Fishing Photography: Jason & Danielle

In summer 2015, the Jason & Danielle, Montauk’s largest commercial fishing vessel, was 80 miles off the coast of Montauk, south of Nantucket Island, when the rogue wave crashed over her bow and smashed the antennae’s perched on top of the boat, 60 feet in the air. After the storm passed, the damage was surveyed — chest-high water in the wheelhouse and a total loss of all electronics and navigation systems. The shaken crew stuffed mattresses in the four broken windows, turned south and gave her full power to try and out-race the waves. When that didn’t work they floated for four days until they were able to patch the vessel back together and limp back to Montauk. 

I wasn’t there, of course, but I recently toured the Jason & Danielle while she was docked in the harbor for her annual repairs. That’s when her owner, Bill Grimm, moved aside to reveal the lump of glass forever lodged in the wooden map table, right behind where the ship captain’s head had been, seconds before one of the window’s was blown out by the rogue wave. Here are some pics: