posted 06-13-2009 11:48 PM ET (US)     

Was cruising around in my Montauk today & had the camera with me. Below are some of the pics I took.

Coincidentally, some of the crew of the Northwestern were aboard today. Both Sig & Edgar Hansen were there. Sig was above in the wheelhouse, but Edgar was on deck w/ some of the deckhands. Chatted with Edgar briefly & took his pic. I asked when they planned to ship out next, & he replied "tomorrow". Also said the show wasn't like the 'real thing'. I sensed he meant how commercial the program had become, i.e. dramatized.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/cb4.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/cb10.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/cb11.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/cb22.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/cb33.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/cb3.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/cb8.jpg

Another crab boat from the show, which I've seen around here,... but just not today, is the Maverick.

If anyone local is interested in checking out some of the above ships - They're all on the Lk Washington side of the locks, within a 1/4 mile of the locks.

Cheers!
~CLK

posted 06-14-2009 02:42 PM ET (US)         

A couple other boats from the show:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/CB55.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/CB66.jpg

More of the Northwestern:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/NW1.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/NW2.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/NW3.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/NW4.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/NW5.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/NW6.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/NW7.jpg

More pics of the North American:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/NA1.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/NA2.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/NA3.jpg

A few more of the Wizard:
[url][/url]

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/W1.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/W2.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/W3.jpg

posted 06-14-2009 08:53 PM ET (US)         

quote:

---

I too have seen these boats in the ship canal.

---

I was out again today. Passed the North American right in front of the Boston Whaler dealership. I guess they took here out on the Lake today.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/na77.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/na88.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/na99.jpg

Cheers!
~CLK
ps - went by your marina last week & saw your boat. Looks great - I like the green!

posted 06-14-2009 08:58 PM ET (US)         

If you like the Wizard - Here are a few more:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/wiz1.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/wiz2.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/W1.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/W2.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/W3.jpg

posted 06-14-2009 11:48 PM ET (US)            

Ol timer told me one of the primary reasons they moor in Lake Washington is to let their hulls soak and flush the holding tanks with fresh water. There are a couple here on the Columbia, I saw another down in Reedsport on the Umpqua River over Memorial Day weekend. sorry, no pics this time.

Yeah, Sig is cool. Id love to make the trip up North with him, then, let me off in Dutch Harbor. No doubt Dangerous Catch highlights the danger factor. Sig once confirmed a old Sailors cliche, "crabbing can be hours and hours of boredom interspersed with a few seconds of sheer terror".

Thanks for the photos.

posted 06-15-2009 12:15 AM ET (US)         

quote:

---

Yeah, Sig is cool. Id love to make the trip up North with him, then, let me off in Dutch Harbor.

---

I saw Sig, but didn't meet him.

Was there again today. Edgar invited me aboard. Got a pic toghether.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/meedgar.jpg

posted 06-15-2009 01:15 PM ET (US)         

Erik,

quote:

---

The Northwestern with Sig and Edgar Hansen are among my favorites.

---

Here's some more of the NW:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/nwn1.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/nwn8.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/nwn2.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/nwn5.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/nwn6.jpg

Below are pics of the equipment they were rigging on deck: I asked Matt & Norm (the middle Hansen brother) about the equipment & where they were headed next . They said they were leaving for Prince William Sound, in Cordova, tomorrow (they were hoping to leave yesterday). They're going to be salmon fishing there, & that's what the equipment is for. The boat pulls along-side large salmon nets,... then uses large hoses to suck up the fish & water,... then the water is trained in the strainer barrels,...then the fish slide down the ramps, into the holding tanks.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/nwn7.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/nwn3.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/nwn4.jpg

Once again - Glad you enjoyed the pics!

posted 06-15-2009 07:10 PM ET (US)         

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/Lenny.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/LennyLynn.jpg

Both were very nice & willing to gab with me. Asked Lenny about his finger & Lynn about his eye - Both said they were doing fine. Regarding the Wizard, Lenny said it was built in 1944 for the war, as a fuel vessel. Said the hull, & most of the boat is original. The major renovations were enlarging the wheelhouse,...converting the fuel storage tanks into crab holding tanks,... enlarging parts of the engine room,...& changing the deck. Said the galley, accomadations, & pretty much everything else is original. Said the Wizard, at 155' long, is one of the longest in the fleet. Said the boat will stay in Seattle until around Sept 25th - Then head north again.

As far as the ship next to them - The Pinnacle, Lenny said it's one of the biggest & nicest in the fleet. About the same length as the Wizard, but wider beam, & huge modern wheelhouse. Lenny said the crew accomadtions are sweet, too. Got the feeling it's a gem in the fleet. Below are some pics:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/Pin1.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/Pin3.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/Pin2.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/CLK_305/Pin5.jpg

Cheers!
~CLK

posted 06-16-2009 01:19 PM ET (US)            

It look slike Sig hasn't quite left town yet today:
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?MMSI=367363350

I have had the pleasure to meet Phil Harris (of the Cornelia Marie), his son Josh, and Johnathan Hillstrand (of the Time Bandit). When I met Phil last year, he was at the Tides Tavern in Gig Harbor, at the end of what must have been an all day promotional tour for Budweiser. He came down and glad handed with us on the dock. When I got a chance to talk to him alone, it was evident that he was exhausted and wasn't much enjoying the promo tour. I asked him how he was enjoying all the fame, and I won't repeat his response here because it would be inappropriate for this family-friendly website. It was clear he was sick of it, but nonetheless he maintained a good sense of humor and friendly demeanor.

Phil with myself and friends.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j4/pglein/phil2.jpg

I met Johnathan at a screening party for the show earlier this year in Tacoma. This one was sponsored by Alaskan Brewery, and most everyone was consuming their fair share of Alaskan Amber, myself, and Johnathan included. When I finally did get a chance to introduce myself, he was in the middle of a bit of a "tiff" with his girlfriend/wife/female companion, and he was brief. Regardless, I was pleased to meet him and express my appreciation for their contribution to the show, as well as my dinner plate.

The most interesting meeting though, was later that night, when my girlfriend and I were able to sit down and chat with Josh Harris for about 20-30 minutes. The show certainly doesn't portray how friendly, intelligent, and engaging he is. After only a few minutes of talking to him, he'd already made us feel as though we were his friends, which is rare from people caught in the spotlight. He gave all sorts of insights into life as a crab fisherman, and as a celebrity of sorts. I asked him about his father, and he confirmed that his illness, combined with the pressure of fishing and relentless promotional schedule has been very tough on him. But he did say, "you haven't seen the last of Phil Harris."

As for the show's realism, I think it's safe to assume that there is a lot of creative editing that occurs post-production. That's the reality of reality tv. However, I don't think anyone or anything is scripted. Are the captains and crew sometimes manipulated into saying things that will make good tv, especially when edited together in different context? Sure. But if you think you're getting a real taste of what it's like to be a fisherman by watching the show, you're naive. What you are getting is a slightly dramatized version of what really is an exciting and challenging lifestyle.

If someone was to make a movie about a pivotal event in your life, would you want them to tell it exactly as it happened, or perhaps spice it up a bit so as to convey how you FELT when it happened?

Just like Tim O'Briend's The Things They Carried, Deadliest Catch attempts to portray the drama and excitement of the experience, even if it does sometimes blur the lines between reality and fiction.