Lobster fishermen have it tough on even the sunniest days. But for those who head out to sea in the dark early morning hours — when the light is tricky and the sea unpredictable — the job can be grueling.
"We've been through hell, but we've survived," said Capt. Bob Morris of Rockport, who's worked as a fisherman most of his life. "This job is not comfortable. It's hard."
Morris and others on the North Shore who work when many of us are sleeping don't necessarily choose the hours because they want to. For most nocturnal workers, they take the night shift, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., or the really early morning hours, because they need to. They say the pay — or in Morris' case, the catch — is usually better, and with the recent economic dive, their families need the money.
"For my situation, I don't have a choice working late because money is a key factor," said Stephen Meola, security supervisor at Beverly Hospital. "Each shift has a differential that's paid in addition to your pay. It's $4 an hour more on the overnights for me and even more on the weekends, so I work opposite hours of my wife to manage child care."
A few nighttime employees take the graveyard shift because they're passionate about what they do. "A lot happens behind the scenes, so nobody knows our names," said Jeff O'Brien, an on-call firefighter and lieutenant emergency medical technician from Hamilton. "We do it because we love to do it and to use the skills and training we've learned."
Still, despite O'Brien's love for his job and its necessary income, he knows it's taking a toll on his health.
"I do need the income, and I do enjoy helping people," O'Brien said. "But as I get older and older, it gets harder and harder because of sleep deprivation."
These late-night hours are a sacrifice nighttime workers say they must make to survive.
"You get the feeling you're taking years off your life," Beverly police Sgt. John Vitale said. "You're constantly a little bit tired, but you deal with it."
Although the routine is uncomfortable, some night-shift employees have found creative ways to take the edge off, seeking out certain environments because they offer bits of camaraderie. Registered nurse Kirsten Ellis of Beverly Hospital insists there's greater trust and better efficiency in their work because of the collaboration they've created.
"There's more autonomy and teamwork during the night shift," Ellis said. "We're more close-knit than the day or evening staff."
Matt Kersker works from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. as a bartender at The Farm in Essex and says he also doesn't mind his shift because of the camaraderie he has with his boss, who is also his best friend. He says their long-term trust eases the tensions from the late-night hours and also provides some fun.
"I'm lucky because I get to hang out with my best friend while I'm working,"he said. "But in the end, it's still work."
Some on the late shift say they plan on continuing their midnight madness, while others hope to see daylight soon. Ellis, though, is plans on continuing as a night-shift nurse.
"I'm not married to the night shift, but we (her team of nurses) won't stop until retirement do us part," she said.
Meola hopes his career as a night-shift security supervisor will soon end because he is taking classes to become a registered nurse.
Like most day workers, nocturnal workers say they want and need to do their jobs right in order to survive.
"I'm blessed because people don't often get a chance to get a job in what they love to do," lobsterman Morris said. "I cannot picture myself doing any other job, because there's freedom on the water."
Even in the dark.
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