Chapter 5: The Barrel of the Gun - Part 2

     Billy's ship continues into the storm and the waves are now up to 70 feet tall, accompanied by winds up to 115 miles/hour. Sidetracking from the current storm , the author tells the story of Murph, one of the crew members aboard the Andrea Gail. Sebastian Junger shares numerous stories of near-death experiences that Murph faced in his life and explained that he was either close to dying or hard to kill. Then the author returns to the story of Hurricane Grace and its reckless nature. The hurricane caused great damage to a boat that is enormous compared to the Andrea Gail and even made the boat change its course. The strength of the storm is clearly shown in this situation and all of this raw power is being exerted on the Andrea Gail. Lastly, the Andrea Gail can no longer communicate with fellow ships because the storm took out the electronics on the ship and for the first time, the Andrea Gail is completely alone.

     The second half of this chapter did an excellent job of showing the progression of the storm and the havoc that is creating in its path. Also, the basic need of being able to communicate with people and create friendships is related to this chapter. In the story, it stresses that now that the Andrea Gail cannot communicate with other vessels, it will be more difficult to survive the storm. This is because the weather updates from other ships are taken away from the crew of the Andrea Gail and this leaves them without any warning of future obstacles that the storm might throw their way.

Chapter 5: The Barrel of the Gun - Part 1

     Billy Tyne, captain of the Andrea Gail, ignores the warning of the storm and continues directly into the path of the storm to get to Gloucester as fast as possible. Although he ignored the advice to dock for a while, he does not fail to prepare his ship for the oncoming storm. Everything is tied down and many precautions are made to ensure that the boat will have the best possible chance to survive the storm. Later on, Billy receives a call from Linda Greenlaw, the weather monitor for all fishing boats. She tells him that the storm has turned into a hurricane called Hurricane Grace. Before he even knows it, Billy is the mercy of the powerful storm that is blowing winds up to 104 miles/hour and creating waves up to 45 feet tall.

     The first half of this chapter gives us a taste of what storms are like out on the sea for fishermen. It shows us that sometimes fishermen underestimate the storms because they happen so frequently and this can prove to be lethal. Also, Billy Tyne is putting the money that he gets from selling the fish ahead of his primary need of being safe. He no longer cares about his own safety and continues into the storm, although he was warned not to. This was driven by the fact that he wanted to reach Gloucester first and be able to sell his catch for the luxury of having large amounts of money.

Chapter 4: The Flemish Cap - Part 2

     The author explains the past experiences of the Andrea Gail and says that although there were alterations done to the boat, it is still dependable. Also, the author expresses the dangers that are associated with sea water that floods the deck of ships. In the present days of the Andrea Gail, Billy Tyne, the captain of the ship, is now catching large amounts of fish after three weeks of rather thin fishing. After catching about 40,000 pounds of swordfish (worth about $160,000), Billy Tyne decides that he has caught enough fish and sets his sights on going back to Gloucester. Lastly, at the end of the chapter it alludes to bad weather that is going to happen along the Andrea Gail's path.

     In this chapter, it explains regulations that ships must comply with before embarking on their voyages and shows that great care is taken when these vessels are created. Also, it demonstrates that fishing is about luck because after catching little fish for three weeks, Billy comes across large amounts of fish and meets his quota within a week. Lastly, the warning of the bad weather that is approaching foreshadows that the Andrea Gail will get caught in the storm and face great difficulties.

Chapter 4: The Flemish Cap - Part 1

     The author tells the story of the decreasing swordfish population and of how the government had to put a cap on the total amount of fish that a boat can catch. This is quite relevant because the lower number of fish allowed to be caught means that the fishermen have less fish to sell. After this side note, the author returns to the original story of the Andrea Gail and its crew. The different areas of the ship are described and the living conditions of the crew are explained. Also, it is stated that fishing vessels often help other ships that are in need. This is done because the ships that offer their help expect that they will receive the same generosity if they require help themselves and it is not purely done out of kindness.

     This chapter brings the reader more into the setting of the Andrea Gail and helps them understand what it feels like to be on the ship. Personally, I have been on a ship and this chapter provided many descriptions that could be connected to my own experiences. In addition to providing details about the boat, this chapter also did an excellent job of showing the relationships that fellow fishermen share with one another, even if they belong to different crews.

Chapter 3: God's Country

     The crew of the Andrea Gail is ready to set out and they say their final goodbyes to their loved ones. Despite Sully's (David Sullivan's) prediction of a bad trip, the boat heads out to sea in search of swordfish. After sailing for days, the Andrea Gail finally has its first set, which is when the crew lays out the lines and bait. Later on, the boat is hit by a near 30-foot wave that covers it in water, but it rights itself and the crew continues sailing. A week more of fishing is done, but the catch is not very good. This makes the captain, Billy, change the boat's direction to the west, which is off of the fishing charts. While all of this is happening, the weather is getting bad.

     This chapter explains the basic life of the fishermen aboard the Andrea Gail and what they do in order to catch the swordfish. Also, the wave that hits them is the first obstacle that they face on their voyage. Lastly, when the author says that the weather is getting bad, there is foreshadowing that implies the weather will cause huge problems for the Andrea Gail.

Chapter 2: Gloucester, Mass., 1991 - Part 2

     In this chapter, there are countless stories of men who go out fishing and either never return or come back to Gloucester severely injured. Sometimes the men are gone for extended periods of time and their families are stuck at home not knowing whether they will come back or not. The Andrea Gail and its crew are about to head out to sea on the same trek that many ships have went on before. The crew is restless and do not want to go out to sea, but they have to do it in order to make a living. One member drops out and they have to pick up a man named David Sullivan to fill his place. After this, the men spend their time stocking the boat with food, drink and plenty of ice. This ice is very important because it keeps the food from spoiling while they are sailing out to sea and keeps the fish fresh coming back from sea (there is a high demand for fresh fish).

     The second half of this chapter is mainly about the precautions that must be taken before the fishermen head out to sea and all of the preparations that must be done. This reminds me of all of the packing that must be done before i head out on vacation. Also, the fishermen's families not knowing whether or not their loved one will come back reminds me of soldiers that have to go out to war because their families do not know if they will return dead or alive either. Lastly, the author, Sebastian Junger, is foreshadowing the disaster of the Andrea Gail by recalling the disasters of other ships and their crews that happened in the past.

Chapter 2: Gloucester, Mass., 1991 - Part 1

     In Gloucester, Massachusetts, almost every single young man is a fisherman of some sort because it is the only way to make money and survive. Bobby Shatford is just one of these fishermen. He, along with the rest of his crew (Captain Billy Tyne, Pierre, Murphy, Moran, and Kosco), sail on a swordfishing boat called the Andrea Gail. These men  go out for a full month at sea, return for a week, and then head out to fish again. This is stressful to both the fishermen and their girlfriends or wives. Bobby's girlfriend, Christina Cotter, shows this because she always worries about whether Bobby will make it back to her or die at sea. Although there is high a risk of dying as a fisherman, there is also a big reward if they survive the trip. Successful fishermen have large amounts of money and most of the time, the money is just wasted on alcohol. One of the places to buy this alcohol is a place called the Crow's Nest. It is run by Ethel Shatford (Bobby's mother) and everyone that stays there knows each other. It acts as a home to those fishermen who do not have a family and everyone is welcome.

     This half of the chapter introduces the main character (protagonist), Bobby Shatford, and his girlfriend, Christina Cotter. Also, it shows a second major setting in the book, Gloucester, Massachusetts. Lastly, this half of the chapter shows  the life of the fishermen and the women that come from Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Chapter 1: Georges Bank

     On a midwinter day off of the coast of Massachusetts, the crew of a mackerel schooner saw a bottle with a note in it. Since they were on Georges Bank, one of the most dangerous fishing grounds in the world, the bottle most likely contained important information about the condition of a ship. Once the crew fetched the bottle and read the note, they discovered that it came from a boat called the Falcon. This boat left for Gloucester a year ago and according to the note, was wrecked and no longer functional. With the boat a wreck, the man who wrote the note and the rest of the crew were doomed to face the recklessness of the powerful ocean.

     This chapter was exciting and a good introduction to the book, The Perfect Storm. It included the main setting (the ocean) and it also alluded to possible situations that might occur in the plot of this novel (used foreshadowing). It was clearly stated that Georges Bank is a very dangerous place and that the ocean is also very dangerous. This unpredictability of the ocean, sets the reader (me) up for possible problems that the mackerel schooner might encounter on its voyage through the ocean.