Discovery Channel - Deadliest Catch Diaries

Entry No. 12: Magic and Wonder

Every once in a while, when I'm aboard the Time Bandit, the subfreezing temperatures, wind and spray combine and, magically, water freezes before my eyes. We have never managed to catch it in the act, so it has never appeared on the show. This amazing phenomenon occurs when the boat hits a wave and spray jets upward from the bow. Gravity kicks in and the boat and the droplets fall at the same speed. For a few seconds water hangs suspended in midair and is literally frozen. When the boat stops falling the droplets all suddenly tumble to the deck as ice and scatter in many directions. It is a magical moment.

One of my favorite things to do on a crab boat is to climb into the crow’s nest on the foremast of the ship. The bow is usually tossing and rolling. Climbing the narrow steel ladder is a challenge all by itself, especially when it is icy. To stand and face the sea in the crow’s nest while waves bash the bow below, sending spray vertically as you arc forcefully through the air, wind in your hair and seagulls as your escort is wild, brash and amazing. It is another of the magic moments one can experience at sea.

Once a killer whale came up to the surface within 10 feet of where I was standing on the boat’s starboard rail. It was matching the speed of the vessel and swimming parallel to it. As I watched in amazement it rolled a bit to its starboard side, exposing its left eye to stare directly into my own. The whole moment lasted only five seconds. Then the whale disappeared, leaving me in awe and wonder.

Being a member of the Deadliest Catch production team has provided me with a long string of these unforgettable experiences. Many of these were captured on film, but some were not. For me, there is another Deadliest Catch magic moment that happens when I am traveling or working in a foreign country and chance upon a fan of the show. Usually it happens when they say something like, “Hey, remember when the Time Bandit pulled those two king crab pots that had 156 crabs in them?” As I look at them quizzically and respond, “Yeah?” I just can’t help but feel amazed that this person intimately knows some of my personal experiences. It is almost as though he had been looking through my own eyes. Now that I find truly amazing!

Entry No. 11: Icebound

Ice was forming rapidly on the Time Bandit. I figured that it was time to put down the camera and help the deckhands remove some of it. You have to earn your safekeeping on a ship. I tossed on my iPod, put on some rock 'n' roll, and started swinging a hard plastic sledgehammer to the beat. Over the next several hours, ice, pain and music all flowed together. As I worked, the ice continued to form. It felt like we were losing the battle and this worried me. I had lost a battle with ice before.

The previous winter I was aboard the Maverick when the vessel became icebound. The Maverick was iced up, full of crab and had a stack of pots on deck. Though the vessel’s captain, Rick Quashnick, desperately needed to get his catch back to a safe port where it could be unloaded, he was deeply concerned with storm warnings he had received from the National Weather Service. High winds and heavy freezing spray were forecast.

Rick was agitated and uncertain. Unwilling to face the oncoming ice storm, he surprised everyone on board by turning the boat and heading back into the ice. At the time I thought he was going crazy. Now I can see that he chose the least of two evils. At least we would not have to face big waves within the ice pack.

As the Maverick headed into the pack, all of the deckhands were beating ice off the rails and deck. The propellers struggled with the thickening ice. The sound of their scraping and grating intensified the energy of the moment. Surely we could not afford to break the propellers or lose the rudder. Rick was wild and intense. Some of the deckhands were second-guessing the captain’s decision and the mood on the boat went black. Moments later we were done. The Maverick could go no farther. Captain Rick threw his hands in the air in despair, turned the main engines off, and headed into his stateroom.

Not a single person onboard the Maverick escaped the fleeting sensations of doom. Staring across a frozen sea of ice in near silence, I stood outside on the deck feeling completely helpless as I felt the sting of the increasing north winds upon my face. Little did I know that these same north winds would bring our salvation. They would eventually blow us south, the ice would break up, and we would be free again.

Entry No. 10: Drunk and Disorderly Seas

Andy Hillstrand is an easy captain to get along with.  He seldom gets angry, spending the majority of his time with a smile on his face. Today, however, his usual smile was absent.   Andy was deep in concentration. All of his attention was focused on a drunk and disorderly sea.  He was on guard as each wave struck the bow of our vessel, tossing spray across the length of the boat, blasting the wheelhouse windows and temporarily blocking his view of the deck.

Breaking the silence, I asked Andy a question, but he did not hear me; instead he darted his head to the side and quickly sized up the approaching waves.  In conditions like these a rogue wave could suddenly appear and wreak havoc on the Time Bandit. Andy was doing his best to protect his crew, but he also knew that the work still had to be done.   The deckhands worked with their heads down, trying to finish up before the brunt of the storm hit us.  They were all wet and cold.

A small wave, only 10 feet high, broke as it approached our starboard rail.  Its whitewater slapped the side of the boat, sending spray straight into Russell’s face.  As he whipped his head to clear his eyes of salt water, he glared up at Andy at the helm.  Captain Andy raised both hands up in a gesture that said, “Sorry, dude.”  Russell just shook his head at the captain.  Before he turned around and headed back to work he noticed me in the wheelhouse windows and our eyes met briefly. I suddenly felt guilty for being warm and dry.  I decided that it was time to head back out on deck.

Downstairs I donned my foul weather fishing gear, cleaned my lens and stepped outside into the wind and spray. Before I had made it 20 feet, a knee-high wave washed across the deck.  I leaped into the air several times trying to avoid the inevitable, but my boots filled with ice-cold seawater anyway.  My antics, obviously a source of amusement, did not go unnoticed. All of the deckhands were laughing at me. Mimicking the captain, Russell threw both of his gloved hands in the air, palms up, making me laugh as well. As I squish-squished the remaining steps across the deck the chill began to sink in.  I was wet and cold, but feeling entirely free of guilt.