When Wim Lybaert was little kid, he was fascinated by the sea and fishermen. At the age of 54, he is making his childhood dream come true. In the documentary series A Year At Sea, he joins the ship and becomes a fisherman among fishermen.
Wim finally finds out what fishing life is all about. Fishing is one of the oldest professions in the world and, according to the fishermen themselves, the most beautiful one. But professional fishing is tough: the ships set sail with five to six crew members on board and often stay at sea for days, even weeks. Every two to three hours, they bring up the nets, clean the catch, sort everything and keeping it cool. If they are lucky, they can get some sleep in between. And this continues, 24 hours on 24, 7 days on 7.
Besides life on board, the people who stay ashore, also share their stories with Wim. Like the fisherwomen who have to raise their children mostly on their own. They tell how a relationship works with a man who is away from home for up to 250 days a year and how to keep a family going. Sons and daughters also tell their stories of how they grew up with a father who was always at sea. And then there are the retired fishermen. Wim talks to them about the adventures they experienced, lifelong friendships, freedom and… the loss.
A Year At Sea brings a story about friendship, family ties, trust, strong women, men with a vocation but above all… about the love of the sea.
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