Steaming North

As the North American steamed back to the fishing grounds, the majority of the crew were asleep.  It was a very quiet time onboard.  I was awake and alone at the galley table trying to catch up on my story notes.  The only other person awake was Terje Kavinge.  He was upstairs in the wheelhouse on watch. 

As I scribbled my notes I reflected upon each member of our crew.  I was really enjoying the rare silent moment, which abruptly ended when deckhand Travis Arquette bounced into the room in his usual fashion. He reached above the refrigerator and grabbed a box of sugarcoated cereal and poured himself a heaping bowl.  As he sat down at the table he gave me a cursory nod and dug in to the overflowing bowl with his large spoon.  While crunching down on his first mouthful he looked at me and inquired, “Did I tell you that I am going to do a race across the Himalaya?”  I thought for a moment and then shook my head.

I listened intently as he described a 3,000-mile race that he was planning to do across the Himalayan Mountains and eventually into India.  He explained that he would be racing a host of teams from other countries.  Knowing Travis, I patiently waited for the twist.  He hastily took another mouthful of cereal, chewed, swallowed and then added “It’s a rickshaw race!”  I smiled and shook my head again while he filled me in on the details of his crazy adventure to come.  A couple of minutes later the bowl was empty and he headed back to the rack.

John Skaar got up next and as usual headed straight for the engine room.  Satisfied that everything was still OK, he retuned to the galley and had a cup of coffee with me.  He spoke of his family at home, and how the season was starting to wear on him.  He also shared the story of how he and his father had been developing the GenTech generator system that was used by the North American.  He shared his hope that others will soon adopt it.  “Not only does it save fuel, but it also reduces emissions,” he said. “We reduced our emissions by nearly 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide just on the trip up here from Seattle.” 

“Wow, that is a lot!” I replied as he headed up to take his watch.

As soon as John took the wheel, Terje came down and began to cook a meal for the crew.  As he cooked he told me stories of his own fishing family and what it was like growing up in a family that maintains many of the traditions of Norway.  His stories are always full of humor. He had me in stitches quite few times.  Again I was reminded of how different our lives really were.  I knew that time was short, so I tried to concentrate on finishing my notes while Terje continued.

The greenhorn, Darrell LaBay aka “D-Bo”, never stirred from his bunk.  As usual he was taking full advantage of every single second available for rest.  I had been thinking a lot about him too. The majority of the notes that I was taking had to do with his continuing story.  I was waiting for him to rally and succeed at his new position aboard the boat.  As Captain Sten stepped into the galley I knew that D-Bo’s rest had come to an end.  I put down my notes pad and grabbed my camera.  As I began to roll, Sten opened the doors to each stateroom and woke the crew.  I panned my camera back to the galley just in time to catch Tarje placing another of his excellent meals on the table.  The time had arrived for the crew of the North American to begin fishing again.

Image: Terje Kavinge and Sten Skaar

Photo: Marc Carter/DCL

Comments

[Danski]

Once again Doug Thank you! thank you! your words are magic.

[Danski]

Once again Doug Thank you! thank you! your words are magic.

[Amanda]

Thanks for keeping us updated. I count on this blog to get my "fix" between new episodes. Stay safe!

[TVDinner]

Yeah, this blog is as addictive as the show, although I was heartbroken not to see much of the North American during the opilio season on the show. Is it that these guys are so well-adjusted and normal that they don't make for good TV viewing?

[Widdlefish]

I think its because they are so awesome that if they were to show any more of them on tv, peoples heads would begin to explode all around the nation.

[bunny]

oh i love these guys!!!:-) glad were seeing more of them around..glad to c there doing good on tonights episode so far.. i do love that captain skaar !!:-)~~~ .... i just dont have a good feeling bout poor dbo least he tried his best but i dont think hes cut out for this .