The Fishermen’s Memorial, also known as “The Man At The Wheel” is one of the most beautiful landmark in Gloucester Massachusetts. The statue is a permanent memorial that resembles and reminds us of the thousands of fishermen lost at sea in Gloucester's history. In 1879 alone, 249 fishermen and 29 vessels were lost during a terrible storm. This statue not only means a lot to my city but me on a personal level because my family has been involved in the fishing industry for generations. There is a lot of blood, sweat and tears in fishing and I have been apart of this first hand. When I see this statue it means more that just words its a way of life and teaches you that the ocean can be very dangerous but the man at the wheel watches over us.
"They that go down to the sea in ships,
That do business in great waters;
These see the works of the Lord,
And his wonders in the deep."
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“I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it is because in addition to the fact that the sea changes and the light changes, and ships change, it is because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it we are going back from whence we came”
― John F. Kennedy
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Nice post. Three of my grandparents came from the sea coast. one from Newfoundland and two from the Connemara coast in western Ireland. It's no surprise that they and most of their siblings settled in the coastal towns of Maine and Massachusetts. My one grandfather who came from horse country in Ireland was not as fanatical about the ocean and all of his siblings picked the Midwest, around Chicago and upstate New York. Some people crave the sea, and some the land.
ReplyDeleteI love the Gloucester fisherman's memorial. Also the movie, "the Perfect Storm" is based on the event. People visit it every year.
ReplyDeleteWow, I've got to check this land mark out. I've been fishing in lakes but not deep sea fishing. Thats some scary stuff, kudos to you for having the strength to be out there like that. Indeed all the fishermen that this statue honors and continues to honor are brave men.
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