N°30 – The Rime of The Ancient Mariner

Sapri, 17th  July
My grandfather was a fisherman and used to sail off the coast of Sicily. He was stopped here in Sapri, sleeping on the beaches and fishing for food, when he met his wife and decided to put down his roots. They had a large family of 14 children and all of the sons became fishermen.  

Fishing gave us a way of life and a source of freedom. When you’re at sea, you feel free of everything and everyone.

However, it’s a job that entails many sacrifices and fears. You take big risks, because the sea can be beautiful, but it can also be very dangerous. Some days it can get angry, it can turn in a split second and put you in danger. For me, the sea is one of the most powerful forces of nature, when it’s unleashed there’s no stopping it.

I began following in my father’s footsteps as a child. At the age of 7, my father was already taking me out to sea so that I wouldn’t be stuck on land and be led down the wrong paths. I’ve been fascinated by it all ever since. Coming from a family of fishermen, my blood isn’t sweet but salty. Over time, this appetite for the sea takes hold of you and you can’t live without it.

My father was a  sensitive and gentle person. He had a very special love for his children. For him, the most important thing was that we grew up with work as our goal, because work gave you the security to live in a very difficult world, and it remains true today. Through work, you could be fulfilled, start a family, and have a future. He saw all that in the sea.

But too many things have changed, too much bureaucracy and too many rules have led to the downfall of fishing. It’s clear I can’t let my children lead the life I lead. I don’t want that for them, because the world has changed.  Today there are so many opportunities, and I want them to have a better life.

I think about it a lot and it pains me not to have the same bond with my children that I had with my father. I don’t want them to fall in love with the sea. I don’t want them to have the same life as me, because it’s very hard.

Vincenzo

Vincenzo is a fisherman who lives in Sapri, a village of 6,000 inhabitants in southern Italy. Despite his love for the profession that his family has practised for generations, he dreams of a different life for his children. Between regulations and climate change, making a living as small-scale fishermen has become almost impossible.

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