"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.
Captain Keith says the Blue & Red King crab season was a disaster for him. Mike Rowe says this was the worst season of Keith's career. Captain Keith is playing catch up, he has 3.25 million dollars invested in his boat, so when they get a big season they can kick everyone's a$$.
The boat is ready to go but the crew is not. Monte Colburn is still recovering from his shoulder surgery. Lenny Lekanoff has stitches in the palm of his hand shaped like a backwards L. OWWW Captain Keith said this happened 2 days before they shipped out in the engine room. Captain Keith said he tried to go short handed; he didn't have Monte with him and look what happened. A medevac, a drunk, a kid that didn't want to work and a knuckle head. They have a new guy Roger. Captain Keith says if everything works out they will catch 2.2 million pounds, that's 4.5 million dollars.
The boats are readying their pots. Elliott Neese is on the phone trying to call his ex girlfriend, the mother of his two children. He got a recording. The number you have reached.... Mike Rowe, in the off season the couple split up. Elliott, the last year all crab fishing brought me is heart ache. He lost his girlfriend of a long time, his kids, and his house. The money is good but it isn't everything. The crew is discussing that Elliott's head isn't in the game and how bad blue crab season was. Mike Rowe, now Elliott's career hangs in the balance. Elliott, the owners were a little pissed off over blue crab season. If we don't catch 'em, I think this might be the last year you see me on the Bering Sea. I wonder if the owner sent the second boat out. And I guess they decided not to show us the Elliott's blue crab getting seized. And he has to do it without his deckboss "Kado". Elliott says Kevin Davis "Kado" had a terrible attitude and he told him if he couldn't fix it he could leave. So he did. LMAO I don't blame Kado one bit. A man's got to eat. He went to the Seabrooke and talked to Junior. Junior's no dummy! He snatched him up. Captain Scott tells Kado he's not a yeller, screamer or a be littler, he just expects him to give a hundred and ten percent. They are not the top boat for nothing. Captain Andy questioned the "top boat" comment. LOL Kado agreed to give Captain Scott one year.
Captain Sig Hansen is yelling at the crew trying to get the pots ready. He tells them they are idiots! The crew starts laughing at each other calling each other idiots. Captain Sig says he feels better when Edgar Hansen is on board but god help you when it doesn't go his way. Its 4am, Sig says they have their pots on; it took them a whole hour.
The Time Bandit is heading down the harbor to pick up their pots. They pull up to the dock; one man is throwing the line, the other jumps for the dock and falls in. It's Travis Loftland in the water. Captain Andy Hillstrand is screaming man over board! Eddie has the life ring. Mike Fortner is getting in his survival suit. Captain Andy is screaming he's been in the water too long. Mike is in his survival suit trying to get to him. Eddie has thrown him the ring. They pull him up. Someone says that'll wake you up. Travis goes in and strips his clothes off. He is shivering hard. He is wrapped in a blanket shivering trying to get warm when Captain Andy comes in pointing his finger at him and screaming don't ever do that again. Travis says Roger. Captain Andy tells them they reacted too slow and he has to wear a vest when jumping off the boat. That scared Andy for sure. He said his legs were shaking. He also said he lost his voice screaming man over board. That is the first crew member to fall overboard. Captain Johnathan was the other. Interesting both times happened at the dock. Maybe they should get a plank or a little bridge like the Navy guys use. Captain Sig said whoever fell over was an idiot. LOL You had to be there. Eddie Uwekoolani, Sr said it took way too long to get him out of the water. Captain Andy said another minute and he wouldn't have been able to lift his arms. That's unacceptable. Travis said that is the first time he has been in the water. Someone said it won't be the last. Captain Andy says we are done. There ain't nothing going to happen on this boat anymore.
Captain Scott drives over to see Elliott. He doesn't want him to think he pouched his crewman. Captain Scott should just tell him you stole my crab, I'm stealing your guy. Captain Scott tells Elliott Kado came to him and he needed someone to replace Bob. I think Elliott said he has no problem Scott taking him. I'm warning you all my guys are glad he's gone because he has the worst attitude I've ever seen. Ya, Kado and the whole crew had an attitude. I'd have an attitude also on a boat that isn't catching crab. Scott leaves. Elliott says if he hated working for me, he's going to hate working for that guy. I don't agree with that at all.
The Captains get a weather report of heavy freezing spray. I don't know how many times I saw that on the weather report for opies. I think it was about every day. Northern winds bring in the fog. Captain Scott said in 1972 the ice covered the whole Bering Sea, all the way down to Unimak Pass, there was no open ground and they are predicting it could be worse than 1972. If that happens we are screwed. Captain Bill says this is not going to be fun. These guys are going to hate this. Captain Sig says we are running out of time. The ice is coming down and it's got legs on it. The fleet heads out.
There is 160 million pounds of crab to be caught before the ice shuts them down.
On the Seabrooke as they are pulling out of Dutch an alarm goes off. Captain Scott's engine is overheating. He replaced the starboard engine last season, cost him $65,000. Now the port engine is acting up. It's overheating. It's at 215 degrees. It should be at 173-174 which is normal. Captain Scott says if that goes it's another hundred thousand dollars. If it gets up to 220 degrees it will take the engine out. He returns to Dutch.
295 miles NW of Dutch on the Northwestern. The guys are getting bait ready, it's snowing and they are already washing ice off the deck. They start setting pots. Oh no they forgot to bite the head off the herring! Okay I'm blaming the whole bad season on Sig. Idiot! LMAO They have set the first string. Captain Sig goes out and asks "What do you guys call that? Speed setting?" He then informs them they should get to bed; they are going to start rolling early. Then Edgar notices Jake Harris is nowhere to be found. He says he is the first off deck every time he's noticed so he doesn't know. He's getting under his skin. Jake Harris is in the kitchen doing dishes. At least he's working. He says he finds himself thinking about the Cornelia Marie when he is outside quite a bit. With every dime he and his brother are making they are trying to get the Cornelia Marie back fishing again. Jake hollers out the door to Edgar. You got it? Edgar says sarcastically that's okay we got it. Edgar says if he runs off deck first after a string it's going to be a long season for him. He can guarantee you that much.
135 miles SE on the Time Bandit just south of St. George Island they have iced up twice now and everything is frozen solid again. Captain Andy has ordered the crew to de-ice the boat. It's opening day. Scotty Hillstrand decides to plant a mortar in the ice and blow it off. It worked great until the ice fell and it snapped the arm off the coiler. Now they are going to have to hand coil. Edgar said that happened to his coiler but he fixed it. Captain Andy says nothing about the start of this season has been ideal at all. Someone maybe Captain Johnathan says it's just been a nightmare.
135 miles NW of Dutch Harbor on the Kodiak. Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski is ready to go. Zack Larsen almost gets crushed by a pot.
175 miles to the NW on the Ramblin' Rose they are setting pots. Elliott is on the phone again. He gets a recording please leave a message. Aaron Steiner and Nick Dryden were the only ones to return. So there are new guys Dale Roberts, Candito and Kevin. They show Elliott making a call and getting a message again. They start setting pots. Two pots in the greenhorn is having problems getting the bags over the side of the boat. Elliott makes a call again still can't get through. Six hours into setting Elliott still can't get an answer at home. Last pot. Elliott makes a call again. Still gets a recording. Elliott says he needs to decide what to do either stick with crabbing or do something new, because in a couple of years he's going to be too old to do something else. ?? I'm not sure what he meant by that. There are a lot of older guys crabbing or that have started new careers. He says it pretty much all hinges on a 5'9" 125 pound blonde. You hear the phone recording again. The blonde must be the ex because the new girl friend looked like a brunette to me. In fairness to Elliott, he said he only called twice not as many times as they showed. And he wanted to talk to the kids not the ex. He also said things are over with the ex and he is very happy with his new girl friend.
Crab Count: Everyone 0.
On the Northwestern they are biting the head off the herring. Edgar is wiping the head of the herring in fish crap. Nick Mavar has to bite the head off. Captain Sig is ready to throw up just watching. Nick takes a bite and does throw up. Matt Bradley was gagging. Nasty! They nuked the herring also, so it was the worst one they ever had. Nick says it tastes like chicken. LOL
235 miles NW of Dutch Harbor on the Time Bandit. Captain Andy is getting ready to start pulling pots. He's hoping for a 300 average. Captain Andy says if they don't hit the crab right away they are in trouble. They are hand coiling. I guess it's better they broke the coiler and not the block. Captain Johnathan says they'll figure it out. They pull the pot up. It is empty. The pots keep coming up empty. Captain Andy says this is a train wreck. A line snaps out of the block and Mike says that almost went around my neck. Mike says he doesn't plan on loosing his life for a bunch of bleeping crab.
On the Wizard, Captain Keith is trying to walk through the hallway with a cup of coffee as the boat is rolling. That looked a little staged to me. Keith doesn't want Monte or Lenny running the block with their injuries. They pull a pot it's half full. The pots are coming up looking great. The last pot they showed had 535. Captain Keith says it's a little unnerving because if you start on hot fishing there is really no where to go but down.
And the previews show all the evil, evil ice.
The captains are currently filming After the Catch in Breckenridge, Colorado. They were all together last night and joined us on Twitter to watch the show, except Captain Johnathan, we missed you John. Several of the deckhands joined us as well. I want to say thank you to all of them. I don't know about everyone else but I had a blast. There was a lot of idiot calling and a lot of ragging on Captain Keith to help people go pee. So much fun!
Copyright © 2011 Virtualpatti. All Rights Reserved.
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.
Captain Keith says the Blue & Red King crab season was a disaster for him. Mike Rowe says this was the worst season of Keith's career. Captain Keith is playing catch up, he has 3.25 million dollars invested in his boat, so when they get a big season they can kick everyone's a$$.
The boat is ready to go but the crew is not. Monte Colburn is still recovering from his shoulder surgery. Lenny Lekanoff has stitches in the palm of his hand shaped like a backwards L. OWWW Captain Keith said this happened 2 days before they shipped out in the engine room. Captain Keith said he tried to go short handed; he didn't have Monte with him and look what happened. A medevac, a drunk, a kid that didn't want to work and a knuckle head. They have a new guy Roger. Captain Keith says if everything works out they will catch 2.2 million pounds, that's 4.5 million dollars.
The boats are readying their pots. Elliott Neese is on the phone trying to call his ex girlfriend, the mother of his two children. He got a recording. The number you have reached.... Mike Rowe, in the off season the couple split up. Elliott, the last year all crab fishing brought me is heart ache. He lost his girlfriend of a long time, his kids, and his house. The money is good but it isn't everything. The crew is discussing that Elliott's head isn't in the game and how bad blue crab season was. Mike Rowe, now Elliott's career hangs in the balance. Elliott, the owners were a little pissed off over blue crab season. If we don't catch 'em, I think this might be the last year you see me on the Bering Sea. I wonder if the owner sent the second boat out. And I guess they decided not to show us the Elliott's blue crab getting seized. And he has to do it without his deckboss "Kado". Elliott says Kevin Davis "Kado" had a terrible attitude and he told him if he couldn't fix it he could leave. So he did. LMAO I don't blame Kado one bit. A man's got to eat. He went to the Seabrooke and talked to Junior. Junior's no dummy! He snatched him up. Captain Scott tells Kado he's not a yeller, screamer or a be littler, he just expects him to give a hundred and ten percent. They are not the top boat for nothing. Captain Andy questioned the "top boat" comment. LOL Kado agreed to give Captain Scott one year.
Captain Sig Hansen is yelling at the crew trying to get the pots ready. He tells them they are idiots! The crew starts laughing at each other calling each other idiots. Captain Sig says he feels better when Edgar Hansen is on board but god help you when it doesn't go his way. Its 4am, Sig says they have their pots on; it took them a whole hour.
The Time Bandit is heading down the harbor to pick up their pots. They pull up to the dock; one man is throwing the line, the other jumps for the dock and falls in. It's Travis Loftland in the water. Captain Andy Hillstrand is screaming man over board! Eddie has the life ring. Mike Fortner is getting in his survival suit. Captain Andy is screaming he's been in the water too long. Mike is in his survival suit trying to get to him. Eddie has thrown him the ring. They pull him up. Someone says that'll wake you up. Travis goes in and strips his clothes off. He is shivering hard. He is wrapped in a blanket shivering trying to get warm when Captain Andy comes in pointing his finger at him and screaming don't ever do that again. Travis says Roger. Captain Andy tells them they reacted too slow and he has to wear a vest when jumping off the boat. That scared Andy for sure. He said his legs were shaking. He also said he lost his voice screaming man over board. That is the first crew member to fall overboard. Captain Johnathan was the other. Interesting both times happened at the dock. Maybe they should get a plank or a little bridge like the Navy guys use. Captain Sig said whoever fell over was an idiot. LOL You had to be there. Eddie Uwekoolani, Sr said it took way too long to get him out of the water. Captain Andy said another minute and he wouldn't have been able to lift his arms. That's unacceptable. Travis said that is the first time he has been in the water. Someone said it won't be the last. Captain Andy says we are done. There ain't nothing going to happen on this boat anymore.
Captain Scott drives over to see Elliott. He doesn't want him to think he pouched his crewman. Captain Scott should just tell him you stole my crab, I'm stealing your guy. Captain Scott tells Elliott Kado came to him and he needed someone to replace Bob. I think Elliott said he has no problem Scott taking him. I'm warning you all my guys are glad he's gone because he has the worst attitude I've ever seen. Ya, Kado and the whole crew had an attitude. I'd have an attitude also on a boat that isn't catching crab. Scott leaves. Elliott says if he hated working for me, he's going to hate working for that guy. I don't agree with that at all.
The Captains get a weather report of heavy freezing spray. I don't know how many times I saw that on the weather report for opies. I think it was about every day. Northern winds bring in the fog. Captain Scott said in 1972 the ice covered the whole Bering Sea, all the way down to Unimak Pass, there was no open ground and they are predicting it could be worse than 1972. If that happens we are screwed. Captain Bill says this is not going to be fun. These guys are going to hate this. Captain Sig says we are running out of time. The ice is coming down and it's got legs on it. The fleet heads out.
There is 160 million pounds of crab to be caught before the ice shuts them down.
On the Seabrooke as they are pulling out of Dutch an alarm goes off. Captain Scott's engine is overheating. He replaced the starboard engine last season, cost him $65,000. Now the port engine is acting up. It's overheating. It's at 215 degrees. It should be at 173-174 which is normal. Captain Scott says if that goes it's another hundred thousand dollars. If it gets up to 220 degrees it will take the engine out. He returns to Dutch.
295 miles NW of Dutch on the Northwestern. The guys are getting bait ready, it's snowing and they are already washing ice off the deck. They start setting pots. Oh no they forgot to bite the head off the herring! Okay I'm blaming the whole bad season on Sig. Idiot! LMAO They have set the first string. Captain Sig goes out and asks "What do you guys call that? Speed setting?" He then informs them they should get to bed; they are going to start rolling early. Then Edgar notices Jake Harris is nowhere to be found. He says he is the first off deck every time he's noticed so he doesn't know. He's getting under his skin. Jake Harris is in the kitchen doing dishes. At least he's working. He says he finds himself thinking about the Cornelia Marie when he is outside quite a bit. With every dime he and his brother are making they are trying to get the Cornelia Marie back fishing again. Jake hollers out the door to Edgar. You got it? Edgar says sarcastically that's okay we got it. Edgar says if he runs off deck first after a string it's going to be a long season for him. He can guarantee you that much.
135 miles SE on the Time Bandit just south of St. George Island they have iced up twice now and everything is frozen solid again. Captain Andy has ordered the crew to de-ice the boat. It's opening day. Scotty Hillstrand decides to plant a mortar in the ice and blow it off. It worked great until the ice fell and it snapped the arm off the coiler. Now they are going to have to hand coil. Edgar said that happened to his coiler but he fixed it. Captain Andy says nothing about the start of this season has been ideal at all. Someone maybe Captain Johnathan says it's just been a nightmare.
135 miles NW of Dutch Harbor on the Kodiak. Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski is ready to go. Zack Larsen almost gets crushed by a pot.
175 miles to the NW on the Ramblin' Rose they are setting pots. Elliott is on the phone again. He gets a recording please leave a message. Aaron Steiner and Nick Dryden were the only ones to return. So there are new guys Dale Roberts, Candito and Kevin. They show Elliott making a call and getting a message again. They start setting pots. Two pots in the greenhorn is having problems getting the bags over the side of the boat. Elliott makes a call again still can't get through. Six hours into setting Elliott still can't get an answer at home. Last pot. Elliott makes a call again. Still gets a recording. Elliott says he needs to decide what to do either stick with crabbing or do something new, because in a couple of years he's going to be too old to do something else. ?? I'm not sure what he meant by that. There are a lot of older guys crabbing or that have started new careers. He says it pretty much all hinges on a 5'9" 125 pound blonde. You hear the phone recording again. The blonde must be the ex because the new girl friend looked like a brunette to me. In fairness to Elliott, he said he only called twice not as many times as they showed. And he wanted to talk to the kids not the ex. He also said things are over with the ex and he is very happy with his new girl friend.
Crab Count: Everyone 0.
On the Northwestern they are biting the head off the herring. Edgar is wiping the head of the herring in fish crap. Nick Mavar has to bite the head off. Captain Sig is ready to throw up just watching. Nick takes a bite and does throw up. Matt Bradley was gagging. Nasty! They nuked the herring also, so it was the worst one they ever had. Nick says it tastes like chicken. LOL
235 miles NW of Dutch Harbor on the Time Bandit. Captain Andy is getting ready to start pulling pots. He's hoping for a 300 average. Captain Andy says if they don't hit the crab right away they are in trouble. They are hand coiling. I guess it's better they broke the coiler and not the block. Captain Johnathan says they'll figure it out. They pull the pot up. It is empty. The pots keep coming up empty. Captain Andy says this is a train wreck. A line snaps out of the block and Mike says that almost went around my neck. Mike says he doesn't plan on loosing his life for a bunch of bleeping crab.
On the Wizard, Captain Keith is trying to walk through the hallway with a cup of coffee as the boat is rolling. That looked a little staged to me. Keith doesn't want Monte or Lenny running the block with their injuries. They pull a pot it's half full. The pots are coming up looking great. The last pot they showed had 535. Captain Keith says it's a little unnerving because if you start on hot fishing there is really no where to go but down.
And the previews show all the evil, evil ice.
The captains are currently filming After the Catch in Breckenridge, Colorado. They were all together last night and joined us on Twitter to watch the show, except Captain Johnathan, we missed you John. Several of the deckhands joined us as well. I want to say thank you to all of them. I don't know about everyone else but I had a blast. There was a lot of idiot calling and a lot of ragging on Captain Keith to help people go pee. So much fun!
Copyright © 2011 Virtualpatti. All Rights Reserved.
Did Keith have Sensitivity Training over their break? I don't think he asked his crew once, "WHO IS THE CAPTAIN OF THIS BOAT?", "SHUT-UP!", "HEY! SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" "DON'T TALK BACK TO ME!" "NOT ANOTHER WORD!" No sign of him killing a cameraman; because he had to make his own coffee either. HMMMMMM?
ReplyDeleteLMAO I think you're right.
DeleteMaybe all that bad fishing wore him down.
I always fast forward through the Wizard sections in DD.. can't stand to watch Keith or keep track of all of his greenhorns even though I like a couple guys on his crew.
ReplyDeleteJust curious though, who are the "medevac, a drunk, a kid that didn't want to work and a knuckle head" mentioned? Did he really go through 4 already? Was there another substance-related drama this season?
Thanks for any info!
Chris Scambler was medevaced.
DeleteDanni Maki I believe was the one on deck drunk, he also had the bad legs and didn't seem to want to work.
Grady Quinn was the other new horn that I think he was referring to as the kid who didn't want to work.
No telling who he was referring to as the knuckle head. Probably all of them. LOL
errg
ReplyDelete