August 26, 2016 โ SEA ISLE CITY, N.J. โ It had been a long four days at sea aboard the Two Dukes, harvesting thousands of pounds of American lobster and a sideline catch of Jonah crab about 80 miles from the New Jersey coast in an area called the Hudson Canyon.
Out where the water is deeper than a skyscraper is tall, the work days are 14 hours long and start at 5 a.m. Thereโs really no break aboard the 70-foot steel-hulled lobster boat until a crew member โcooks a nice dinnerโ โ usually not lobster or crab โ and then itโs finally time to find a bunk and grab some sleep until the next shift.
The weather is an ever-present, relentless partner in the enterprise and, on any given voyage, can range from sunbaked heat to cold, howling winds and monstrous, stormy swells. No one wastes time talking about good weather.
โI really forgot how grueling it can be,โ said Eric Burcaw Sr., 50, who recently came out of semiretirement to take the helm on the Two Dukes, which he operates with his brother Robert Jr.
Their dad, Robert Sr., 82, started the familyโs maritime business in the 1960s and still helps out dockside during the summer when the boat comes in. The family owns two other boats they use for fishing other species and for shorter, one-day lobster runs.
On their most recent four-day lobster trip, Eric Sr. found himself in the Two Dukesโ captainโs chair. His son, Eric Jr., who took over running the boat a couple of years ago, had broken his ankle jet skiing the previous week. The injury would preclude Eric Jr. from doing the heavy work required onboard.