May 9, 2014 — Charles Hackett would like to set the record straight about the job of a charter-boat captain.
It’s not the life of leisure on the high seas that many people assume it is, he said.
“Everybody thinks it’s the ideal job — just going fishing every day. It’s a dream job, right?” he said. “But people don’t know the effort involved.”
Hackett, 42, of Lower Township, has been working on fishing boats all his life, most recently as owner and captain of the 60-foot Sea Star III based at the Miss Chris Marina in Lower Township.
He spent the winter sanding, repairing and repainting his boat to get it ready for the annual U.S. Coast Guard inspections. His recreational fishing season runs about nine months of the year, weather permitting.
And during the season, it’s hard to catch your breath sometimes, he said.
“You only get what you put into it. I work seven days per week. And the days that most people get off work — weekends and holidays — I definitely have to work,” he said.
“I will fish all day and then spend the evening answering emails and phone calls, getting the bait ready and lining up first mates so we have a successful trip tomorrow. It just never ends.”
Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City