Big Weather, Big Seas

07/21/2009

A journal entry from Josh during the Opilio season:

Weather is getting worse and worse by the hour, and the winds are reaching 100 mph.  I have never seen wind blow that hard before, and it is incredibly scary.  The wind blows so hard at times that you can hear the windows stress, creak and squeal in the wheelhouse.  I believed, though, that the Cornelia Marie would hold up against Mother Nature, but who really knows.  Capt. Phil said it’s OK, but he was obviously nervous. Phil’s leg was shaking so much that I’m surprised it didn’t drill a hole in the floor straight to the galley. 

Capt. Phil is arguably one of the safest captains in the fleet.  His motto is, "My crew is like an engine; if I wear them out, nothing can get done," so he tries to keep his crew "fresh." (Keep in mind that being "fresh" is relative in the Bering Sea. Fresh means working 30-36 hours straight instead of 40-45 hours.)  With that being said, Phil is notorious for blowing out his engines.  Regardless, he tries his best to keep the crew out of harm's way.  When weather gets really bad, he will never hesitate to pull his crew off deck to keep them safe.   However, there are times when the boys want to stay and fish, so it gets frustrating being pulled in all the time.   Now that the season is over and I’m home alive, I look back and appreciate Phil’s safety-conscious mind.  It’s never worth anyone's life to stay out and fish for an extra few hours.

Want to hear something crazy, though?  I actually prefer worse weather over calmer seas.  Yes, it’s true. As the weather got worse, my seasickness actually got a tad bit better.  Capt. Phil explained that the motion of the ocean during smaller seas is harder to predict and moves the boat left, right, up and down.  This random motion makes it very hard for your body to adapt and thus I got really seasick.  However, bigger seas create more of a "predictable" roller coaster full of big ups and huge downs.  This makes it easier for your body to adapt to the motion, because it knows what to expect.  Crazy, huh?

Comments

[Victor]

Your blog is exelent !

I wonder... When the weather is going worst and the tempest comes bigger, how do you do not to break the cameras ?

Did you ever broke some of it ? And does the camera resiste to the very low temperature during the "ice season" ^^

Thanx a lot and sorry for approximate english, I'm French :)

[arthur vick]

do you know how to aply for a deck hand position. i have a lot to offer the ships.

[arthur vick]

i want to work on the ships . my email adress is i_got_a_big_truck@yahoo.com and my phone is 913 596 0969

[arthur vick]

my name is arthur vick i am 25 and i just want to have more in my life to make something of myself.. i am hard working and loyal to the job. its not in me to give up. ill do whatever i can to help the crew please let me know how to aply for a postition.i_got_a_big_truck@yahoo.com. phone number is 913 596 0969

[Lilla]

First of all, thank you for doing what you do so people like me can get a glimpse of what crab fishing on the Bering is like. I'm so addicted to the show it's not even funny. I appreciate your comment about Phil being a safe captain - my husband (who is in the Navy) got that impression from watching. Great blog, thanks again, and stay safe out there!

[Carrie]

Josh I have read your blog but I have to say after watching last nights episode of you being so sick I have a new found respect for you. Even Phil said he would have quite if he had ever gotten as sick as you. WOW!

Are you planning on coming back next year?

[Dona]

Hey there Josh! I had to come here (a friend told me you had a blog here) after last night's episode and tell you how inspiring you are. A lesser man would have bailed after a very short time, but you stuck it out to the end. I'm betting Capt. Phil's words are one of the most treasured gifts of your life. Good work. And thank you for risking your life to bring these amazing men and women into our living rooms.

God bless all of you.

~Dona

[Sean]

Like these other folks, I just watched the behind the scenes episode. I have just one question. Where do I go to lobby Captain Phil to change your nickname to either Rudy or Rocky? After that performance in the storm, I think either name would be appropriate. That performance was something else.

[elaine]

hi i just want to let you and your crew no i feel you are very brave in the job that you do and i pray you all return safe and have a good season bless you all fron belfast northern ireland

[Jennifer]

I understand you can't "hook" any of the Harris boy's up, but what about phil? he's deffinately not a boy!! I am hooked on the show and glad Phil's back, otherwise it's not worth watching. Be Safe!!

[Michael Vick (#7)]

I had to take a little time off of my regular job, and now I'm having trouble finding work in my field. You think there's any chance I could be a crab fisherman? I could be in Unalaska in 2 days. Can I bring a few of my dogs to keep me/the crew entertained?

[Eric Chiasson]

Hi guys! It’s just amazing what these guys going through. It’s so sad to see people loosing their lives actually I have 3 uncles and 1 cousin that drowned while fishing….

It’s time to do something about their safety….

Have you heard about the Ovatek life raft before? It’s an egg-shaped Fiberglass dual hull life raft, it protects from hypothermia, indestructible, easy to board, you can wait out a storm inside the Ovatek without launching…. it’s just an amazing product..please do something about the safety of yourself and your crew… take a few minutes and stop on Ovatek web page… http://www.ovatek.com and check out all the videos where you see the Ovatek life raft going through all sorts of testing like drop test, destruction test, water tightness test.

Gentlemen, Have a safe season and hope to ear from you….

Remember http://www.ovatek.com

Sincerely
Eric Chiasson

[Boating & Marine Supply Guy]

I am a regular wiht the show and I start feeling seasick from my couch just watching you guys out there. Thats a crazy way to make a living - but tons of fun for sure. Nothing like a good honest hardworking living nowdays.

[Marine Radio - Marine Antenna]

Great show and I wonder how you stomach those raging seas day after day!