January 22, 2025 — Daybreak on the Atlantic is a slow, hypnotic explosion of color. Black skies turn ash gray; next, a sideways sliver of orange divides the vast horizon.
A pause, then a breathtaking ocean dawn: Churning deep blue waters collide with the palest of blue skies. Wisps of clouds turn whiter and brighter as the sun climbs.
First light changes everything.
A pod of dolphins emerges to play alongside the “Jillian and Peri” as it motors out to deeper waters. Their squeals as they pass below the hull echo onboard and stir Andrew Konchek from his wooden bunk below deck.
Time for another subfreezing day at the office, fishing 15 miles or so off the Massachusetts coast.
“It’s a little cold,” Konchek said. “It’s definitely hard work. Not for everybody.”
But it defines him.