Showing posts with label Deadliest Catch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Deadliest Catch. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Hansen's Fight


Who is Eric Hansen?


A Bering Sea Crab Fisherman - A Highliner

At the tender age of 14, Eric Hansen, called "Hansen" by his friends, was left in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, by his dad. He got a job on a boat, learned the trade, and then taught others.

Hansen became a "highliner." Now, highliner is not a term I ever remember hearing on Deadliest Catch. I discovered what this term meant when I read a book called Lessons From the Seaby Steven R. Smith.

Here are a couple of quotes from Steven's book.
  • "Highliners will often work 80 hours straight without a nap. Highliners never fish for money but rather for the competition and the chance to be number one."
  • "Highliners are a different breed; they don't demand respect...they get it. They get the best crews, best equipment and will stop at nothing to be number one."
  • "Commercial fishermen look at the money and hope to hit the jackpot and get rich."
If you haven't read this book, you really should grab a copy.

I don't know if highliners even exist anymore. They may have gone away with the days of derby fishing. It seems like without the competition of the derby, how could there be highliners? I'll have to find out the answer to that. I miss the derby days.

Now it's whoever has the most quota wins. You pretty much know who wins before they leave the dock. It doesn't matter who has the best crew, or who knows where the "good" spots are. If a boat has a low quota, they aren't going to get that number one spot no matter how hard they work, or how many hours of sleep they go without, it doesn't matter. It's all about the quota.

I have talked to several highliners over the years. You won't hear them toot their own horn. They didn't have to, people knew who they were. They still don't. It's kind of odd really, the not bragging.


Now, if you're an interrogator, like I tend to be, I'm a curious cat, you can get out of them that they were highliners, and you get these awesome highliners to tell you some pretty cool stories. 

Hansen helped one buddy, David Lethin, to build his first crab boat. You may know of David or Dave from the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour in Ketchikan. Hansen then taught him to fish for King Crab, trained others, and they became the number one boat highliners.

Some of the men you have seen on Deadliest Catch were taught to fish by Hansen.

Eric has saved many lives at sea, and he has lost many friends over the years to the sea.

Hansen left Alaska in 1993. Soon thereafter, he got married, started a new career, and a new adventure.

Hansen worked on the F/V Ocean Ballad, F/V Lady Kodiak, F/V Nordic Monarch, and the F/V Aleutian Ballad, just to name a few. Between seasons, he sometimes worked at Pacific Seafood.

In 2011 or 2012, Hansen started having episodes of blurred vision and scrambled speech. His wife, Treasa, thought he was having a stroke and took him to the doctors. They gave him a clean bill of health and said he was probably having migraines. Go doctors! Not...

You can find the rest of Hansen's medical story on his GoFundMe page. Please visit it, donate if you can. GoFundMe has a minimum donation of $5. If everyone who visits the page could give $5, we could meet our goal in no time. The cost of this ugly battle will be one less thing for the Hansen's to worry about. If you can't donate, please, share the page everywhere, and say lots of prayers. We'll take all the help we can get.

Hansen has a hell of a fight on his hands, and he's up for the challenge. He's a highliner after all. They don't quit.

I just love this video! This is Hansen in 2013 before he found out he had a golf ball sized tumor in his head. I'm also a Jerry Reed fan!



Let's Help Hansen Fight!
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Copyright © 2017 Virtualpatti. All Rights Reserved.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

King Crab Season Has Begun - Deadliest Catch

The season Red King Crab season has opened. Apparently there will be no Tanner Season this year. I just ran across this article and thought I would share it with you guys. Look for the Deadliest Catch stuff towards the bottom.

Crabbers Head to Bristol Bay.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Deadliest Catch After the Catch Episode 6 Recap

"Looking Ahead"

Mike and all the captains Bill, Sig, Keith, and Andy  are at the table. Mike says he wants to look at what lies ahead because there are going to be a lot of changes on a lot of boats. Captain Bill says he would fire them all every year. Mike, you are really a glass half full kind of guy aren't you. Mike, I don't think you will fire them all. I think you will keep some of them. You had a lot of close calls this year. They go to the clip of Warren Hicks getting hit.with the pot. Captain Bill said the guy wasn't paying attention. It was kind of his fault. Captain Sig asked about the guy on the hydros. Captain Bill said lousy weather. Captain Sig, then it was his fault. You gotta be watching. Captain Bill,

Deadliest Catch Season 8 Episode 16 Recap

"The Bitter, Bloody End"

Wow! You can say that again. I didn't notice the title until now. LOL Very appropriate. What a season finale. I would say they saved all the good stuff for the end, but it was really a lot of bad stuff. This season needs to go down in the books as one of the worst ever, if not the worst. I'm looking forward to a better season next year.

This episode has a content warning at the beginning that it contains graphic images which some viewers might find disturbing. You know that's not a good sign. I don't remember normally seeing that before, anyway.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Deadliest Catch After the Catch Episode 5 Recap

"Fishermen's Code"

At the table Mike Rowe, Andy Hillstrand, Sig Hansen, Edgar Hansen and Keith Colburn. Mike Rowe turns to Sig and says he saw something in his face watching the last episode that makes him wonder if the pucker factor wasn't a little higher than usual. Sig, just a little bit higher. Mike, on a scale of 1-10? Sig, 10, without a question. Captain Keith does an example of a slack tank with a glass, showing how the water sloshes back and forth. Captain Sig explained the series of events that went wrong. The bad weather, the alarm not working. Had Edgar not actually looked in the tank they would have stacked gear over the tank and never knew. There was some kind of air lock problem. They talk about Sig's dad and a boat called the Pacesetter that went down in 1995 because of a slack tank.

Deadliest Catch Season 8 Episode 15 Recap

"Release the Beast"

The full fleet is back on the fishing grounds, in the ice. Elliott thinks the sea is looking like it's going to become unfishable again.

230 to the NW of Dutch Harbor on the Time Bandit. They are getting ready to pull pots set thirty six hours ago. Capt Andy Hillstrand is 40 miles south of St. Paul. He says the ice is way below where they said it would be. How much farther south do I need to go to get away from the ice? Captain Andy is trying to get up to the end of his 25 pot string but he can't because of the ice.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Deadliest Catch Season 8 Episode 14 Recap

"Fearless Leaders"

The episode starts out in late February. All of the boats except the Seabrooke and Wizard appear to be tied up at the dock. Yep, the boys are flying back in after three weeks off.

The guys are loading the pots back onto the boats. Captain Sig is counting on Jake Harris to step it up and put in one hundred percent.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Deadliest Catch After The Catch Episode 3

"View From Shore"

At the table are Captains Andy, John, Keith, Sig and Elliott Neese. Johnathan is there with oxygen on. He apparently left the hospital to do the show. His idea. Then he went right back after the show was over. Mike Rowe teases him about the bull they call Snowflake. Johnathan says he had a crushed lung, 4 broken ribs one in three places and a hurt pride. Captain Keith says he shouldn't have hurt pride he got on a bull. Elliott, you cowboy'd up. Mike Rowe, you went almost point eight seconds. Everyone is laughing. Captain Sig  the table saying don't make him laugh. Captain Johnathan says you know what there was no lesson to be learned. Andy laughs. Johnathan says he just cowboy'd up. I find it interesting that we didn't see Captain Andy on a bull, with all the horse back riding he does. Was he smart enough not to do it or did they just not show us?

Deadliest Catch Season 8 Episode 13 Recap

"Landlocked"

The Time Bandit is pulling into the harbor and starts listing. They are all iced up.

The Ramblin' Rose, Wizard, Kodiak and Northwestern are at the dock. They show a picture of a smaller boat that appears to have sunk at the dock. The ice pack has come down to far to crab so the guys are going to head home until it pulls back some. Nick Mavar says ironically this is the nicest day they've had since they have been there.

Jake Anderson is giving Jake Harris a pep talk. Jake Harris doesn't appear to be paying attention. Jake Harris says he has a reputation where he doesn't need to be pushed. Jake Anderson says what is your reputation? It's in the stinker dude! Jake Harris, you guys act like what I'm doing right here is going to benefit me on a multi-million dollar operation that we got going on over there. It ain't nothing like that.

Edgar Hansen hits the switch and the boat goes dark. Time to go home.

Captain Keith and Monte roll the dice to decide whether to keep fishing or not. Captain Keith thinks they can get another week in. They roll the dice, get double fives. They decide to keep fishing. They just delivered 398,000 pounds.

The Time Bandit is coming in with 40,000 pounds of ice on it. Even Travis' mustache has ice on it. Captain Andy can't see out his windows. He yells at Mike Fourtner to clean  the windows so he can see. Neal is in the wheelhouse. The Time Bandit is leaning to the port side. If Captain Andy can get to the dock in time he may be able to secure the boat to counter the list otherwise he risks rolling into the dock and rolling over. Mike Rowe says the skipper has one chance to pull into the dock. They make it. Scotty says that is the closest they've come to rolling over, he was a little scared. Mike Fourtner says in his 14 years on the boat he has had more firsts this season than they have ever had. Mike says that is the scariest tie up he's ever had. Captain Andy thinks the ice is trying to tell him something.

On the Ramblin' Rose. Elliott is talking to one of his kids on the phone. He has been at the dock for three days. Aaron Steiner says he went up to talk to Elliott but he was on the phone and ignored him. This operation seems to be falling apart. Nick Dryden says this is a chicken shit operation. Elliott says the guys are mad they haven't gotten any settlements in six months now. One of the guys called the boat the Rusty Rose. Elliott calls Lenny to tell him the guys are upset about loosing money. Lenny informs Elliott there ain't no money, because you're losing money. He has got to be able to cover expenses. The fact that they can't he blames on Elliott. Lenny tells Elliott every decision that was made was the wrong one. It's a disaster. Elliott tries to explain to Lenny that the guys want to go home. Everyone else is going home. They want a vacation. Lenny tells Elliott he thinks its him that wants to go home not the guys. He says you can't take a vacation in the middle of crab season. Lenny tells him to fly home and if the crew doesn't show back up when it's time to show back up then you don't have a job. Lenny hangs up on him.

Elliott goes and tells the crew they can go home. Elliott leaves to go home. The guys on the boat talk about leaving. They think he cares more about himself than the crew and he brings his family problems to the boat.

On the Seabrooke. They are still fishing. Creeping through an ice flow. They pull up a pot full of crab. 945 jam packed pots. Mac White is impressed. He says that's an Opie mountain. 1075. Junior says he went big everyone else went home. The pots keep coming up full. Even though they are on big pots Junior doesn't set back he says you have to keep moving. The crew doesn't understand why they aren't resetting. Junior says this is the kind of trip that will be legendary.

The Wizard heads out. Captain Keith knows where Junior is fishing so he is going to look for fresh grounds.

Captain Scott wants to fish right up next to the ice.

On the Kodiak they are almost ready to go home. Captain Bill goes to talk to Jason Rainwater before he goes home. He calls him to the wheelhouse. Captain Bill tells Jason every confrontation they have had he has been in. He thinks it would be better if  he finds another boat. Jason wants him to rethink it. Jason asks for one more chance promising not to argue or fight. Captain Bill says no. Jason is not what he is looking for in a deckhand. Jason wishes these guys would go tell Captain Bill to give him a chance. This is a huge deal and bad for his reputation. I guess he should of thought of that before he was fighting with everyone. I don't think they'll go save his butt. 

Elliott gets home to Homer. His kids are happy to see him. Valerie Gunderson their mother, not so much. Val informs him this isn't home. Elliott wants to get his girl friend back. She says he had seven years to get it right, he just couldn't. They start arguing and Valerie asks him to leave. He does. Elliott says he kicked dope way easier than he can kick that girl. He used to do a lot of cocaine and quit it cold turkey. He says he physically hurts not having her.

Captain Sig is home in Seattle Washington. Captain Sig talks about how Jake Anderson has stepped up and Jake Harris has got to understand that other people rely on him.

Josh Harris heads over to see Jake Harris. I could be wrong but that looks like Josh's house. Kind of odd to see him knocking. Jake tells him working on the Northwestern is different and he misses the Cornelia Marie. Jake tells Josh he wants to work with him. He misses him. Josh reminds him they run a straight boat, which Jake says is getting old. Josh says they have to make it work or they are going to be bankrupt.

Jake Anderson drives out to the area where his dad went missing. This is the second time I'm watching this and it is once again it's giving me goose bumps. The remains of Jake's father were found last Tuesday and them airing this this week is just freaky timing I guess. I still can't believe they found his dad so close to where he went missing and they didn't find him before now. Jake complained the police weren't looking. It certainly  makes it seem like that was the case to me. Hopefully now that they have the remains, the family will get some answers to what really happened. I won't say get closure because I don't believe you can ever really get closure. Jake talks about how when they buried Captain Phil he pretended it was his dad too and how his dad never got a funeral. He drives to the place where the truck was found. He says there was blood spatter on the key and the wind shield, when he saw that he knew his dad was killed. Jake says the police can forget about his dad and the community can look the other way, but he will never look the other way.

The Crab Count

Wizard 885,000
Seabrooke 580,250
Northwestern 510,315
Time Bandit 377,125
Kodiak 315,200
Ramblin' Rose 108,300

Captain Keith says he is making the boys dinner. He fills a plate with candy bars and  takes it to them.

Captain Keith has 240 pots he wants to catch 400,000 pounds. If they average 350 a pot they can do it in 8 days. Captain Keith talks about being 3 million dollars in debt 3 years ago. Now it is only half that much. The guys are pulling up nice full pots.

On the Seabrooke. Junior has moved closer to the ice edge. Mac White says the crab like being near the ice. They like that cold water because in the end they are going to be in hot water. LOL They pull up a pot,  it looks pretty small. The pot is full of females and juveniles. Junior says the females are usually in the shallows. He's never seen them out here. Junior says two miles to the east they were getting thousands. He was hoping to top off his tanks with these two strings. Captain Scott is dumb founded. They rail dump a pot. Captain Scott says the glory hole is dried up.

Elliott is home looking at the ice chart. The same one I was looking at all season. That's funny.

Captain Scott had surgery this morning to have a kidney stone removed. Yep he's still getting those darn things. I hope all went well and wish him a speedy recovery. I told him to quit eating rocks, but maybe he's sneaking over to the east coast and eating stone crab. 


Copyright © 2012 Virtualpatti. All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Johnathan Hillstrand - Time Bandit

I see a lot of people searching Johnathan Hillstrand sick or on oxygen. So, in case you haven't seen the episode or didn't read it, Johnathan went bull riding when he was in Breckenridge, Colorado, for After the Catch. The bull bucked him off, he broke four ribs in seven places and punctured a lung. That info is straight from him via Twitter.

Hopefully, he will be back to 100% soon. But if you've ever had a broken rib, then, you know they smart for a while. Feel better soon, Captain John. I hope you finally got your iPad.


Copyright © 2011 Virtualpatti. All Rights Reserved.


Thursday, June 28, 2012

Deadliest Catch After The Catch Episode 2

"Ambition"

The beginning with the guys on horse back is awesome.

At the table are Mike Rowe, Captain's Andy, Sig, Keith and Elliott Neese.

Mike asks Captain Andy about Captain Johnathan. he says he has four broken ribs and a floating one. He said he's the worst patient in the world. He just wants his damn iPad. LMAO.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Deadliest Catch Season 8 Episode 12 Recap

"Collision Course"

Three weeks into the season and everyone is fighting the ice. The Captains are trying to retrieve their gear.

On the Kodiak. They are trying to retrieve gear and getting nailed with green water. They are pulling up pots of 400. Captain Bill said he has had more water come over the rail in the last two strings than he has the last two or three seasons. Those are some impressive waves. A big wave came over so high it went over the stacked pots. Captain Bill decides to shut fishing down until daylight.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Deadliest Catch After The Catch 2012 Episode 1

The Captains are in Breckenridge Colorado. Boy do they look hot on horses and in cowboy hats. And no I am not talking about the outside temperature.

They meet at a place called the Whale's Tail. The band's name is Leftover Salmon. LOL

Captain's Sig, Keith and Andy are at the table with Mike Rowe. Captain Johnathan is MIA. Captain Andy says they found out he is not a cowboy. Captain Johnathan got on a bull named "Snowflake" he was bucked off and broke 4 ribs. All the Captains are laughing about it. Apparently Captain Keith also rode a bull and stayed on about 1/10th of a second longer than Johnathan. Mike Rowe says he is there so he wins.

Deadliest Catch Season 8 Episode 11 Recap

"No Exit"

This episode starts off with the ice trying to pin the Northwestern into the dock in St. Paul.

The Time Bandit is wrapping their gear with tarps and saran wrap to try and protect it from the ice. Captain Johnathan's back is still bothering him from when he was catching air on deck in last weeks episode so he has decided to stay in Dutch and see the Chiropractor. Captain Andy will have to weather the storm without Captain Johnathan.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Deadliest Catch Season 8 Episode 10

"Rise and Fall"

Edgar Hansen is feeling his aches and pains again. This time it's his neck. He says you have to make a choice sometime or the boats going to make it for you.

The fleet receives news that the ice is moving down. They have northerly winds and the ice is going to be an issue. Mike Rowe says the decisions the Captains make now will affect their entire seasons.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Deadliest Catch Season 8 Episode 9 Recap

"Nowhere to go but down"

The show starts out with Captain Andy Hillstrand screaming get everybody up here, there's ice everywhere. The Time Bandit is pulling up to the dock to tie up and a man falling over board. This time the fall looked like he made a good attempt of hanging on to the dock, but failed due to the snow and ice.

In Dutch Harbor the Ramblin' Rose and Seabrooke are getting ready for Opies. It's the harshest winter in decades. There is 160 million dollars of Opilio Crab to catch. Captain Keith Colburn says it's probably the biggest crab season they have had for price and volume for the last fifteen years. Remember the Red King Crab season was cut so they need to catch all the opies they can to make up for it. Captain Scott Campbell, Jr says if they can't get the crab in and delivered, there is going to be a lot of guys in trouble.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Deadliest Catch Season 8 Episode 8 Recap

"The Aftermath"

Sorry I'm running behind. I've been without power and internet most of the day due to a nice little thunderstorm.

We start off with clips of Captain Scott, Jr and the Seabrooke twisting in the waves with his one engine. I think he stayed out a little longer than he should have too. 

Captain Scott is still in the Serichef Strait trying to get to cover at St. Matthews Island. After five hours he finally makes it to St. Matthews. Captain Scott, Jr says he thinks that's probably the most nervous he's ever been.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Deadliest Catch Season 8 Episode 7 Recap

"I Don't Wanna Die"

We start off with a recap of Chris Scambler and Captain Keith making the Coast Guard call again.  The Coast Guard is 15 minutes away. Good thing they weren't farther away, Chris isn't looking too good.

The person on the radio asks Captain Keith if they have administered any aid at this time. Captain Keith tells her what they have done. The guys are pouring Gatorade down Chris's throat. It's been 45 minutes. Captain Keith says he needs some bodies on deck real quick.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Deadliest Catch Season 8 Episode 6 Recap

"Vital Signs"

Finally I get to watch Deadliest Catch.

A teaser pre show. Captain Keith Colburn is in a room with the new greenhorn Chris Scambler is on the floor. Captain Keith says he needs a pulse and blood pressure immediately. He needs to call the Coast Guard. He asks Chris are you with me? How many fingers am I holding up? He holds up two fingers. Chris says four. It looks like they are in the fore peak and Chris is on the floor. Captain Keith says alright I'm calling the Coast Guard. He runs to the wheel house, picks up the mic takes several deep breaths and calls the Coast Guard.

For those of you who missed the post with the Coast Guard call in November, here it is again. Coast Guard Call

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Deadliest Catch Season 8 Episode 5 Recap

"Alien Abduction"

Captain Keith is picking up the new greenhorn Chris from the airport. Monte has told him this is the best looking young kid he saw all summer. Chris tells Captain Keith he has never been on a boat, an airplane or been fishing. He is probably going to make an idiot of himself real quick. Chris' words.

On the Ramblin' Rose. Elliott is still getting low numbers and the crew is still battling the weather. Not a good sign for this episode when it starts out with Elliott.