found a baby porpoise with line wrapped around its tail.The mother was below it , pushing it up to breathe.Greenlaw cut it loose and the pair circled the boat a few times , then swam away.

Greenlaw says she's never had a problem being the only female on board for 30 days at sea.

''It's been to my advantage , '' she said. ''Any self-respecting guy doesn't want a woman to outwork them.The guys stay more clean and the boat is clean because I'm around.'' No one has ever hit on her.Several call her ''Ma.''.

Owner switches to crab

Greenlaw left the Grand Banks when the owner of her boat decided to fish for deep-sea red crab instead of swordfish.

She is living on Isle au Haut now , with parents and relatives , and lobstering.She plans to buy land there and build her own house next year.

She misses being a ''long tripper , '' also called a ''distant water fisherman , '' and hopes to get back to it.

''Way out , you can leave all your troubles behind.You don't have to face people for 30 days.And if you're quick , and get right back out , for another 30 days , '' Greenlaw said.

''Even storms coming in can be beautiful.''.

A Christian Science Monitor interview with Linda GreenlawRead about swordfish and the swordfish industryDiscover what it's like to take a swordfishing trip in Nova Scotia.From earlier this year , a proposal for quotas on swordfishing , from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationIf you prefer your swordfish on a plate , My Menus has a great list of swordfish recipes.

About The Perfect Storm

...
Linda Greenlaw's fellow Colby alumni have been discussing the book in their forum.A book review from The Freep , the Detroit Free Press online , gives The Perfect Storm four stars out of four.The Independent Reader has a page about The Perfect Storm with reviews and the opportunity to share your thoughts about the book.

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At left : Linda Greenlaw , who has captained a swordfish boat in the Grand Banks fleet and has worked as a deep-sea fisherman for 17 years , has earned respect in a male-dominated world.A mention of her in the bestseller The Perfect Storm has brought media attention to a tough woman who can appreciate the beauty of a storm while bringing in the biggest catch of the fleet.
...
Greenlaw , a deep sea fisherman for 17 years , is in her element.At 36 , she is the only female swordfish captain in the Grand Banks fleet.Perhaps anywhere.

The work is physically demanding and requires stamina , skill and considerable risk.Greenlaw has earned respect in this male-dominated world and often returns with the biggest catch.

Nobody cared , she said , until they read about her in the current best seller ''The Perfect Storm , '' about the Halloween Gale of 1991.She was one of the last to talk to the Andrea Gail , which sunk without a trace off Nova Scotia in huge seas.All hands were lost.

The next thing she knew , Greenlaw was in the October issue of Vanity Fair.People magazine called.She appeared on the Discovery Channel and on ABC.

...
The text describes Greenlaw as ''one of the best captains , period , on the entire East Coast , '' according to author Sebastian Junger. ''When the Hannah Boden unloads her catch in Gloucester , swordfish prices plummet halfway across the world.''.

''She beat every male on the Grand Banks five years running.She whipped their butts , '' said Orr's Island resident Capt.Alden Leeman , who owned the first boat she fished on , and the first boat she ran as captain.

Fast-talking dynamo

Just 5-foot-3 , Greenlaw has sun-streaked brown hair pulled back in a ponytail.Her face is crinkled around the eyes and tan from the sun and wind.She is a high-energy , fast-speaking dynamo , with flashing eyes and a quick smile.

But when her lower lip juts out and she exhales a blast of air , it's time to back off , according to Leeman. ''She's coming with everything she's got.'' He teased her once too often about her cribbage game , he recalled , and she threw the deck of cards at him , followed by the cribbage board. ''She can be one tough lady , '' Leeman said.

Born in Connecticut and raised in Topsham , she has been swordfishing for 17 years , starting her freshman year at Colby College , where she was majoring in English and government with an eye to law school.

''I fell in love with fishing and didn't want any more schooling , '' she said.

Grown men have come to Leeman with tears in their eyes , fearing for their lives in bad weather.Never Greenlaw , he said.

The worst storm she ever encountered was the March Gale of 1993.Winds reached 120 mph in driving rain , with waves more than six stories high.Greenlaw was in the 100-foot Hannah Boden at the time , off the coast of Baltimore.
...
Greenlaw tried to keep the bow into the wind , which moaned in the rigging like a church organ.She couldn't see the waves , by then so high that two large ships jogging the weather out near her told Greenlaw they couldn't see her boat on radar.

At left : Linda Greenlaw stands at the wheel of her lobster boat , the Mattie Belle , near Isle au Haut.Born in Connecticut and raised in Topsham , she started swordfishing while at Colby College.
...
Greenlaw , who is taking a break from swordfishing right now , steamed out of Gloucester , Mass. , five days east to reach the fishing grounds with the rest of the 25-boat fleet.They fish on the lunar cycle , returning to port every 30 days.

Swordfish like moonlight

Swordfish bite when the night sky is bright.Darkness is unproductive. ''You try to stay on the moon , '' Greenlaw explains.The best season is August through October.

Each boat lays 40 miles of line , with 1 , 000 hooks , along the best temperature break it can find - where the warm Gulf Stream meets the cold Labrador current.

The line is set in the evening.Two men at the stern bait each hook with a whole squid as it comes swinging off the spool.
...
Greenlaw drives the boat back along the connecting dots of floats - one hand on the wheel , the other on the line , feeling for telltale tension.

Swordfish weigh 100 to 500 pounds and grow to a length of 5 feet or more.When a hook hangs heavy , the boat stops and Greenlaw hauls the fish in , hand-over-hand.

As the fish comes to the surface , its electric blue and purple back flashes , lighting up the water.Its sides are shiny silver , and the belly is iridescent silver , white or pink.

''They're magnificent , '' Greenlaw said. ''And they look like warriors with that weapon.''.

A living swordfish puts up a fight and must be handled carefully. ''You could lose it , '' said Greenlaw. ''With a 200-pound fish , at $4 a pound , you could be watching $800 swim away.''.
...
About the only time they take a break is when they haul a huge swordfish , shark or sea turtle. ''Everyone wants their picture taken with it , so we stop for a minute , '' said Greenlaw.The turtles are released live.

As captain - a natural promotion after being first mate for several seasons - Greenlaw is responsible for navigating , repairing the boat , hiring the crew , keeping them working smoothly , reading the weather and finding fish.

A good trip meant as much as 60 , 000 pounds , before the 30 , 000-pound trip limit set in 1995.Greenlaw has made as much as $200 , 000 in three months , or as little as $50 , 000.

When it comes to finding fish she has no crystal ball , she says.

''It's not luck.I worked harder than a lot of people around me..I had the best electronics , and I knew how to use them.'' She also looks for areas where storm petrels are fluttering over the surface , and shearwaters gather.

Where they feed , there is bigger feed and , hopefully , swordfish below.

Whales and porpoise are seen often on the Grand Banks.Twice Greenlaw has watched pods of killer whales. ''You hear them before you see them , '' she said. ''Their high dorsal fins cut through the water like shhhhhhh.''.

Once , investigating some splashing , she found a baby porpoise with line wrapped around its tail.The mother was below it , pushing it up to breathe.Greenlaw cut it loose and the pair circled the boat a few times , then swam away.

Greenlaw says she's never had a problem being the only female on board for 30 days at sea.

''It's been to my advantage , '' she said. ''Any self-respecting guy doesn't want a woman to outwork them.The guys stay more clean and the boat is clean because I'm around.'' No one has ever hit on her.Several call her ''Ma.''.

Owner switches to crab

Greenlaw left the Grand Banks when the owner of her boat decided to fish for deep-sea red crab instead of swordfish.

She is living on Isle au Haut now , with parents and relatives , and lobstering.She plans to buy land there and build her own house next year.

She misses being a ''long tripper , '' also called a ''distant water fisherman , '' and hopes to get back to it.

''Way out , you can leave all your troubles behind.You don't have to face people for 30 days.And if you're quick , and get right back out , for another 30 days , '' Greenlaw said.

''Even storms coming in can be beautiful.''.

A Christian Science Monitor interview with Linda GreenlawRead about swordfish and the swordfish industryDiscover what it's like to take a swordfishing trip in Nova Scotia.From earlier this year , a proposal for quotas on swordfishing , from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationIf you prefer your swordfish on a plate , My Menus has a great list of swordfish recipes.

About The Perfect Storm

...
Linda Greenlaw's fellow Colby alumni have been discussing the book in their forum.A book review from The Freep , the online , gives The Perfect Storm four stars out of four.The Independent Reader has a page about The Perfect Storm with reviews and the opportunity to share your thoughts about the book.

to top.

Browse by title Browse by author