1900 Island - Episode 3

It is week 3 on the 1900 Island and life is a challenge for our modern families.  The men plan a three-day fishing trip, leaving their wives and children behind.  The women fish for lobster but the food is running short. 

​At the start of the episode, the men are learning about setting lobster pots from Mickey, an expert fisherman.  The men are using handwoven lobster pots, putting the bait in, and setting them out at sea.  It was another way the families could make money.  Lobsters were highly prized fish that the wealthy wanted to eat.  The lobster potting would help one of the families eat well.

A new member of the community has moved in with one of the families.  He is proving to be an asset to the family.  He collects wood and works with the island shipwright as an apprentice.  As an apprentice, his personal life would have been strictly regulated by the master.  This practice goes back to Medieval times.  He will be building a new dingy for the community.  The apprentice works on making oars for the new boat.

Mickey works on getting the pots set up and one of the members helps get the pots set up.  He is finally allowed to get out on the water after suffering from gout.  The lobster pots will be dropped nearby the rocks.  The pots are set and it is a waiting game to see what they catch.  The fishing communities had to be self-reliant and they would have to be highly skilled to keep boats in good repair.

The food situation for one family is proving to be a challenge.  The mother is not eating enough and the father is not happy with the situation.  The shop keepers are concerned about their neighbors because it is clear that they are not eating well.  So they come up with a charity scheme for the island.  Individuals had to help out people in need.  One family puts together a food hamper for the bigger family.

The fishermen check on the lobster pots to see if there is anything in them.  The first pot that is pulled is empty and so it is reset.  Another pot comes up empty.  One of the women is finding it a challenge to be stuck on land.  The women were tied to the home in the 1900s.  Women’s suffrage was starting to become a fight.
One family rethinks their charitable initiative and believes that charity should be done quietly and should retain a person’s dignity.  However, the family is grateful for receiving the food.  It is a boost for the family.  With food supplies and money running low, they plan for some overnights on the boat.  It will be a challenge for novice fishermen.  Fishing was a dangerous occupation, and in the 1900s one in ten fishermen apprentices were lost at sea.

The men head out to sea for a longer fishing trip.  While the men are away, the lobster pots will still need to be checked and so the women had to row to check lobster pots.  The families have one final night together before the long fishing trip.  The men go off to sea to go fishing.  There will be no communication between the island and the women left behind.  Will this trip be a success for the men? 

While the men are away, how will the women handle being left on their own?  Tune into this episode to find out more. 

This episode was more interesting because of the fishing trip and the women being left on their own.