What To Know
- Jake Anderson and his crew on the Cornelia Marie faced a dangerous engine room fire while racing to meet their crab quota.
- Other captains, including Sig Hansen, Monte Colburn, and Rick Shelford, also battled severe mechanical failures and hazardous sea conditions.
- Despite numerous life-threatening obstacles, all crews managed to make progress toward their goals.
What could go wrong pretty much does with more than a week until cannery closure day for this half of the season of Deadliest Catch. The clock is ticking as the captains are under the gun to get the last of their respective quotas. Between vessel mechanical issues and dangerous sea conditions, getting to the finish line is easier said than done.
For Jake Anderson, it’s about honoring Phil Harris’ legacy aboard the Cornelia Marie while forging ahead. The dad was also fueled by the drive to provide for his children and return home to do the every day routine like taking them to school in the mornings. During the June 26 episode of the Discovery Channel crab fishing series, a big obstacle stands in his crew’s way.
The same could be said for Sig Hansen, Monte Colburn, and Rick Shelford. They also lean on the skill and will of their crew to overcome serious challenges.
Read on to see what I’m talking about.
Jake Anderson
It’s four days until offload for the Cornelia Marie. In order to make the 40,000-pound, quarter of a million dollar quota, a final push was needed. Jake was strategizing how he would set pots in the middle of 20-foot breakers. The waves poured on deck with numbers during hauling leaving him concerned. The tide changed though with a pot of 139, which gave him some hope. Just as this happened, smoke came from the engine room. The crew made a mad dash to find the source. “It taste like plastic,” Jake said, describing the air he breathed.
With the weather only getting worse, Albinio, a deckhand and relief captain, needed to figure out how to repair the wiring within the breakers after the smoke was under control. Luckily, the team got things back running again. Jake needed a 50-pot average to make his quota. Some encouraging numbers looked to have got him to the end. The harrowing experience elicited thoughts about Phil Harris, who died in 2010. Jake, now helming his boat, came upon Priest Rock where he paid tribute to his fallen colleague and mentor.
Sig Hansen
Sig Hansen (Discovery Channel)
The Northwestern has 16,000 pounds to catch, so Sig needed at least a 50-pot average to come anywhere close to meeting the mark. He looked to head south as the current location wasn’t delivering. As they work to reset pots in the new direction, a hydro leak around the crane fittings is discovered. First mate and Sig’s son-in-law Clark Pederson looked to jerry-rig the new fitting using spare parts.
He had to first remove the broken fitting, which meant straddling the slippery crane high above. Clark secured himself best as possible in the situation, but with the unpredictable waves and oil surface, the risk was still there for injury. He ended up repairing the leak. The crew kept working until the vessel went dark, and they lost lights. Sig encouraged the team to keep hauling in the dark as propulsion and hydraulics were still operating. Moonlight and handheld lights guided them through the work until the issue was resolved.
Monte Colburn
Monte Colburn (Discovery Channel)
The Wizard had just 24 hours before having to head back to get the last of the $900,000 in bairdi crab needed. Monte already felt the pressure after taking over the boat from his brother Keith, who stepped away for his mental and physical well-being. The team also had to make up for lost time due to 50 pots being situated in a restricted area. An alarm sounded where the lights and power were failing.
Engineer Joe Serpas rushed on to the scene, in his underwear no less, to see what happened. He concluded the constavolt was not working or keeping the batteries charged, which was why the motor died. They couldn’t haul and set any gear until Joe figured out why the motor shut down.
Keith checked in telling Monte he needed to change his luck. In the meantime members of the crew got haircuts and their armpits shaved to feel fresh. “Is it lucky? Mohawks never hurt,” Monte said. Their luck did change as the pots were coming in with good numbers. Monte plans to have a heart-to-heart with Keith after this endeavor.
Rick Shelford
Rick Shelford (Discovery Channel)
The Aleutian Lady was looking to wrap up its bairdi season strong. However, things took a turn for the worse as an alarm chirped. Water was in the slack tank. When this happens during a storm like the one the crew were enduring, the water sloshing back and forth could create enough movement that could actually roll the boat over.
Making matters worse, Rick’s team couldn’t get the hatch to open. He hadn’t planned to set the gear before going through the strings, but would have to go blind given the circumstances where the vessel could get capsized as a result.Rick ordered an emergency set of pots overboard in order to access the hatch on deck and assess the issue. Rubber stoppers were used to seal the top of empty crab tanks. They hoped the plugs would keep the water out. Thankfully for Rick, there was crab to be found. “We got very lucky,” he said with a sigh of relief.
Next up are the unforgiving winter months.
Deadliest Catch, Fridays, 8/7c, Discovery Channel