Sig:
it's been a stressful season,
to say the least.
A lot of ups and downs.
It's been a struggle.
Bill: I'm not overwhelmed
with zack's idea
Of what it takes
to be a captain.
Jake: I wanna be called a leader
and a fisherman.
I wanna succeed on my own.
Sig: I feel fried,
burned out...
Oh, you.
...physically,
mentally drained.
We're so close
to the finish line.
I'm just not gonna give it
to him because he's my kid.
Don't slack it off!
Don't slack it off!
Oh, my god.
[Bleep]
Man: sig?
Something's wrong.
¶ I'm wanted ¶
¶ Wanted ¶
¶ Dead or ali-i-i-i-i-i-ve ¶
Captions paid for by
discovery communications
Narrator:
on the crab grounds...
Monte: everybody's getting
a little tired here.
This season's been
kind of exhausting.
But unfortunately, we're here,
So we're gonna have to
make the best of it.
Narrator: ...the end of a trying
winter season is in sight.
Johnathan:
everybody in the whole fleet's
worried about their season.
It's so hard
to find crab right now.
Narrator:
with 2 1/2 million pounds
of crab already delivered...
You know, you get us here.
And then you can
get home twice as fast.
And make it pay.
Narrator: ...veteran and rookie
captains alike scrounge
For the last of their quotas
From an increasingly
depleted stock...
Sig: I'm starting to stress out
a little bit, you know?
Clock's tickin'.
Narrator: ...to put this brutal
season behind them.
There's always an end
to the madness.
And I just wanna get
this baby to the shipyard.
She's been through enough.
Narrator: in dutch harbor...
Man: here we go.
Yeah, buddy.
Here we go.
Narrator:
on the 107-foot saga...
It's workin' like
it's supposed to work now, yeah.
Narrator:
...stuck at dock for five days
Because of
a mechanical breakdown.
Right now, I've got
a lot of stuff going on.
I'm trying to get out of here
as soon as I can.
Narrator:
captain jake anderson is anxious
to make up for lost time.
Jake:
the hydraulic side's fixed.
I've got a long drive.
I've got bait coming on.
I'm getting fuel.
Now, the boat needs
to start making money.
Unfortunately,
delivery dates don't budge.
I need to start performing.
So the pressure's definitely on.
And there's tommy.
He actually packed
pretty light.
Narrator:
to help catch his remaining
183,000 pounds of quota...
Tommy, did you
bring your cookbook?
Tommy:
yeah, I got my cookbook.
Narrator:
...jake recruited an old friend,
veteran fisherman
"Irish" tommy walsh.
Tommy's great.
Tommy's a fisherman,
through and through.
So this is...hannes.
Hannes,
nice to meet you, man.
Pleased to meet you.
¶ Tommy ¶
tommy!
Hey, jake, what's up?
Hey, thanks for coming.
No problem, bud.
What's going on?
I'm excited just to be here.
Ah, this is gonna be fun.
Real excited to be.
I'll do my best.
That's all I can do, man.
You'll -- you'll figure it out.
You've been doing this
for a while. No problem.
All right, I'll just get
my bag inside right away.
Yeah.
Hopefully, uh, irish tommy
knows his stuff,
And we'll do okay.
There's quite a good turnover up
here sometimes, you know.
You can leave
your boots right here.
Everyone just
leaves their boots
Just right out
in the hall.
My fuse, basically,
Is gonna be a lot longer
with tommy here.
I need a lot of help.
All right.
Let's get out of here.
Narrator: 405 miles northwest
of dutch harbor...
Sig: the weather sucks.
We should be able
to haul gear, you know?
Narrator: ...aboard
the 125-foot northwestern.
Sig: now that mandy's gone,
Uh, things'll be
a little different.
The guys might've got
a little spoiled
On the last couple trips
'cause, uh, she was here.
[ Chuckles ]
Nick even offered to pay her
some pretty good cash
Out of his own pocket
to keep her around,
But school calls
and that was it for her.
Narrator:
after losing the luxury
of having daughter mandy
As an extra hand...
Sig: we're so close
to the finish line.
It's like the last lap.
Narrator:
...captain sig hansen is back
to relying on a four-man crew
To catch the rest of his
117,000-pound opilio quota.
On the negative,
we've got weather coming in.
There's winds from
all different directions.
It's just -- ugh.
It's been a stressful season,
to say the least.
Watch out!
Oh, man.
Hey, we're losing power!
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.
Fire.
Can't win.
We just keep pushing, you know?
Narrator:
now, after a 16-hour steam...
Sig:
okay, first pot's up here.
This is on
our southern area.
Man: yo.
Narrator:
...the veteran skipper arrives
At the first pot
of his town soak.
There we go.
Come on, come on, come on.
Let's see some life.
Let's see some life now.
Yeah!
You like it?
[Bleep] yeah!
Nice crab.
I know.
Looks [bleep] great!
Back on track.
Wind's startin'
to pick up, obviously.
Pain in the a*s.
A lot of extra work.
Everything's a lot slower,
a lot more dangerous.
You know, you got to
keep an eye on things.
Narrator:
as the pots get better...
We got to get through
the gear quickly.
Those guys are
gonna get [bleep] nasty.
Narrator:
...the weather gets worse.
Sig: weather's already
changed directions here.
Yeah, buddy.
Whoo!
You get sick of it
pretty fast,
Especially when
you get splashed.
200.
Yeah, there was 200
last time, too.
Just checking.
Oh, here it comes.
[Bleep]
Could you look
on your computer
And see what time it's supposed
to start really kicking in?
Sig: you know, we might be
shootin' ourselves
In the foot, norm.
In the next couple hours,
this is not gonna be smart.
Look at these.
It's already getting [bleep]
Fight against the wind.
It sure gusts.
Oh, that's not good.
It's gonna stay like this?
24-Foot freakin' seas.
That's just stupid.
And I've done it before.
It's just no good
in westerly.
We got to make a decision
pretty quick here.
I may head in, I may not.
I don't know yet.
It's just, are these crab
gonna be around
When we come back?
Oh, eugene.
That's...
Narrator:
on the northwestern...
Oh, that's not good.
Battling heavy seas,
Captain sig hansen
has a decision to make.
I may head in, I may not.
I don't know yet.
It's just, are these crab
gonna be around
When we come back?
Oh, eugene.
That's...
Oh-h*-h*-h*!
I'm not hauling any more.
I'd like to get
the [bleep] out of here.
I don't want 'em
fishing [bleep]
You know what I mean?
Don't want to [bleep]
anybody up, norman.
Narrator:
the skipper makes the call.
Norman:
if he wants to play it safe,
I'm with him.
Narrator:
to protect his boat and crew,
he'll seek shelter in st. Paul
And offload what
they have in the tanks.
Yeah, you know,
we're beat up as it is.
The bow is shaky at best.
We've come too far
to take any chances.
Narrator:
30 miles northeast...
Jake: it's time to [bleep]
go, man.
I'm behind.
Narrator: ...on the saga.
The last trip, we got stopped
on so many occasions,
And that was just devastating.
Narrator:
after a week in port dealing
with mechanical issues,
Captain jake anderson
returns to his town soak.
I'm a little bit stressed out.
I want to see
all these pots do good.
I have an offload date
that's coming up,
And that's just what's difficult
about my position right now.
Narrator:
with 470,000 pounds of quota
Staring him in the face,
The young skipper
has little time
To catch a lot of crab.
I'm ready to haul gear.
I have the equipment to do it.
I have the manpower to do it.
I have some irish luck.
Narrator: looking to find
his pot of gold...
...jake is relying
on a new hand...
I better spit out
the chewing gum
And not be trying to do
two things at once.
...veteran fisherman
"irish" tommy walsh.
I think tommy's
gonna do great.
He comes from a long line
of fishermen.
He's fished in ireland,
on trawlers, salmon-fished,
Dungee fished.
Once we start hauling,
He can do bait
and stack the pots
And land the pots.
Tommy, them --
Them boots are sick-looking,
dawg.
[ Laughs ]
So I'm the giant leprechaun.
I think it'll bring them
good luck.
I'm all in if
it brings full pots.
[ Bells jingle ]
[ Laughter ]
Jake: all right, fellas.
Let's see what she brings.
Man: I think we're
all right there, tommy.
Oh, my god.
This is when I start
getting worried 'cause it --
It's where I expect
to see crab.
Oh [bleep]
There's [bleep]
crab in there.
Not likin' that.
Holy [bleep]
that's a lot of trash.
Oh, it's just dirty-a*s
[bleep] no good.
Narrator:
a dirty crab has barnacles
or spots on its shell...
Yeah, you don't really
want to go to a store
And see stuff like this
on the crab legs they buy.
Narrator:
...making them less appetizing
And pretty much worthless
to the cannery.
You know, you're looking
for good, clean, white lids,
No barnacles.
There's one crab in there?
That's not a good start
to my morning.
But maybe I'll run into 'em.
Oh, gosh.
Jake: same thing.
Man: we got to get on some crab
'cause this ain't cutting it.
Stuff you want to buy there?
Probably not.
There's nothing down here.
I need to get
these pots somewhere
That's not where we are,
and it sucks.
But I got to stack and move.
Narrator:
with his town pick a bust..
Jake: stack it.
Narrator: ...jake will search
for a cleaner school.
Hey, guys.
Yeah,
we got to find some grub.
They're all barnacles.
I really didn't want to deal
with this right now.
I really did not
want to deal with this.
Pressure's on to get
every little last crab
On the boat
before we go in and offload.
Don't worry me.
Tommy: there's a lot of garbage.
There's a lot of garbage.
But we can't think
about it too much,
Or else that's when it hits you.
I know that jake won't stop
till tank is topped.
That's why jake's
a great captain.
I'm ready. I'm [bleep] ready.
Jake: nice job, tommy.
One thing I am happy about
is tommy's here.
He's got no problem
doing any job on the boat.
The guy's been fishing
for over 30 years.
Has no problem
doing some bait.
Looking good.
Looking good.
Yeah, tommy.
Tommy's pistons
are heatin' up.
Breathing pretty hard out there.
I can already see it.
But there's a lot of big boys
That come out here
and do this fishery.
But they're really fast, too.
You'd never think of it.
The next pot coming up.
Getting a little bit
of spotted crab.
It's not a whole
hell of a lot, but...
[Bleep] pot's coming up.
You got a pot on your bow.
There is a bag on the bow.
Whoo-hoo!
Tommy!
Yeah, tommy,
pull that in!
You wait for a guy to mess up,
And he'll be right there
waiting for your opportunity.
That's exactly how you move up
in this industry.
Oh, my god.
We got a new hookman.
This is the thing
I love about tommy.
He's here to help.
He can get the thing going
and jump right in anywhere.
Don't worry about it.
You got it, tommy.
Try it, tommy.
Nice job, tommy.
Tommy is gonna be just fine.
We just need to find light
to offload asap.
I don't know.
We'll see.
We'll see in the future.
Narrator:
230 miles southeast...
Man: going to bairdi.
...on the cape caution.
Another fishery,
western bairdi 2016.
We're gonna have
probably 2/3 of our gear
Fishing in short order.
Start this season
on the fast track.
Narrator: after delivering
his 320,000-pound opilio quota,
Captain "wild" bill wichrowski
is back on the hunt...
Bill: we're gonna hit it hard.
So with any luck,
We're gonna end this
with a relatively quick trip.
A lot of crab, but a --
a nice little bonus in cash.
Narrator: ...this time,
for 150,000 pounds of bairdi.
This is why
I didn't go to school.
So I could do this.
Oh, yeah. Bairdi, whoo!
Narrator: and with a $227,000
bounty on the line...
Bill: we've got this area
that we've done all this work.
And every time we got near it,
we had bairdi.
And we were looking for opies.
So we're back.
And now we're gonna try
To find the bairdi
and avoid the opies.
Narrator:
...the skipper goes all-in
on familiar grounds.
Hopefully, that doesn't
bite me in the a*s.
If we can do this trip
really fast,
We can, uh, make more money
for less crab pot.
Hopefully, all that bairdi
we saw is still here.
Bill: we're somewhat rested.
Everything's serviced.
All we need now
is bairdi crab.
Go ahead
and get a bite to eat.
Sail's good, boss.
We're gonna get 'em
in the water
And start hauling 'em,
see what we got.
Sorry, guys.
It's not done.
Oh [bleep]
the -- the breast is done.
I mean, we can have pieces
of the breasts.
Yeah. Hoo.
Taste this.
[Bleep]
Um, I think
we're contaminating
Our freshwater tank
with salt water.
I think we have
a leak somewhere.
You just --
is it taste or what?
Yeah.
Ooh, horrible.
'Cause we don't
have enough --
We don't have enough
bottled water
To do the full trip.
That's really [bleep] news,
actually.
We get this gear
in the water,
We can look at
the tank and see --
See if there's
any cracks.
Narrator:
to inspect the damage,
The crew must set
and clear the deck of gear.
It's a problem.
All we can do is try to fix it.
All right.
Thanks so much.
I can't believe that [bleep]
it's crazy.
It's a real game changer.
We have another
full tank of water.
We just got to find out
where the tank was breached.
We have basic troubleshooting,
and if that doesn't work,
The alternative is
fish as long as we can
On a bottled-water supply
and then head in.
Narrator:
if the crew can't stop the leak,
The boat will lose two days
And 11,000 bucks on a trip
back to town.
Let it go.
We'll get it figured out after
we get the pots in the water.
Can't really afford
to be shut down.
Sig:
it's so late in the game.
When you get slapped
in the face so many times,
I'm afraid to ask,
"what's next?"
Jake: don't slack it off!
[Bleep]
Oh [bleep] cable snapped.
Narrator: 185 miles northwest
of dutch harbor...
...on the cape caution...
Bill: I'm anxious to get
through these pots
'Cause we're wasting time.
Narrator:
...with salt contaminating
their freshwater supply...
...try to figure out
why we have a breach
If we do have a breach.
Narrator: ...captain "wild" bill
wichrowski pushes his crew
To clear the deck
and find the problem.
It's not setting us down
just yet, but --
I mean, you can't
live without water.
Water is essential.
So somewhere,
we got some contamination.
So after this thing
comes off...
And we'll see
if we can't identify
Where the leak's coming from.
Yeah, roger.
Narrator: after setting
their final pot...
Bill: we got to get moving.
Got to fix this thing.
Narrator:
...the crew scrambles
to remove the deck boards.
If we can, we got to try
to find where the leak is.
Might not -- might not
find it out here.
It might have to be something
where we drain the tank
And hop in it.
It could be on the outside
of the boat leaking in...
Hey, zack.
See where this pipe connects
to our tank and the hull?
It's cracked right here.
And that's where
we're getting
All the salt water
in our freshwater.
Bill: we're pretty lucky.
One nice thing
is we have two tanks.
And one of them's isolated.
So we have one tank
of good freshwater onboard.
We'd have half the water,
But we'll be able
to go on water rations
And keep fishing, effectively.
Narrator:
with the crack isolated
to only one of two tanks...
Roger.
Narrator: ...the crew can plug
the contaminated tank
And keep the other salt-free.
Roger.
I just was relaying --
Wanted to relay what
was happening down here.
With the damaged pipe
now exposed...
Brand-new short blade.
Man: we'll see how
this works for you.
I don't know.
Narrator: ...nick can get on
with the repair.
We should be able
to pull this thing off.
Nicky's gonna fix all of it.
I'm looking for this little kit
That we have in case
the boat gets a crack.
Bill: does the engineer
fix the mechanical?
Or does the deck boss
throw both? Look out the window.
There's one guy that fixes it,
the deck boss, nick.
So I don't know.
Right now we have this plug.
We're gonna plug that fill hole
and beat this thing down.
Oh, that's pretty tight.
Yeah. I like it.
All right, boss.
We have that thing
sealed up like fort knox.
Bill: all right,
get the deck back together,
And then we'll back on the road.
All right. Sounds good.
Thank you, thank you.
Pretty happy that we were
able to fix this.
We're not taking on
any more salt water.
So we can continue on
And hopefully onto some
pretty damn good fishing.
But time will tell on that one.
Narrator:
just outside of st. Paul harbor,
on the northwestern...
Sig: I chose not to fish
out there on 24-foot seas.
It's so late in the game, I just
don't want anybody to get hurt.
And I'm beating the boat up.
Narrator:
...heavy seas and 40-knot winds
Have forced captain sig hansen
to an early offload...
Sig: you've got all
the white-water breakers
Coming up on that jetty.
So you got to surf your way in
And then turn 90 degrees
to get into that place.
Narrator:
...but maneuvering into the
harbor is a different story.
If sig's timing is off
just slightly
And a wave catches
the broadside,
The northwestern and her crew
Will be smashed across
the treacherous jetty.
What do you think, nick?
They look pretty big to me.
[ Chuckles ]
You'd have to crawl
in there.
I -- I don't want to
get stung.
They're breaking.
Wow.
This is a skipper decision.
Sig: those breakers
are pretty big.
I mean, that is a...
It looks like
it's coming off a reef.
It's just big.
They're building big.
See the breakwater?
On the end of it's
where it gets nasty.
Wow, wow, wow.
Well...i think
we're stuck out here.
Narrator: with the harbor
entrance inaccessible...
Sig:
that risk is not worth it.
The younger sig
wouldn't think twice.
But I'm too old for that [bleep]
Narrator:
...it's time for plan "b."
Sig: [ sighs ]
[Bleep]
Once again, mother nature
is in control, not me.
You can't beat the weather.
We can anchor on the other side
of the island.
Narrator:
instead of battling the waves
to enter the harbor...
I don't want to die out here.
[ Chuckles ]
...captain sig will drop anchor
and wait for calmer seas.
Man: we still have those
westerly lumps coming in,
And sig got close
to the entrance there
And it just wasn't
worth trying it.
Mother nature does not want
to let us go home.
It's holding
the northwestern hostage.
I'm just taking a safety
hook off here, off the anchor.
Gonna throw the hook out,
deliver a little bit of crab.
We got a nice,
muddy bottom here,
But -- but it's not the best.
There you go. All right.
Anchor up.
So when we anchor up,
it's tough
Because you've got swell
coming one way
And the wind going the other.
So even though your boat's
being held back by the wind,
You still got that swell
rockin' and rollin'.
Oh! Yep.
It'll take
probably half a day
For this to mellow out,
if not more.
So just 'cause
you're sitting on anchor
Doesn't mean
your sitting pretty.
You got a big
ground swell, surge.
And we got to keep an eye
on things here.
Narrator: the anchor grabs
a hold of the bottom...
...but the extreme weather
Puts maximum stress
on the old equipment.
Sig:
I think it'll be all right.
She's holding, but we do have
this swell coming in.
[ Clank ]
oh [bleep]
Narrator:
on the northwestern...
[ Clank ]
oh [bleep]
It's busted!
It's lost it! No!
Narrator: ...the cable holding
the boat's 1,500-pound anchor...
Sig: cable snapped.
Narrator: ...is broken.
Sig: this [bleep] sucks.
You got the wind
holding us back,
And then a big swell came in.
There was just enough
to part the cable.
We'll be jogging tonight.
Narrator:
without an anchor, both boat
and crew are vulnerable
To the wrath of the bering sea.
That was intense.
Alls you hear is, "pow!"
Knew it was gone.
So now our anchor
is on the bottom.
[Bleep]
I'm trying to think if
I can get that thing back now.
You guys out there?
-Yeah.
-Come up for a sec.
Let's get a game plan here.
We got to find a way
to retrieve the anchor.
Narrator:
the cable snapped between
the boat and the two buoys,
Which mark the severed
anchor cable's location.
Cable is on those bags.
Sig:
I think if you can, uh,
Get a lasso around
those search bags.
If I bring it up to the side
of those search bags,
And then you just loop it.
Just put a nylon loop,
boom.
Then you can take
that nylon,
And you brought --
run it around,
And you pull 'em both up.
They're both gonna wind up.
See what I mean?
Man: huh?
Narrator:
allow me to translate.
To retrieve the anchor,
They need to reconnect
the two pieces of broken cable
With a nylon line
And then hope it holds
as they winch
The 5,300 hundred pounds
of cable,
Chain, and anchor
back aboard the boat.
I mean, do you think
that's doable?
Easier said than done.
Nice big, big lasso.
Man:
come on, carl! Do it!
Get it, carl!
Don't choke!
We got -- hey!
There we go.
He-hey!
Quickly!
Go, go, go!
Nicely done.
Narrator: with the two ends
of the cable connected by
A 3/4-inch nylon line,
It's now up to sig
to maneuver the boat
To haul up the 5,000
pounds of steel.
Sig: okay, go easy!
I need to just keep slack.
My job is to stay ahead of it
So that we lift
the cable straight up,
If I can.
We don't want
any strain on it now
'Cause it'll just
snap that line.
That line is solely there
to lift up that cable.
Here it comes.
Lift it up.
Okay, bring it up there.
Try to overlap it
so you get a bite!
If we can get a wrap
on that drum,
Then we've got it.
Aw, yeah.
We got it.
That's ours. We own it.
Not bad.
We've got our anchor back.
Yay! Northwestern!
Whoo!
[ Laughs ]
That was slick.
I'm afraid to ask what's next.
Narrator:
470 miles southeast...
...in cold bay, alaska.
Just moments after receiving
a distress call
From the 110-foot
fishing vessel barbara j...
-Status is clear.
-Everything is spinnin' up.
Narrator: ...the united states
coast guard dispatches
An h-60 jayhawk helicopter
And a rescue crew to medevac
a deck hand suffering
From symptoms of paralysis.
With the severity of the
victim's spinal trauma unknown,
The crew must move quickly
to prevent his condition
From getting worse.
Sean dwyer:
sounds like the coast guard's
got a bird in the air.
That's no fun.
Woman: about 40 minutes
in route...
That's not gonna
be an easy medevac.
Well, sounds like
he's got some sort of
A spinal injury in his back,
About the worst
possible scenario.
Something where you're out here,
you have very little time.
164-49.
And barbara j, you copy?
I think I got you
on the horizon here.
There it is.
Narrator:
the crew spots the vessel
Using an infrared camera.
Man: how's your guy doing
on the boat? Is he conscious?
Roger.
Hey, captain, if you
haven't already done
so, just make sure...
Man: roger, roger.
Everything is secure.
Good to go.
Man: all right.
Roger that, captain.
Man: copy, copy.
My current speed is 5 knots.
Narrator:
to safely execute the rescue...
Woman: incoming 5 knots.
Narrator: ...the coast guard
must precisely maneuver
Above the boat,
Accounting for both the vessel's
speed and direction,
All while maintaining
elevation at least
80 Feet above the rising
and falling seas.
Man:
the winds, uh, 25, 30 knots.
Any questions or comments?
Man: no questions, sir.
Woman:
just kind of back down on it.
Man: yeah, we'll point
our nose into the wind.
Woman: roger.
Man: uh, just for your
situational awareness,
It looks like there's,
uh, snow shower.
Man: yeah.
Man: all right, yeah,
we're starting to go up.
Woman: this is 80 feet
over the water.
-I won't commit.
-Altitude...
Narrator: 120 miles
east of dutch harbor...
...the coast guard attempts
to rescue an injured crewman
Off the fishing
vessel barbara j...
Woman: this is 80 feet
over the water.
Man: I won't commit.
Narrator:
...but a blinding snowsquall
threatens the mission.
A milk bowl refers
to whiteout conditions
That force a pilot to rely
solely on instruments
To fly their aircraft.
I just had to get away
from that. There was no horizon.
Man: yeah, yeah. This is what
we needed, right here.
It's just a quick
one minute, probably.
Narrator:
risking their own safety...
...the coast guard takes
another shot
At rescuing the crewman.
Woman: we're moving in.
Narrator: veteran swimmer
a.s.t. Third-class ed mazurek
Begins his 80-foot descent
onto the deck of the boat.
Man:
and swimmer's going down.
Position looks good.
Yep. Roger.
And position looks good.
Swimmer's going down.
Position looks good.
Narrator:
still fighting the weather,
The chopper pulls away
from the vessel,
Allowing the swimmer
to secure the injured deckhand.
Man:
and trail line is on deck.
Position looks good.
Get ready!
Man:
position looks good.
There is a little swing.
And the patient's just below
us, so we look good.
Litter just cleared cab door.
Litter's going
inside the cabin.
And positioning.
Woman:
uh, have you loud and clear.
We recovered the patient.
Man:
we're in range for pick-up.
Prepare to take a load.
Take a load.
Swimmer's halfway up.
Position looks good.
Easy right.
Swimmer back on left.
Man: okay, thanks, buddy.
I appreciate it.
Man: that's what we're here for,
so I'll see you later.
-What's your name?
-Austin.
All right, austin, nothing else
is bothering you right now?
Your arms are fine?
Just your legs
and your lower back?
Yeah.
Narrator:
with the patient aboard...
Man: nice tailwind going home.
Man: all right.
About 30 minutes, guys.
Man: roger.
Narrator: ...the coast guard
sets a course
To get the paralyzed fisherman
immediate medical attention.
440 Miles northwest...
Okie dokie, gentlemen.
It's time.
Narrator: ...on the saga.
Jake: damn it!
Morning's k*lling me.
My town picks suck.
I'm still behind.
Now that guys
had a little bit of sleep,
I'm ready to get these
in the water right now.
Narrator: after a first pick
of mostly dirty crab...
Jake: I'm going to set
this one down like this,
To the southeast.
Then I'm gonna run up, and
I'm gonna set it east and west.
Not a lot of crab,
but there was life right here.
Narrator: and still looking at
a 470,000-pound quota,
The young skipper needs his crew
to fire on all cylinders.
I only have so much time
around here to fish.
So if these b*mb,
then it's for --
It's for nothing!
It's all I've got.
It's -- it's all I can do.
Now, let's go get 'em!
Get that [bleep] ready to dump.
I'm just dumpin' it.
Don't [bleep] around.
Go [bleep] fast.
[ Sighs ]
Here we go.
Hopefully, this works.
I'm just grinding away.
Sendin' off the best sign
we had, which was dirty.
But dirty crab
and the weak crab,
They all sit on the edge
of the healthy males,
Who are up front, obviously,
Getting, uh, the majority
of the good food.
So now I'm going to run south,
where I believe that they are.
Man: this is kind of like
pulling a hail --
Hail mary,
But he believes
the crab are here.
And we're all trying
to hustle up
So we can keep up with jake.
That particular pot,
Plain and simple,
was just not efficient.
-Better hurry up. You got it?
-Yeah.
Pull the buoy now.
Pull the buoy.
[Bleep]
Unless there's a huge issue,
I should never be
waiting for them.
Narrator:
after a promising start
to the trip...
[Bleep] tommy.
[Bleep] dump it, sean.
Go. [Bleep]
Narrator: ...jake's new hire,
tommy walsh,
Is running out of steam.
[ Sighs ]
The luck of the irish
is not working out right now.
You're slowing down
the whole operation.
I can get it back.
Just need to get faster.
Sean dunlop: the new guy,
he's trying to be fast.
Tommy, he's --
he's -- he's slow.
The boat's still moving forward
at full speed
And getting to its mark to drop.
Tommy should be boom, boom,
boom, boom, boom, boom.
And that's the problem.
I'm just seein' a lot
of just, like,
Kinda lazily throwin' 'em over.
Get 'em over the rail.
Hurry up! Go!
There you go!
It's real hard to be up here
When you're waiting
for one person.
Let it go!
To get hung up
on the launcher,
That could be
a potential problem.
Narrator:
if tommy can't throw the bags
clear of the rail,
He risks catching
the line on the prop
And damaging the boat.
Jake: [bleep]
[Bleep]
The whole idea of the bags
And the shots is you get 'em
off of the boats.
He'll definitely
slow everything down
If there's line in the wheel.
Right now,
I'm not gonna push him
Because I think
Tommy's just going through
the conditioning phase
'Cause he went
from being virtually one
Of the fastest guys
To now definitely
the slowest.
I don't know
if he will get better.
I hope he does because
You're only as fast
as your slowest guy,
So you have to
compensate for them.
Narrator: 185 miles northwest
of dutch harbor...
Bill: well, amazingly enough,
we dodged a b*llet.
Narrator:
...on the cape caution...
Bill: we're not taking on
any more salt water,
So it looks like
we got this thing nipped
Where we can continue on
And it's not going to disrupt us
where we gotta go to town.
Narrator: after a quick fix on
a contaminated water tank...
Bill: just getting ready
to start hauling.
We'll see how this
all comes together today.
Narrator: ...captain "wild" bill
wichrowski returns to gear
He set on the lucrative
opelio grounds,
But now searches for his
150,000-pound bairdi quota.
Bill: I've never really done
something like this before
To go back to the same
or similar area
To have a season.
But there were times
that we had pots
That were astronomically
full of bairdi on the last show.
Hopefully, that doesn't
bite me in the a*s.
All right, guys.
Hopefully, this'll be the big
finish for the 2016 season.
I mean, ideally, this should be
a better paycheck than opies.
The crab are larger per unit.
Each crab weighs more.
If I can get on similar numbers
to our crazy opie season,
We're gonna make more money.
Eh, looks a little white.
[ Groans ]
You know, it's hard to tell
from here with the lighting.
The sort will tell.
I don't know.
Bairdi has a tendency to have
more of a red hue to the legs.
You can see
a little darker color
And not quite so white.
Right now,
there's a lot of opies.
Well, it's just day
one of fishing.
It's a start.
A decent baseline: 40, 50.
Good crab fishing: 75 to 100.
Anything above that
is spectacular.
24. 2-4.
Lot of opes.
A little disappointing,
but it's early.
It's early.
I keep telling myself that.
What color is it?
Not looking that great.
Bairdi!
Well, let's see
what survey says.
28. 2-8.
Bairdi is synonymous with pain.
When you start hauling pots,
It's like black jack
just waiting for the --
What the dealer's gonna give ya.
We'll find 'em.
We've got no choice.
Bill: so far, this string
kind of sucks.
It's been a grind.
We have a whole trip which --
there's a lot of fishing to do.
There's some time left here,
but...
90 Miles northwest...
Just outside st. Paul harbor...
Sig: aw [bleep]
Narrator:
...on the northwestern.
See, that's
a pretty good set there.
Narrator: with his anchor
out of commission,
Captain sig hansen can no longer
wait out the weather.
Sig:
I can see there the little dock.
I haven't gone in there
with a real big swell before.
It's certainly not at night
I haven't done it.
But we have a schedule to keep.
Narrator: making matters worse,
the 10-foot breakers...
Sig: h*-oh!
Narrator: ...continue to pound
the entrance of the harbor.
Aw, come on!
I got to stop
being such a [bleep]
Just need to get in.
That's the breaker right there.
Don't want to get too close
to that damn breaker.
Narrator: timing his position
in the waves is critical.
Sig: we're just waiting
for the sets to go through,
You know what I mean?
Narrator:
move too fast or too slow...
Wow, wow, wow!
Narrator: ...and he risks
a broadside impact
That could smash them
into the jagged rocks.
Sig:
we can get in there, right?
Ooh, right here!
There's the entrance.
Here we go.
Aw [bleep]
we got a big one here.
Oh, watch out!
Yeah!
God, man.
Oh, come on!
She's sluggish
in that stuff, man!
Here it is.
Oh [bleep]
Ah!
Narrator:
on the northwestern...
That's the breaker right there.
Oh, watch out!
She's sluggish
in that stuff, man!
Here it is.
Oh [bleep]
Ah!
Go, go, go!
Wow!
Ooh, I really couldn't feel
the power on the boat
With that wave.
She was real sluggish.
Narrator: after battling weather
and a busted anchor...
Sig: see why I don't
want to come in here?
Narrator: ...captain sig hansen
finally completes
A white-knuckle run
into st. Paul harbor.
My heart's beating
pretty good right now.
h*! I wouldn't suggest that.
[ Laughing ]
I wouldn't suggest that.
That was something.
That was really something.
It's just real bouncy
around here.
It's terrible,
absolutely terrible.
It's tough, you know,
Just keeping the boat
at the dock.
And if you'd ask me,
"would I do that again?"
The answer would be, "no."
No, I wouldn't.
I want to get these crab off
And then, uh, keep going.
It's not exactly
how I planned it.
A lot of freakin' stress,
I can tell you that.
Narrator:
120 miles northwest...
Jake: just need to get crab
in the boat.
Narrator: ...on the saga...
Jake:
so far, we've picked everything
up and reset it here.
So we're about to haul
the first pot.
Let's see how it goes.
Narrator: 18 hours
after moving 40 pots
Onto the grounds...
It's a brand-new area.
I'm hoping to see crab
somewhere along here
Because he offload in 4 days.
And right now we're behind.
Narrator:
...captain jake anderson's
window
To fill his boat
is closing fast.
Once chance,
and that's all I get.
It sucks,
but it's okay.
I need to remain positive.
Everybody's got plenty of rest,
and they're ready to go.
First pot.
We're gonna see
if the move paid off.
[ Sighs ]
here we go.
Sean dunlop:
here we go, baby.
Yeah!
She what she's got in it.
This is our last hope
Because if there's
no crab here,
I don't know where they are.
I have no clue where they are.
And I'm [bleep]
[ Gasps ]
[ Chuckles ] [bleep]
Is it --
is it clean?
[Bleep] yeah.
[Bleep] yeah.
Yeah, baby!
Telling you, [bleep] big pots
of crab are like a drug.
Jake: this is what I'm looking
for through all my pots.
It's something to be
really excited about.
But is it just one?
I need more than just one.
I need every one to do that.
600. Absolutely insane.
I don't want to [bleep]
be all excited over that
Because that's just
whistlin' in the dark.
We'll see. We'll see
if this continues.
I don't trust this is
gonna hold up, though.
I think this is
a one-pot wonder.
Wait till you see this.
Oh [bleep]
Look at this [bleep]
Sean, look at this pot
coming up!
[ Laughs ]
Sean, look at this pot!
Look at the pot!
Oh, my god!
Yeah!
It's ridiculous.
[Bleep] yeah.
Those little nasty buggers
will make me money.
It makes no sense to me.
Maybe I don't know nothing.
Oh, my god.
Finally. Finally.
Fishing like that -- I'll stuff
that tank in no time at all.
[Bleep] hurry up.
Narrator:
full pots give the saga
a chance to fill the boat
Before their scheduled
offload...
-Pull, pull, pull, pull, pull.
-Grab the pot.
Grab the pot,
damn it, tommy.
Narrator:
...as long as the skipper's
crew can keep up.
Poor tommy.
He's struggling, seriously,
At the rail to land the pots.
My god, he's a big man.
You'd think he'd be pulling...
No reason why guys aren't
giving it everything they got.
Tommy especially.
We got sleep last night,
and the crab is phenomenal.
So I don't know what to do.
Pull. Pull, tommy.
Pull.
All right, let's [bleep] go.
So the more time
we spend [bleep] our dog...
Hurry up, tommy!
Blood pressure rising.
Blood pressure rising.
Stay calm.
But it's okay.
This is what I got to work with.
Just put my head
to the grindstone and pull gear.
That's all that matters.
Grab the pot!
Pull it on!
My god.
That [bleep]
Get the [bleep] pot
on board.
[Bleep] almighty.
No, seriously, tommy.
Dude [bleep]
-crazy.
No hustle.
I mean, it's just supposed
to go like a machine.
It's the same thing
over and over.
There's -- there's nothing
special about it.
You do the same thing
over and over again.
This little operation
over here,
We're getting on
all cylinders today.
Seems like puttin' the pots
together, passin' these
Full bore
once you get onto the next one.
Oh.
Help him out.
Move it around.
Move it around.
Tommy's slowing down
the whole operation.
It's so hard to sit
and watch this.
He's family and I love him
And I care about him,
but this is crabbing.
We're not working
at a supermarket.
Time is money.
[Bleep]
Thought it worked.
Jake: whoa.
Oh, my god, tommy.
Not the time.
He's [bleep]
dyin' over there.
Hey, tommy, this ain't
no time for no break.
It's -- it's --
it's downright depressing.
Irish ain't brought
tommy any luck,
That's for sure.
Sean dunlop: tommy's not gonna
make it as a crabber.
I mean, he tries.
He really does.
No offense or anything.
But the guy's gotta --
He's gotta carry
a lot of weight.
Jake: tommy, he -- I mean,
he can do his job,
But he's just barely making it.
But that's gonna have to
work for now.
I just need to get the job done.
That's it.
It's gonna be down to the wire.
Narrator: 376 miles northwest
of dutch harbor...
Yeah.
That's nice.
Another beauty.
Narrator: ...on the saga...
I'm just kickin' a*s right now.
You guys are jammin'.
Pretty much every one
of these crabs is going in.
So right now,
I'm definitely glad
That I moved my gear here.
Holy cow.
It was a [bleep] gamble.
And it worked.
Narrator:
captain jake anderson continues
To cash in
on his latest opilio set.
Jake: by my numbers,
I'm catching my quota
in a timely fashion.
I can deliver to
st. Paul as soon
As I haul these last two pots.
Narrator: and with an offload
just 48 hours away,
The skipper is primed to deliver
with his tanks plugged.
4-5-5.
Man: yeah, buddy!
It makes me feel
like a fisherman.
Sean dunlop:
yes, yeah.
Man:
how do you like that?
[ Chuckling ] holy [bleep]
Pull.
What do you think
about that, tommy?
A lot bigger than
a dungee pot, huh?
Tommy, he's gotten
a second wind.
[ Chuckles ]
He's moving around again.
They just rockin'.
Might be slower
because he's big.
But he's still got
his heart in the game.
And I -- I just truly
love that about him.
My body feels so much better.
It's like night and day.
Jake: last one, fellas.
Ye-e-e-e-e-a-a-a-a-a-ah.
Ye-ah!
When you get on crab, it makes
everything a lot better.
You know, the whole
morale picks up.
People pick it up.
Even tommy's moving now.
[ Laughs ]
Jake:
tommy, how you doing?
I think I seen a half smile
out of you there.
You know, I really think
tommy's turned around.
He just has to, um,
really dig in.
And he's already doing that.
I'm hoping I can convince him
to come back for king crab.
It makes me feel really good.
It makes me really proud of him.
No matter how low you get
Or how tired you get
or anything,
It's not gonna last forever.
Nice [bleep] job,
you guys.
Whoo!
Everybody's very
happy right now.
Dy-no-mite!
With a [bleep] yeah.
[ Laughs ]
Jake:
you guys can, uh, come in.
It doesn't matter
what you start off with.
It matters what
you make of it.
Jake: [bleep]
I'm so [bleep]
[Bleep]
How much
do you usually make?
Like how much?
[Bleep]
You know, before I came out here
for this last trip,
I'm $180,000
in the hole backwards.
[Bleep]
So going to dutch
is another $6,000.
I can't yell at you.
I --
I don't have it in me.
[Bleep] I gotta find
a new crew member.
[Bleep]
Well, it's not gonna
take much.
I mean, it's all water
under the bridge.
And I'll have to --
I'll -- I'll manage it.
I'll get through,
and I'll make it.
We got a ways to go
to dutch.
You want to take it?
And I'll, uh...
Narrator:
40 miles northwest...
Today is a very
important day for us.
Narrator:
...on the northwestern...
Sig: it's been a tough season,
you know?
This is the final round.
And hopefully, that school
That we were on
is down here somewhere.
Narrator:
...captain sig hansen takes
advantage of a break
In the weather to haul a string
he abandoned days ago.
Sig: we need to see crab
in all the gear.
We can't be hauling any blanks
Or we're not gonna
make our quota.
So today's big,
you know?
We just need
a little sign of life.
We let it soak.
Now, it's just a matter of get
through it as fast as we can.
Is everybody on deck?
Okay. Here we go.
When you get slapped
in the face so many times
With these up and downs,
after a while,
It starts to wear on you.
And, uh, I'm right there.
I'm right on that
breaking point.
But hopefully
we've got enough crab
In the gear to hit our mark.
It's been a long haul.
It's been a struggle,
definite struggle.
Yeah, buddy.
That one's looking pretty good.
By my count, we really need
all the pots to hit something.
You know, 100 average
would be great.
Oh, my god.
And then we can, uh,
call it a season.
-200!
-All right.
Yeah!
All right.
See what this one's got here.
-Oh, yeah, baby.
-Whoo!
-Whoo!
-[ Laughs ]
All right.
Oh, my god.
Wow.
Wow. All right.
Finally.
Pots are coming up
with steady,
Consistent crab.
Buck and a half,
something like that,
Nice, clean crab.
Just what we needed.
Edgar: feels good, man.
It means we're practically done.
Okay. 16 Left. That's it.
Man: yay! Whoo!
Yeah, baby!
All right, guys.
I got one more left here.
Whoo!
Last pot of the season.
Said he was gonna
do the flamin' hook
For good luck for next year.
What about the last
hook they threw?
It was supposed to be
good luck for this year.
Narrator: after enduring
brutal weather,
Breakdowns, and even
an electrical fire...
Whoo-hoo!
Sig:
I'm gonna burn my log book.
As a matter of fact,
I'm just gonna take half of it.
The first half is the good luck.
The back half is the bad luck.
Sig: ...captain sig and his crew
put a cap on a trying season.
Hey. Why don't you
take half my book?
I'll keep the front half.
Half our season
was awesome.
Half sucked.
-Oh, no.
So we're burnin'
the bad half.
-Burn it.
-Just tie it on and flame it.
We gotta go.
-Whoo!
-Get it, karl.
Yeah, baby.
This time, this flamin'
Hook better really work
for next year
Because I don't wanna go
through this kinda deal again.
I just wanna forget about this
second half of this season.
-Yeah, buddy.
-Good job, guys.
Nicely done.
That was a season
for the books, man.
It was, uh, that was something.
So we're gonna
just get my crab
And get this boat
to town safely.
Narrator: mechanical breakdowns
and a crew issue
Knocked the cape caution
and the saga down to fifth
And sixth
while the northwestern,
Battered and burnt,
remains on top.
Narrator: on the saga...
Jake: nightmare season --
Crew members, boat issues.
The more I think about it,
The more and more [bleep]
pissed off I'm gonna get.
And it's that kinda junk
I gotta let go.
So I wear my hood and my shades
on to hide from myself today.
I'm tired of getting
mad over stuff
That shouldn't be
happening on the boat.
And these guys
are workin' hard for me.
And that's --
that's the main reason
Why I don't like
to yell at 'em.
Sean dunlop:
what the [bleep]
Oh!
I caught myself.
I was about to blow up.
I'm just gonna relax.
It's not gonna do anything.
I can't wait until this season's
over so I can forget about it.
Narrator:
outside st. Paul harbor...
[Bleep]
Last trip was just a surprise
out of left field.
Well, we did it.
Narrator: ...on the saga...
Yeah, it's a good feeling
coming in, seein' land,
Seein' town, knowin'
you're about to offload.
It's kind of the culmination
of all your hard work.
Narrator: after a week at sea,
Captain jake anderson
ties up at the dock.
Jake: we are officially now
in st. Paul.
We are gonna pump down.
And, uh, we're gonna
offload this crab.
Jake: crab are beautiful.
Sean and the guys
did an excellent job
Putting in nothing
but the best product.
I just want to get outta here.
Tommy's leaving.
Uh, which now in turn
I have to head to dutch
As fast as I possibly
can to drop tommy off.
It's just [bleep]
Narrator: instead of heading
Right back out
to the fishing grounds,
Jake must make
a 40-hour detour
To dutch harbor
To offload deckhand
tommy walsh.
He's done. He's gotta go
run his dungeness boat.
So I'm [bleep]
That's awesome.
It's typical.
Anyway, should just
be a textbook offload.
Narrator:
over the next five hours,
The saga delivered
132,000 pounds
Of crab worth $330,000.
Jake: they just finished up
with the last brailer.
Now, I gotta hurry up,
drop tommy off
So I can keep fishing
and keep him on crab.
We're gonna get outta here.
Draw the lines.
Watch my block!
Tell him to watch my block.
I got a crew waiting at home.
I gotta -- I got a boat
to run at home.
I got, uh...
[ Jake yelling indistinctly ]
-Hey, hey. Back, back.
-I got my crab --
Jake:
get the bag in there, tommy!
In between the block!
Oh, my [bleep] god.
Don't slack it off!
Don't slack it off!
[Bleep]
Put the [bleep] back
In between the boat
And the [bleep] block.
It's gonna [bleep]
bash my block.
What do you want me
to do with it?
Sean dunlop:
stick it right on the motor.
Stick it right on the motor.
Jake: good job!
Good [bleep] job, tommy.
Thanks.
I'm so [bleep] done
with that guy.
It's a [bleep] good thing
tommy's going home.
I'm so [bleep]
pissed at him right now.
Not in the mood
to [bleep] deal
With [bleep] right now.
Broke my [bleep]
captain's chair, too.
I can't wait till
this season's over.
Narrator: 270 miles southeast
in dutch harbor...
That season was, uh...
It was a lot of ups and downs.
Just want to get
this crab off.
Narrator:
...captain sig hansen steams
in for his final offload of an
Exceptionally long season.
Sig:
we needed close to a tank
On this last trip
to fulfill our quota.
We hit the mark, I'm sure.
[ Coughs ]
Everyone is completely spent.
Everyone is completely spent.
¶ Fillin' my nets
with twig and stone ¶
¶ If I take wing
in a winter storm ¶
¶ The frozen rain
drive me home ¶
You know, I just --
I just feel --
I feel fried, burnt out.
Every year, something happens
that I never thought of.
¶ A raggin' bone I carry on ¶
¶ Step on towards
the light of dawn ¶
¶ I pray it leads me on ¶
Tommy: I'd really like
to finish this last trip --
Not have jake
in the situation he's in.
But it's all good.
We still all love one another.
It's all good.
¶ Whoa is what I know ¶
¶ Whoa is what I know ¶
¶ No matter where ¶
¶ How far I go ¶
¶ Whoa is what I know ¶
It's too soon
to feel happy,
Proud, sad, glad.
I won't be relieved
until I get to seattle.
That's when
the season ends for me.
[ Winces ]
It's the final...
[ Chuckles ]
Oh, god.
I don't understand
why it hurts so much right here.
Oh [bleep]
Man: what's wrong, sig?
Nothing.
We're doing your interview.
I'm not dying.
So just let that go.
Gonna let my family see that.
Ah [bleep]
Oh, my god.
It's like a knot.
Just like a knot.
Oh.
Honestly, I don't know.
I don't know what it is.
I know. I know that.
I'm sayin' left arm
could just be a cramp.
It could be bad sleep.
It's right here.
It's like a muscle thing.
Right here.
All the way up to here.
It's here, here, here.
It's just a...
Oh, my god.
Sig, I think you should go
to the clinic.
Somethin's wrong.
Welcome to our World! Where we serve you cookies to ensure you get the best viewing experience on our site.
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
12x17 - The Widowmaker: Part 1
Watch/Buy Amazon
Follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons.
Follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons.