I’m fully recovered from my illness now and I can’t tell you what a pleasure it is to feel better! I’ve been able to get out of the house and see friends, to go shopping at the market, and even to walk down to the harbour and stroll along the jetty.
St. Peter Port is largely a pleasure harbour now, and the marina is packed with private yachts and other recreational boats. There are still fisherman who land their catch here, and the ferries from England and France dock here too. But most of the cargo comes through the harbour in St. Sampson, about three miles up the coast from here. There’s always been a slightly gritty quality to that part of the island compared with St. Peter Port, although there are charming spots there too.
Today on my walk to the harbour I watched a mackerel fishing boat returning. This particular boat makes at least as much money from tourism as it does from fishing; visitors to the island can go out on the boat and get to enjoy a very relaxing form of fishing. When I was younger we’d often go with friends when they visited from the mainland and we always enjoyed ourselves.
You let our a long line with hooks baited every couple of feet along the line. Each line carries … ooh, I don’t know … about 18 or 24 hooks if I remember correctly (it’s been a few years since I went). The line is trailed behind the boat while you continue to putter around, and after 45 minutes or so you drag in the line, landing a dozen fish or more on a good day.
When these boats return to port, they often have an excess of fish which is sold cheaply on the spot, because the visitors can’t really make use of them if they’re staying in a hotel. That was the case today, so I bought two very nice little mackerel that are baking as I type this. I’ve boiled some new potatoes, and am looking forward to a lovely dinner.