A Conversation with John Tripp
John started fishing at age 11 with 50 hand-me -down traps that his father and grandfather had given him. "I had a 21’ outboard skiff I hauled off Tommy's Island where my family lived in the summer. I always wanted to be a fisherman, I used to beg my Dad to take me to haul with him, but sometimes when he woke me up at 4am, I had second thoughts!" There was a time John thought about becoming a commercial diver, but lobstering "is in my blood." Today John fishes in a 42’ Peter Kass wooden lobster boat that his Father had built in 1995. He fishes 25 miles offshore for most of the year and only fishes inshore for the summer months.
What John loves most about fishing? Being able to work outdoors and the fact that your effort and how hard you work reflects what you get out of it. About the Co-op: "I'm excited to do business differently and I like that my lobsters are going to consumers who care about where their food comes from as much as I like delivering a top quality product. I'm also glad the Co-op is making a point to let people know the food they’re eating is being caught by people who care about the environment and sustainability in the fishery."
Favorite food: Coffee (nothing more needs to be said!)
Scariest Time on the Ocean: Hauling when tropical storm Danny was passing through. "I decided to head home, but there was a good following sea running, and my boat began to surf a wave - we were going at about twice our normal speed." When he throttled back, the wave broke off his stern and into the boat. "I was glad to get home that night."
Buoy color: orange and grey
Boat name: Sea Wife - "This was the name of my Grandfather’s boat at one time and was handed down to my Father. I decided to keep the name when the boat was passed onto me."
