Farewell to a Fisherman

This is the F/V Don A, an old wooden troller/longliner moored in the Hoonah harbor. Last night, its owner, Floyd Hunt, met with an untimely death when he fell into the harbor after a night of drinking. I'm not here to pass judgement on his behavior, we've all made poor choices from time to time. It's just unfortunate that his choice had such dire consequences.

I wish I had known Floyd better. I've seen him around the docks for years and we've spoken casually. He even did some work on my boat a number of years ago. What I do know about him is that he always seemed to be on a pretty even keel. He never seemed to get too excited about anything that I could tell. He was a good fisherman and a successful business man. To those who knew him well, I believe he was a good friend. Floyd seemed to fill the role of a surrogate father of sorts to some of the single fishermen who live on their boats. It seemed like every spring before the main season got started he provided some work as crew hands for the fellows who needed a little money. He was a shipwright who was in demand down at the docks and frequently let his own boat go so that he could work on someone elses.

I was actually planning on asking him if he would agree to do an interview with me for an upcoming book that I'm trying to get together on the local fishermen. I think he would have had some good stories to tell.

The fishermans lifestyle seemed to serve him well. He liked his independence and his friends and to come and go as he pleased. Though I didn't know him well, I'm going to miss him. So long Floyd.