Community
Captain and crew enjoy Halcyon days of wrangling fishing nets
In an iconic Maritime City scene, the fishing vessel Halcyon snuggled against the Gig Harbor Maritime Pier on Wednesday, Nov. 4, as its crew wrestled with the chore of unloading its purse seining nets to end the boat’s 2026 season.
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A crew member untangles nets removed from the Halcyon on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Photo by Chapin Day
Even with a mighty assist from a hydraulic block (pulley) dangling from the boom overhead, the men needed plenty of muscle to properly array the load onto a waiting trailer towed by a powerful pick-up.
Halcyon’s owner/skipper, 38-year-old Drew Patterson, will take the nets to his Port Orchard home for maintenance and repair. He said he and the crew deployed the nets 9 to 11 times on each of the three Wednesdays permitted this year during a regulated Puget Sound seine season.
Drew Patterson, owner and captain of the Halcyon, operates controls to retrieve nets on the boat on Wednesday, Nov. 3. Photo by Chapin Day
He said the catch was “disappointing” in poundage but made somewhat better by the prices buyers paid.
Halcyon has a slip in Gig Harbor at the moment, but Patterson is looking forward to the city completing its new Commercial Fishing Homeport. He applied for and hopes to snare one of slips there after it opens, scheduled for next year.
“That thing is going to be great,” Patterson said. “Lots of people have tried to get it done for so many years.”
The Halcyon tied up at the Maritime Pier on Wednesday, where it offloaded nets. Photo by Chapin Day