Nino Nets Some “Guppies”

Gloucester Dock Scene. Russ Webster (1904-1984)

Back about 1970 when I was just a boy working for my dad at Ocean Crest Seafood, there used to be a retired fisherman who worked for us by the name of Nino Trupiano. A better man would be hard to find. Always with an interesting tale to tell, he once recounted a story I have not forgotten to this day. Back in the days when fishermen were allowed to ply their trade whenever and however they wished, the only thing that would prevent them from leaving the dock was weather, and by weather, I don’t mean a little rain, I mean “WEATHER”! Fishermen of the day would never let someone get the better of them, so if one man left the dock, all would follow. One particularly foul and windy day the men and boats waffled by the shore, hesitant to brave the turning waters, when Nino, never one to be indecisive, cast off the lines and intrepidly braved the waters.

He sailed past Fort Point, past Ten Pound Island, and out beyond the breakwall.

At this juncture, it became abundantly clear that this was no weather to fish in.

Not wanting to be made out as foolish for sailing into foul weather alone, he decided that he would return to the dock under the cloak of darkness ( as it was still before dawn) by turning off his running lights and hugging the shore as he returned to port. As the other boats were waiting at the dock to hear his report on conditions beyond the breakwall, they called on the radio “Nino, Nino what’s it like out there?” Nino replied “Beauuutiful, just Beauuutiful!”

At this point all men and vessels at the dock cast off their lines and headed for the open sea. Once arriving at the outer shore they realized that the weather was not fit for man nor beast and they called out to Nino imploring “Nino, Nino, where are you?” to which he replied “I’m at the Gloucester House; it’s too windy out there”.

Leonard Parco

Leonard Parco has been working the Gloucester waterfront for over 40 years and is the president of Ocean Crest Seafoods Inc. He is passionate about “Cape Ann School” art, especially that focused on Gloucester’s maritime heritage.