So with the absence of Hells Kitchen and Brian’s new devotion to teaching the homeless how to make origami swans, I have now taken over the Deadliest Catch report. Sorry (mommom1) your attempts to have me banned from writing have only worked in Tularosa, New Mexico and don’t get a big head, they just went along with you because I once said Tularosa smells like mayonnaise. On to Deadliest Catch!
This episode labeled “Deadline” marks the last few days of king crab season. Up next is the Opilio season, which is an awesome time to watch this show. If you missed the first part of the season it’s a great time to jump on.
The first boat up is the Lisa Marie. The smallest boat in the fleet is now getting the least amount of air time. Rightly so, because there is not too much happening for them. Captain Wade’s hunches are not finding crab and the crew is pretty much fighting with each other. Everyone except our Hungarian old man of the sea who says, “Crazy fishing people huh!” I love that guy. The insults and fighting lead to deckhand Brandon saying he’s done and wants off. With the numbers they are not bringing in, I don’t blame them.
The longer it takes to bring in your quota the less money you get for the crab. A day or two delay and it could cost the boat 20 grand. The market goes down each day after cut off and also as the other boats off-load. You’ve got to bring your full quota in on time, or you pay the price.
Our boys on the Cornelia Marie continue to struggle. I really miss Captain Phil. Murray is an awesome guy but having Captain Phil in that wheelhouse was just a real pleasure. I loved the way he used to deal with his two sons, who work the boat, and I truly miss it. This week’s beer goes out to Captain Phil. These poor guys are hitting low numbers and are, once again, busting out the Mohawk. After only getting 45 crab in 25 pots lets hope the Mohawk pans out.
One interesting thing about one of the deckhands is that he tells a story about how he went out, got drunk, and was fired from a boat he was supposed to be watching. The next day that boat went out and sank, losing the entire crew. Had he not been out drinking and gotten fired, he’d be dead. Can you imagine that? The crazy part is that he’s telling the story like its nothing. I can’t even imagine that. I usually pray that the building blows up anywhere I’ve been fired.
The Wizard has been hit and miss on their pots all season and now is just 100 thousand lbs from their quota. They are working a 40 hour shift at one point and then, later, another 24 more. Can you imagine working for 64 hours straight? My boss tells me to do that and I’m looking for a 6ft meatball sub to hit him with. Captain Keith heads back to the grounds where he saw the Walrus and doubles up his strings. It pays off, and they are back on the crab.
The boys on the Northwestern have been getting their numbers by just grinding it out. No sleep and lots of work. The odd part of this crew seems to be the transformation of greenhorn Jake, who at one time worshipped Edgar, and now seems to want to beat him up. Jake is in a full tirade when the boat is hit by a rogue wave, covering both him and Edgar in freezing water. Edgar gets washed to the deck and they both head down to dry off. The freezing water cools the fighting as they are both relieved they didn’t get washed off the boat or seriously hurt.
The Time Bandit is all smiles as they not only are on the crab, but catch their full quota and are offloading before anyone else. This means they are getting top dollar for their crab and they are getting a bit of a vacation before Opilio season. They earn approximately 1.7 million dollars for their load and then are off to hit the bar. That’s where Captain Andy, the Captain of the Time Bandit during Opilio season, gets six pies to the face. The Time Bandit definitely has been the boat to beat these last couple seasons.
The latest crab count shows us the Wizard on top, while the Lisa Marie is not even close to being in the running.
See ya next week
EatMeCalifornia 