|
|
For Release On Receipt Contact: Kathy Biggs, Azalea Creek Publishing, bigsnest@sonic.net (publisher) Tom Kendrick, 707-829-7784 bluewatergoldrush@hotmail.com (author) Money, Piracy, Death, and Drama at Sea: An Inside Look at California's Sea Urchin Diving Industry SEBASTOPOL, CA: For those who made a go of it, filling their boats with thousands of pounds of sea urchins every day - their roe is a delicacy in sushi-mad Japan - was the path to wealth, despite the brutal 17-hour days, the painful spines of the sea urchins, and the constant threat that something would go horribly wrong. For others, things did go horribly wrong. Death by shark bite or carbon monoxide poisoning, shipwrecks, even piracy…and families shattered under the stress of a commercial fisherman's life. Tom Kendrick tells it all. An avid surfer who fell into urchin diving as a way to earn a living while scoping out surfing grounds, Kendrick spent 22 years on the urchin boats, as everything from a lowly tender to captain of his own vessel. He tells of almost losing his wife to his own greed, of business dealings gone sweet and sour, memorable characters including Weener - everyone's best friend, a generous party animal who is killed in a shark attack-and the Spaniard, an innovator who turns the industry on its head and is the first to break the hold of price-fixers. It's all in the new book, Bluewater Gold Rush: The Odyssey of a California Sea Urchin Diver (Azalea Creek Publishing). Strongly recommended for those who love boats, diving, surfing, and outdoor adventure this intimate snapshot of an era that has vanished covers the California sea urchin industry from 1978 through 1996...a time before anyone worried about overfishing the urchin beds - when boats were simpler, and crewing on an urchin boat was just a few men against the power of the elements. The book has been featured in California Diving News, National Fisherman, The Surfer's Journal, Historical Diving Magazine and the PBS television show, Huell Howser's California's Gold. A screenplay has been requested by film producers, and is in production. The book's website is http://www.bluewatergoldrush.com To interview Kendrick and/or request a signed copy of the book, call 707-829-7784, email, bluewatergoldrush@hotmail.com, Signed copies are available at bluewatergoldrush.com. Bluewater Gold Rush: The Odyssey of a California Sea Urchin Diver Author: Tom Kendrick; Illustrator: Tom Rissacher Sebastopol, CA Azalea Creek Publishing, October 2006 ISBN 9780967793436, $16.95 309 pages, paperback |
Press release |