Three boats

Three boats sit upon the Ahnapee River in Algoma, Wisconsin at 6:30 a.m. on a midsummer morning. Mornings on the northern shore of Lake Michigan often feature a fine mist that obscures the horizon, giving the lake the appearance of extending far into the great unknown. “Here be dragons,” was the inscription of ancient mapmakers to mark as yet unexplored regions of the sea.

“Here be salmon,” says the sonar fishfinder on the sport fishing boat carrying several adventurers on a half-day quest for fresh fish. The Oliver H. Smith is a commercial fishing vessel. Dragging a hundred yards of fine netting out of the four-panel door at its stern, the craft returns at daybreak with a catch of small fish that will be smoked, packaged and distributed throughout Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

The yacht sits waiting at the dock of a luxury condominium, its purpose altogether different than the sturdy work vessel and the small, swift sport craft. Work, sport and leisure. It’s the weekend. What boat are you in today?

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2006 James Jordan.