The first time Sarah saw them collecting Irish Moss she called out to them, "Why are you stealing our seaweed"? All the little girls were watching the men at work, and finally she could not stand it any more. These men were in small boats, in the ocean rowing just along the shore collecting the seaweed from the rocks right in front of our house. The men very politely called out to her that they were not stealing the seaweed but were collecting from the ocean this specific type of seaweed called Irish Moss, which is used in thickening products such as ice cream, cosmetics and medicines. Sarah understood, but she still did not like them to take our Irish Moss. This was three years ago and every now and then, they do it again.
Today they started across the bay in front of Gill's house. There were two boats. When the boat is full, the drive their boat to a larger boat and transfer their load, then return to more collecting of the Moss. They worked themselves right around the bay collecting as they go. Large wooden rakes are used to gather the moss from the rocks, always at low tide. When the supply of moss is exhausted, they head south, all three boats, to Hunt's Point, where the trucks ship the Irish Moss to the factory that makes the product useful for sale. The first step is the one we see. Ken and I went to the spot where the moss is first sold, and I can tell you that the moss is sold for several dollars per pound, a sum that seems very low, when you can see the work that goes into the collection. This stuff is part of the organic craze.
The men were not able to harvest much Irish Moss in front of our house today. Last summer and fall they had cleaned us out. But it is a nice sight, watching the men labor on the ocean trying to keep themselves holding the boat in place. It always seems to me that two men per boat would be more efficient, but every boat only has one man. Maybe they should hire me as an efficiency expert.
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