Using a winch to pull the boat, fishermen reduce the burden

Recently, in coastal communes, we hardly see groups of fishermen struggling to move their bamboo boats to the sea to fish and then struggling to bring them ashore to anchor when returning. Instead, we see a simple, compact winch. Just start the engine, put it in gear and increase the throttle, and the entire fishing boat with full fishing gear and caught seafood weighing 2-3 tons will slowly and gently be pulled ashore.

Using a winch to pull the boat, fishermen reduce the workload.

Thanks to the boat winch, only one person can quickly bring a 2-3 ton boat ashore - Photo: LA

Just turning the throttle to pull his boat ashore after a night of fishing at sea, fisherman Nguyen Van Tan in Village 5, Gio Hai Commune, Gio Linh District said that before, every time he brought the boat out to sea and ashore, he had to mobilize 3-4 people to help. Each side, 2 people used their strength to lift half of the boat up and then rotate the boat at an angle of 180 degrees, each time the boat rotated like that, it would move a distance of about 0.6 - 1 meter.

Having to turn it back and forth many times like that to get the boat onto the shore or into the sea, it takes both time and effort. But since using this winch, pulling the boat onto the shore or into the sea only requires him alone and takes less than 5 minutes. “Before, each time we brought the boat onto the shore or into the sea, it took 3-4 people and it took 20-30 minutes. Now, I just need to do it myself, it is both easy and quick,” Mr. Tan said happily.

The winch used by fishermen has a compact design including an old motorbike engine with a capacity of about 100 cm3, a winch shaft including gears to increase the pulling force of the machine, a transmission gearbox and a rope to hook to the boat body. The whole thing is placed on a sturdy iron frame with a pulling arm and 2 wheels for easy movement. To make a fixed fulcrum for the winch, fishermen use an anchor stuck deep into the sand. When needing to pull the boat ashore or into the sea, fishermen just start the engine, put it in gear, the winch will rotate to roll the rope onto the shaft and slowly pull the boat up. The price of a winch is not too high, only about 13 - 15 million VND.

Fisherman Nguyen Van Thanh in Village 5 shared that after a night of fishing at sea, most fishermen are exhausted, and bringing the boat ashore will drain their strength. Therefore, the boat winch has greatly benefited the fishermen. When reaching shore, the boats with all the machinery, fishing gear and seafood caught during the night weighing from 2 to 3 tons are gently pulled ashore by the winch. When needing to go out to sea, the fishermen pull the winch closer to the water's edge, fix the anchor, hook the cable and pull the boat back out.

“Especially, whenever there is a storm or tropical depression, we fishermen have to move our boats deep inshore, up to high mounds hundreds of meters from the sea edge to avoid damage caused by waves and storms. Previously, we had to mobilize 8-10 people and it took 3-4 hours to transport the boat to the high mound. Now, with this winch, we only need 2-3 people and it takes less than 30 minutes,” said Mr. Thanh.

Vice Chairman of Gio Hai Commune People's Committee Ho Xuan Thuy said that the whole commune currently has more than 190 small fishing boats near the shore with a capacity of 8 - 10 CV. Because it is a coastal commune, the boats have no place to anchor. Every time they go out to sea and return to shore, fishermen have to move their boats with great difficulty, turning back and forth on the sandbank many times to get the boats into the sea or back to shore, which greatly affects their health.

Meanwhile, with the winch, fishermen can reduce a lot of effort, not only bringing the boat to shore but also pulling the boat into the water thanks to the mobility of the rudder and wheels. According to Mr. Thuy, with the advantages that the winch brings, there are currently dozens of fishermen in the commune, most of them in Village 5, who have purchased a winch. For households that do not have the conditions, 3-4 people buy one winch together.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Huu Vinh, the difference between the coastal sea area and the estuary sea area is that the seabed is shallow, the waves are big, and there are no sheltered bays, so boats cannot anchor. Every time they return from the sea, fishermen have to move their boats several dozen to hundreds of meters from shore to ensure safety.

Previously, this work was done entirely by fishermen, mainly by carrying the boat on their shoulders and pushing it by hand. Since the introduction of this boat winch, it has helped fishermen reduce the burden of bringing their boats to sea for fishing and ashore after fishing. In particular, the boat tow truck also shortens the time it takes to bring the boat ashore to avoid storms or tropical depressions, helping to minimize damage to fishermen.

“Currently, not only Gio Hai commune but also most of the coastal communes, fishermen have started to use many of these boat winches. This helps increase labor productivity, save time, and ensure the health of fishermen,” Mr. Vinh added.

Le An

Source