Mike, I will concede that your 40 years trumps my paranoid dilusions. Shrimpers almost always are single powered, when they break down 100 miles out they get another shrimper to tow them back, I listen to that on the radio often enough, they try to go out in pairs or work areas that others are working. Would you call that a single mentality ?

At 02:51 PM 1/13/05 +0000, you wrote: >Mike, I will concede that your 40 years trumps my paranoid dilusions. >Shrimpers almost always are single powered, when they break down 100 miles >out they get another shrimper to tow them back, I listen to that on the >radio often enough, they try to go out in pairs or work areas that others >are working. Would you call that a single mentality ? The issue of commercial fishermen and their lack of care for their engines is pretty wide spread. However, the diligent ones that I know, who roam way out beyond 100 miles, in some cases 5,000 or more, pay real care to their propulsion. Sometimes they are working near other boats, but in many cases that means 500 miles or more. Real paranoia has no place in this kind of work. But, caution and understanding of true risk, does. The commercial fleet, especially shrimpers is under a lot of financial strain and the level of maintenance is not good. The devil is in the details. Mike Capt. Mike Maurice Tualatin(Portland), Oregon