A Captain Returns to the Deck

January 22, 2008

You got to know Eric Nyhammer, 46, as the captain of the Rollo during Season 2 of Deadliest Catch. He led an eclectic and somewhat artsy mix of crew members aboard the 107-foot house forward vessel owned by his father Siven. Like the Skaars and the Hansens, Eric has strong Norwegian fishing roots and knows how to run a boat in the Bering. He once said, “It's still man against Mother Nature out there, so you can't get too over-cocky. You gotta know just how smart you are.”

After skippering the Rollo for king crab season, Eric joined the crew of the North American to work the deck, working both boats for king crab. In his spare time, Eric is an artist working in oils and pastels, and comes off as mellow and laid-back; however, he shouldn’t be underestimated. From what folks say, he really likes to lead and doesn’t have a problem speaking his mind, so we’ll see how he does as a deckhand taking orders.

Beyond the deck, Eric is the father of three children and says he does the show so they can see him at work and in his element.

Davin Ness, 39, joins Eric on the deck of the North American. He’s a third-generation fisherman from Seattle who’s been fishing since the age of 12. His first crab outing was in 1984 with his father and he’s been hooked since. Davin has known the Skaars all his life and looks forward to being a part of the crew that brings the North American back to the waters of the Bering Sea.  He’s tried jobs on land but always finds himself drawn back to the sea.  “The money used to be better, but there’s just something about being out there.  It always draws you back.”

What do you think of Eric’s return? Do you think he’ll be able to take orders from the Skaars? Post your comments below.

Coming up: More from Dutch and another new boat with a familiar face.

The Green Boat

January 08, 2008

The North American is Deadliest Catch’s first “green” fishing vessel. It is on the cutting edge of maritime technology with its Gen-Tech engine, designed by the Skaars to use hydraulics to power a backup engine, allowing greater fuel efficiency.  On its trips between Seattle and Dutch Harbor the hydraulic-driven generator can prevent nearly 12 tons of carbon emissions.

As deck boss and engineer, John Skaar, 38, is the man behind the day-to-day upkeep of the North American and its experimental technology. Even in his spare time, he works on the system, hoping it can be used on a larger scale one day. John will be working closely on his green dream boat with Greenhorn Travis Arket, 24, a computer programmer with a taste for adventure. While he has little fishing experience, Travis has worked with the Skaars on their Gen-Tech system and was invited to join the crew because of his computer expertise. But will his smarts help with the crabbing? The well-traveled greenhorn is up for the challenge.

The word from Dutch is the boats are back and preparing for opilio season. The Bering gets rougher and it only gets colder …

Up Next: A familiar face returns.

Meet Captain Sten

December 11, 2007

Age: 41
Hometown: Seattle, Wash.
Years Fishing: 20
Fishing Vessel: North American

As you learned from our previous post, Sten Skaar comes from a very proud fishing tradition.  He learned the business from his dad, Erling, who fished with Sverre Hansen, Sig Hansen’s father. It’s made for an interesting rivalry between the Skaars and the Hansens. In his 20 years of fishing, Sten most enjoys the camaraderie with his crew and working closely with his brother John, the ship’s engineer.  He is extremely proud that he is among a few that can provide a delicacy that is in high demand around the world, and he loves the freedom that fishing affords to pursue his other interests: golf, soccer and travel.

Before king crab season, Sten planned on fishing 100 pots and placing prospect pots at varying depths from 35 – 45 fathoms. We’ll see how this strategy worked for him.

In other news, the pranks just don’t stop aboard the Time Bandit. Andy Hillstrand read that you can make a taser out of a disposable camera, so becoming their own MythBusters, the Time Bandit captains decided to find out. This myth turned out to be confirmed and Johnathan has been tasering his crew ever since.

Next: Deck boss John and the North American’s Gentech Technology

Introducing the North American

November 27, 2007

Vessel: 110-foot house forward
Pots: 100
Quota: 90,000 pounds

One of the new boats taking on the Bering Sea in this season of Deadliest Catch is the North American. It’s a 110-foot house forward fishing vessel, built in 1975, and bought new by Erling Skaar. And, here is where the long fishing rivalry between the North American and the Northwestern begins. Skaar was an engineer aboard the F/V Foremost, owned by Sig Hansen’s father, Sverre. By all accounts, Sig’s father taught the Skaars how to fish, then they struck out on their own, competing with the Hansens for the Bering’s crab bounty and the biggest catch. The Skaars have been out of the game for a while, using their boat as a research vessel to track global warming in the Arctic Circle. But Erling's sons, Sten and John, are back and bringing a fierce fishing rivalry with them. They say they can outfish the Hansens any day. Both of Norwegian descent, the two families run the same style Marco boats. But who will be the top producer? We’ll just see, won’t we?

We’ll introduce Capt. Sten in our next posting. In the meantime, the guys are on their way back to Dutch Harbor with the close of king crab season. The Wizard was the first boat to return. In a recent conversation with Capt. Keith Colburn, we learned that the fishing wasn't as challenging as dealing with all the personalities onboard. First, there was tension in the wheelhouse. Keith and his brother Monty don’t always see eye to eye when catching crab. But they’re brothers, and isn't there always a rivalry between brothers? Keith is also keeping a close eye on his greenhorns this season. One is a young 21-year-old, the other is 10 years older, but both are being tested by the Bering in their own ways …

Are you curious about the Hansen/Skaar rivalry? Who do you think will catch more crab? Interested in seeing the rivalry between the Colburn brothers? Post your comments.