The investigations that I have been carrying out have sought to collect data related to Xàbia to expand my knowledge and not only the archives have been the objective of my searches; sometimes you have to go to people who can provide us with data that enriches us and at the same time connects with protagonists who have lived through various situations.
In recent days the book has been presented in Benitatxell The cingle fisheries of the Marina Alta. This publication allows me to explain that in 1986 I went to Benitatxell with the aim of looking for interlocutors who knew this type of fishing. These were Vicente Marqués Buigues and Vicente Buigues Ferrer at that time and later Juan Llobell Monzó.
The fishermen at sunset were walking with their food consisting of "pa fet a puny amb a trosset of botifarra, fried or salat (anxova, cavalla, melva, capellá, bull), a bottle of wine and the carbide (about two kilos) necessary to the encessa, to the place called "the smoker" and there they waited for a while in case more came, rolling a cigarette. Sometimes up to 25 or 30 would get together to start the march and little by little they would separate to finally go each one to their fishery. In this march they talked and laughed, but by tacit and ancestral agreement they did not talk about retors, tails or serps”.
I used these data in my articles published in Canfali-Marina Alta on January 12, 19 and 26, 2008 on the occasion of an initiative that sought, among 56 Valencian wonders, to obtain a list of the most voted by email. I don't know if les pesqueres got enough votes to be a Valencian wonder, but the fact of being one of the candidates and being in the relationship already indicates attention and value.
This story has led me to a reflection: How do I look for information about les pesqueres in 1986 and until 2008 I did not use them? What happened? Well, something has come to mind that resulted in a failed idea. I had a friend, Alfred Ayza Roca (RIP), who having published my book From Jávea, we exchanged our publications: I gave him a copy of my book and he gave me a copy of his book The Mon Mariner of Peniscola. (It is good to look into the past and a random fact leads you to relive things from the past and review photos or stories of those moments that can keep us from Alzheimer's).
His book made me want to write a similar one called The Mon Mariner of Xàbia. This desire made him begin to collect data related to the entire seafaring theme of the town and hence this interview with the fishermen of Benitatxell, as well as many other conversations with people of the sea.
In those times (years 1986-1987) I was speaking on various occasions with Valentín Ros and his sons Amadeu and Batit who were studying at the Alicante fishing nautical center. I would go to his house at nightfall and there I would ask Valentín what he would answer me and with the help of his children (Amadeu had also worked as a caulker), the gathering improved a lot. There was even an occasion when he invited me to go on his trawler, the Cap Prim, leaving before three in the morning to arrive almost in Ibiza and returning at five in the afternoon. A slight dizziness and my ignorance of the species and the risk of pricking myself with a thorn, prevented me from collaborating in the selection and distribution of the fish in the boxes to take to the Fish Market.
There was also a list of sailors from whom I obtained data on the fishing methods used in Xàbia. He quoted them and recorded the conversation on a small tape recorder he carried. I did not focus only on the Customs fishermen but also looked for the Portitxol fishermen who combine fishing with agriculture.
The result of those conversations was my work on Els peixos de Xàbia, some aspects of Popular Culture, which was published in Xábiga nº 4 of 1988. In this regard I have to tell the anecdote that occurred on this occasion. I met several fishermen in JUBAMA at mid-morning. I brought a file with images of the fish and when I showed them they told me the name given to them in Xábia. I put the recorder so I don't have to lose
time to write the names. After an hour and a half of group interview, I concluded and got ready to listen to what I had recorded. There was nothing on the tape. Then I looked for one of those who still remained and told him to repeat the session. He told me that he was leaving and we arranged for the next day.
The fishermen who provided me with information in this regard, in addition to the aforementioned Valentín and his sons, were Vicente Mata Castell, Cristóbal Bas Buigues, Francisco Vives Ferrer, Juan Bta. Mari Ern and Jose Miralles Ros. I have to say that this idea of writing The Mon Mariner of Xàbia He soon fell out of the planned activities to investigate since the task to be carried out was enormous and would have required my presence in Xàbia for a long time when my work activity was in Valencia.
Roser Cabrera knows what it means to write his book on The Mon Mariner of Denia whose story can be considered valid for our town due to its proximity and similar geographical and cultural aspects. At this time I also consulted the work of Ramón Llorens Dictionary of Altea and its things which has extensive marine content and which later gave rise to several meetings at his home in Altea and in the Elche countryside. Sometimes things don't go the way you thought they should.
One of the things I learned on that occasion is that you should not put your trust in new technologies, because at the worst moment they can fail, even if it is due to human error.
Interesting, as always, Mr. Codina's article. What I think those of us who don't speak Valencian would appreciate is that, in addition to the names of the fish in Valencian, you would also put them in Spanish (I know, I know that Valencian is also Spanish, don't get mad at me), since , especially with my enormous ignorance of all kinds of fish, I would like to learn both terms, as well as the others that are not translated. Many thanks to this good friend.