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Seattle-based Deadliest Catch crews race to escape 'meteorological bomb'
BY JOSH KERNS on November 7, 2014 @ 5:12 pm (Updated: 5:28 pm - 11/7/14 )
This Nov. 5, 2014 photo provided by NASA shows a picture captured by NASA's Aqua satellite of Typhoon Nuri. Weather forecasters say an explosive storm, a remnant of Typhoon Nuri, surpassing the intensity of 2012's Superstorm Sandy is heading toward the northern Pacific Ocean and expected to pass Alaska's Aleutian Islands over the weekend. (AP Photo/NASA)
The Seattle-based fishing crews of "Deadliest Catch" fame are racing to get ahead of a "meteorological bomb" raging in Alaska's Bering Sea.
The remnants of Japan's Typhoon Nuri was triggering winds close to 100 mph with waves up to 50 feet Friday, the National Weather Service reported.
The storm could potentially be the strongest to hit Alaska's Bering Sea since October 1977 when it peaks by Saturday before weakening.
What the NWS calls a meteorological bomb, or "bomb cyclone," was hitting in the middle of the Bering Sea crab season that draws dozens of crews from Seattle, including the stars of the hit TV series "Deadliest Catch."
Captain Jonathan Hillstrand of the Time Bandit told ABC News via satellite phone that his crew was furiously pulling up crab pots and racing to Dutch Harbor, about 200 miles away.
"We're trying to get our gear out as fast as humanly possible," he said. "It's up to God now whether we beat it or not. Hopefully, we'll be in safe harbor before that hits."
Hillstrand told ABC the winds were powerful enough to capsize his boat. While the Time Bandit and other boats, including many from Seattle, headed for safe harbor, Hillstrand said other crews were planning to ride out the storm - forecast to be far stronger than even Hurricane Sandy, which hammered the East Coast in 2012.
"From what I'm hearing, we haven't been through anything like that before, at least not in my lifetime," Hillstrand told ABC. "And I don't want to. We've seen 50-foot waves, we've seen 120-knot winds. I've been out in stuff like that. But the difference is, if it's going to hit here with that kind of power, you don't know the frequency of the waves. We don't know how it's going to affect the ocean differently. I don't want to stick around to find out."
'Deadliest Catch' crew member found dead in motel
A new member of a 'Deadliest Catch' fishing crew has been found dead in an Alaska motel room.
By RACHEL D'ORO
Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska —
A new member of a 'Deadliest Catch' fishing crew has been found dead in an Alaska motel room.
Justin Tennison was found dead Tuesday afternoon in a room at the Best Western Bidarka Inn in Homer, police said Wednesday.
Tennison, 33, was a member of the Time Bandit, one of the vessels on the popular Discovery Channel reality series. He will make a posthumous debut in the 7th season kicking off in April, said Discovery spokesman Josh Weinberg.
Homer police Lt. Randy Rosencrans said beer, hard liquor and a small amount of marijuana were found in the room. But he added that the cause of death is unknown, although foul play is not suspected. An autopsy by the state medical examiner's office was scheduled to take place Wednesday afternoon.
Police believe a party was held at the room the previous night. Two rooms were registered under Tennison's name and nearby guests complained about the noise. Police said Tennison was a local resident, but Rosencrans didn't know why he was staying at the motel.
A phone call was placed from Tennison's cell phone around midnight, but Rosencrans said he didn't know who made the call or who it was placed to.
TMZ previously reported the death.
The Time Bandit issued a statement about Tennison's death on its official website, saying he leaves behind a son, daughter, father, sister and grandparents.
"Justin was tough as a bull and was an all-around good hand," the statement says. "We will miss him terribly."
Weinberg also released a statement, saying Discovery was saddened by Tennison's death.
"We send our sympathies to his entire family and fellow crew members during this most difficult time," the statement said.
The death comes a little more than year after Capt. Phil Harris of the "Deadliest Catch" fishing vessel Cornelia Marie died following a massive stroke at age 53.
The series, Discovery's highest rated show, depicts the crab fishing industry in the dangerous waters off Alaska.
ah ok....thanks!
glad to hear it
Read the next post after mine. They came back to the show.
bummer....not good news at all
unreal....Sig & Phil were my favorite captains on the show
remember the time Sig put like a mini-pickup truck where one of Phil's pots were?
Without them...kinda hard to think will like it as much
will give it a shot
but the show is probably toast with the Hillstrands, Sig, and Phil gone
they may regret their lawsuit
New season should start some time in April.
Ship captain charged in death had role on TV show
The Associated Press
KENAI, Alaska —
An Alaska man charged with manslaughter once captained a ship on the pilot that spawned the cable TV show "Deadliest Catch."
The Peninsula Clarion reports 59-year-old Clarence "Ole" Helgevold was the captain of the Arctic Dawn. That was the vessel featured in a 2004 three-part miniseries titled "America's Deadliest Season." The Clarion reports the show, effectively a pilot for "Deadliest Catch," followed Helgevold and his crew during the 2003-2004 opilio crab season.
Helgevold was charged last week with driving under the influence and manslaughter after his car struck a snowmachine and killed 47-year-old George Larion.
The Arctic Dawn was substantially damaged in September when it caught fire while moored in Seattle.
---
Information from: Peninsula Clarion, http://www.peninsulaclarion.com
I love this show, when does the new season start? Gray hairs coming in to fast, lol.
So anyone watching the new reality shows? Seems like after Deadliest Catch became a hit that show was what jump started a bunch more.
I love American Pickers. You learn from that show without the drama the other reality shows have. Pawn Stars same thing.
You learn.
Now I like Storage Wars and the Logging show but what I don't like is the theme I see used on those shows is treating people like crap. It's like hey the more we have people swearing at each other talking about them the more successful we will be. Sad that people get off on that crap or at least the producers think people do. Sure seems to be a common theme through out the majority of shows.
What amazes me about storage wars is why some of those people leave thousands of $$$ in those lockers? Why didn't they see their situation getting worse and use something in there to either make their situation better or pay their bill?
What I don't like on that show is they don't show enough of the losing lockers. No way everyone has all that good stuff in them lets be real. Whole lot of editing going on. What it does is create false hope in people to go out there and start bidding on junk.
Will there you have it.
Some thoughts on all these new shows related to DC.
Yep. Not too surprising.
It's gonna weird enough without Captain Phil Harris, let alone the other 3.
Had a feeling they'd all come to their senses. Both sides.
Deadliest Catch Captains Back Onboard After "Working Everything Out"
Today 3:20 PM PDT by NATALIE FINN
Discovery
It's looking to be a great crab season for Discovery Channel after all.
Time Bandit skippers Andy and Jonathan Hillstrand and Northwestern Capt. Sig Hansen have put aside their differences with the network in time to rejoin Deadliest Catch for its seventh season.
"We're happy we've worked everything out with Discovery," the captains said in a joint statement, a week after announcing they couldn't go on after the Hillstrands were sued for breach of contract.
Wonder what changed their minds...
"A deal's a deal," they said, invoking some refreshingly simple logic.
"We're heading up to Dutch Harbor to start filming the new season of Deadliest Catch and hopefully it will be the best one yet."
Added the Hillstrands, who were the target of a $3 million lawsuit for allegedly failing to hold up their end of the bargain regarding production on a network special: "Everyone worked really hard on putting together Hillstranded and we're looking forward to wrapping that up. It's something new that we hope people will enjoy."
Well, they're going to enjoy it a lot better than they would have a season of Deadliest Catch without some of their favorite captains.
Also returning are the late Capt. Phil Harris' sons Josh and Jake, who will carry on as deckhands on their dad's ship, the Cornelia Marie.
http://au.eonline.com/uberblog/b204779_deadliest_catch_captains_back_onboard.html
3 captains pull out of 'Deadliest Catch'
Three captains of "The Deadliest Catch" are pulling out — brothers Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand and Sig Hansen.
By Marian Liu
Seattle Times staff reporter
JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Three captains of the "Deadliest Catch" are pulling out.
The popular Discovery Channel reality series follows crab fishermen on their expeditions in the Bering Sea.
Brothers Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand, and Sig Hansen left after the cable network sued the Hillstrands for $3 million. The Hillstrands reportedly failed to finish shooting a spinoff show called "Hillstranded," about their lives outside of fishing, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Hansen says he "stands behind" the Hillstrands.
The Hillstrands co-captain a Homer, Alaska-ported boat, named Time Bandit, while Hansen heads up the Seattle-based ship the Northwestern.
The "Deadliest Catch" series was scheduled to resume filming in October. The sons of Phil Harris, a boat captain who died earlier this year, are expected to return for another season, reports CBS.com.
A peek aboard 'Deadliest Catch' boat the Wizard
The Wizard, captained by Keith Colburn, is one of the boats featured in the popular TV show "Deadliest Catch." (Elliot Suhr/Seattlepi.com)
There's a television star moored at a dock in Ballard, but not for much longer.
Later this month, the Wizard will sail back to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The crab-fishing boat, one of five featured on the Discovery Channel show "Deadliest Catch," spends its springs and summers in Seattle.
It spends autumn and winter on the Bering Sea while crew members pull pots of crabs up from the ocean floor. The Wizard's fishing season has been documented by camera crews for several years, but television can't quite capture what it's like to be aboard the 65-year-old vessel.
There's nothing like diesel fumes to bring on an epiphany -- except maybe standing inside the dim belly of a rusting crab tank.
You realize: There's nothing glamorous about life on a crab boat.
Meet Captain Keith Colburn
Keith Colburn wears Carhartts and a broken-in baseball cap that bears the name of his boat: "Wizard."
Captain Keith Colburn speaks to the press in the steering room of the Wizard. (Elliot Suhr/Seattlepi.com)
But this isn't his lucky hat. That one is up in the wheelhouse, a frayed brown cap with the words "Alaska" printed just above the bill.
That's the one Colburn has been wearing since he started fishing in 1985. He's not superstitious, mind you. But when you're staring down a winter storm on the Bering Sea, it's nice to have a comfortable hat on your head.
"It's kind of my go-to hat when I'm fishing," he says. "It's just about being in your comfort zone."
Colburn makes his off-season home in Redmond. Crabbing is a family affair; his wife Florence is his business partner and his brother Monte is his first mate.
Signs of his family are visible in the wheelhouse: There's his son's first pair of shoes, and drawings from his daughter that describe why he should stop chewing tobacco. (In season six, Colburn was trying to quit.)
Colburn moors the boat in Ballard between April and September every year, making repairs and preparing for the fall and winter crabbing seasons. Later this month, Colburn and his crew will make the eight-day trek to Dutch Harbor, where they'll start another season of work -- and the seventh season of "Deadliest Catch."
But Wednesday afternoon, he was giving journalists a guided tour of the Wizard. The tour preceded a preview for a new video game called "Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos."
Here's the scene: Thick ropes coiled nearly as high as a man's head give off the smell of the ocean. And the crab pots that stand in a line on the Wizard's main deck measure about seven feet tall -- much larger than they look as they're tossed over the side of the boat on the television show.
"As you can see, it's not a pleasure craft -- it's an industrial boat," Colburn says.
When he leads the way to the tanks that hold thousands of crabs for as long as a month while the boat is at sea, he apologizes for the mess. The tanks are used as storage during the off-season, and there's a dank, musty smell in the dimly lit rooms.
There are smells in the engine room too, though it's pristine and painted in shades of white and yellow.
"Eau de diesel is pretty much what we smell like," Colburn jokes. "When I get home, my wife just wants to burn everything."
Television stars
Celebrity hasn't changed a lot for Colburn and his crew. They still have to race to harvest their haul, and they still compete for prime crabbing territory.
But do they like being the stars of a hit television show? Depends on who you ask.
"Some guys love the camera, some guys hate the camera. Some guys don't have any time for the camera," Colburn says.
While the cameras don't capture the smells -- and they might make its small sleeping quarters and narrow galley look a bit bigger -- they don't change much else aboard the Wizard.
So, no, the patches of rust in the holding tanks aren't there to make the boat look like it has character; that's just because salt water quickly corrodes metal.
"The TV folks don't encourage me to do a whole heck of a lot," Colburn says. "They found out they're not going to get me to do a lot."
Filming for the seventh season commences in October with the king crab harvest; the show will return to the Discovery Channel in spring 2011.
Last season, the show chronicled the death of Phil Harris, skipper of the Cornelia Marie. The Discovery Channel announced Wednesday that Harris' sons will be returning for the seventh season.
It's not clear if Josh and Jake Harris will still work on their father's boat, or if they'll be featured elsewhere on the show.
"Josh and Jake are part of the Discovery family," Discovery Channel president Clark Bunting said in a prepared statement Tuesday. "We shared a very tough year together and look forward to continuing this special relationship in the future. Right now, they want to get back to fishing and we are doing everything that we can to support that."
Two other "Deadliest Catch" captains also call the Seattle area home: "Wild" Bill Wichrowski of the Kodiak and Sig Hansen of the Northwestern.
The game
The galley of the Wizard is transformed. There are television monitors and game systems -- not to mention stylishly clothed employees from Crave Games, based in Orange County, Calif.
First Mate Monte Colburn says it's been some time since there was a game system aboard the Wizard. He thinks there was a Nintendo 64 at one point, but he's not sure.
Now, the crew of the Wizard and the other "Deadliest Catch" crabbers are the stars of a video game. The "Sea of Chaos" game puts players through the same trials real crabbers face. They'll drop and retrieve the pots, sort the crabs (females and juveniles go back in the sea to ensure future hauls) and take their cargo back to Dutch Harbor.
Will the crew upgrade their game system so they can play "Sea of Chaos?"
Monte Colburn freezes for a moment -- he looks as if he's trying to picture himself playing a virtual version of his own life.
He admits: "We'll probably have to check it out."
Latest 'Deadliest Catch' game plays on crab boat
By Brier Dudley
Seattle Times technology columnist
Monte Colburn didn't beat around the bush when the upcoming video game, "Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos," was demonstrated Wednesday in the galley of his crab boat, the Wizard.
"The buoys are backwards," he said, arms crossed, but smiling.
That's among the fixes due before the game is released, replied Doug Panter, marketing director at Santa Ana, Calif.-based Crave Games. The game, which costs $40 to $50, will launch Nov. 9 for the Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3.
Colburn is the brother of the Wizard's captain, Keith Colburn, a star of the "Deadliest Catch" reality-television show and a playable character in the game, which opens with the Wizard sailing through the title page.
The game is more advanced than a 2008 title based on the show, with improved graphics and action. But it's no "Halo: Reach."
You drive diesel boats armed with cranes that sail at 10 knots, not rocket ships loaded with missiles.
Still, Crave and Capt. Keith hope their game will appeal to casual players and fans of the show who want to learn more about fishing for giant crab in the treacherous seas off Alaska.
It will also give the industry even more exposure, beyond the hit show on the Discovery Channel that drew 81.8 million viewers last season.
"More than anything, it's an interesting way to entice the younger audience that loves 'Deadliest Catch,' " Keith Colburn said.
Sitting in his chair on the bridge, adorned with his beloved 2001 Ichirio bobblehead, Colburn said the game seems realistic.
He said it provides more technical detail than there's time for on the show, and gives people an idea of how difficult it is to set the gear.
Colburn thinks players will have to know a little bit about crab fishing to do well. But not vice versa.
"I've tried to play it — with marginal success," he said. "If I fished as well as I play the game, I would be broke."
The captain, who lives in Fall City, defers to his 14-year-old son, Caelan.
"It's going to be really embarrassing to go home and try and fish crab with my son and get my butt waxed," he said. "I can take him down up here in the wheelhouse but I think at home I may have met my match."
In the game, players buy a boat in Dutch Harbor, pick a crew from the show cast and set out. They must navigate over targets in the sea, drop pots, toss out lines to retrieve the gear, then sort the crabs on the boat.
Along the way, they may have to fix broken engines and winches. The game tracks their earnings.
A glitch in the early, beta version shown Wednesday was especially realistic. Trying to start fishing, I was stuck on the dock, lacking money for a boat. Luckily I only had to reboot the PS3 to start fresh with a full bank account.
The game will work with Sony and Nintendo motion controllers, but not Microsoft's upcoming Kinect motion-control system.
On the Wizard, the game was shown on the PS3 and an Xbox that Crave temporarily set up in the galley.
The boat spends summers in Ballard, getting prepared for the crab season that runs from October to April.
Boats featured in the game will receive a small royalty on sales.
Capt. Phil Harris, a star of the show who died Feb. 9, will not be a playable character. But his boat, the Cornelia Marie, is part of the game.
Crave is donating a portion of sales — at least $25,000 — to the Seattle Fisherman's Fund.
Colburn showed Wednesday how the Discovery crew taped over brand names on supplies stored on the boat, told stories about being harassed as a rookie and recounted a giant wave that washed over the boat.
He also revealed a favorite artifact on the boat, which was built to haul oil products in 1945. It's inside the door of its original tool chest: a collection of fading World War II-era pinups.
They're the boat's original virtual entertainment.
Deadliest Catch crew expected to reel in crowds this Saturday
By JUSTIN BURNETT
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES
For the second year in a row, some of the Bering Sea's toughest and best known crabbers will be back in Oak Harbor.
Vinton and Charisse Waldron of Seabolt's Smokehouse are once again hosting a shindig with crew members from the wildly popular "Deadliest Catch" reality TV series. And considering the planned festivities, from barbecued salmon and live music by Woodrush to a question and answer period with crew from the Northwestern, this year's event promises to be a whole lot of fun.
"It's going to be pretty cool," Vinton Waldron said.
Due to the huge success of the party in 2009, the Waldrons decided to shoot big this year and host the party at the Best Western Harbor Plaza and Conference Center. According to Event Coordinator Abbey Campbell, about 400 tickets had been sold as of Wednesday morning. She said tickets would likely continue to be available the rest of the week.
"Tickets will be sold at the door," Campbell said.
The party will be held Saturday, Sept. 4, and will run from 1 to 6 p.m.
In attendance will be crew members from the crabbing boat Northwestern, including deck-boss Edgar Hansen, and deckhands Nick Mavar, Matt Bradley, and Jake Anderson. Capt. Sig Hansen will not be there due to another commitment. Mike Fourtner, a deckhand from the Time Bandit, is expected to come and there is a possibility that other crew on the show could make an appearance as well.
Over 400 people crammed into Seabolt's Smokehouse in 2009 for a chance to meet and get autographs from the famous Bering Sea anglers. This year, people will be coming from as far away as New York, Vinton Waldron said.
As a fisherman himself who trolls the dangerous waters of Bristol Bay two months out of every year, Vinton Waldron, who is also and a longtime friend of Mavar, said the fame the show has brought his sea-going brethren is nothing short of astonishing.
"I don't get it, they're basically movie stars," he laughed.
But that's just fine with him. The reality series has helped educate the public about the industry, that commercial fisherman are not the environment-raping boogymen they are sometimes made out to be. In fact, fishing is heavily regulated by the government and the men that risk their lives for the salmon steak and crab legs in your local grocery store are just a bunch of regular Joes, he said.
Fishing in Alaska remains one of the deadliest jobs in the U.S., and after years at sea Vinton Waldron knows that all too well.
"I've lost a couple of friends doing this," he said.
So, the notoriety gained by the show will pay off in another way as well. A portion of the proceeds from this year's event will go towards the Seattle Fishermen's Memorial, a nonprofit group that works to assist families of fishermen lost at sea.
The group will have a booth at the event and donations can be made there or through the organization's website, www.seattlefishermensmemorial.org.
Thank you for the kind words.
I feel it was a loss for us all.
May he rest in peace, and hope he is fishin' with capt. Phil H. now.
OK, Sorry for your loss.
Plane crash while he was going to do what he loved - fishing.
My heart goes out to all who are hurting.
auroradude
What happened?
Good bye uncle Ted.
Your Alaskan family will miss you.
Thank you for all you have done...
auroradude
How cool. I love it when we are lucky enough to see an update.
I like antiques roadshow because you see some stuff and people have no idea what they have. I love the stories that so and so bought it at a flew market for 5 bucks and here it is worth 200k or something. I think that is so cool. One of my favorite stories was this one.
Seymour card table appraised by Leslie Keno of Sotheby's, New York and Leigh Keno of Leigh Keno American Antiques, New York.
A woman brought in a wooden table she had purchased at a garage sale for $25 thirty years ago. Leslie and Leigh Keno examined the table closely and declared it a rare Federal style card table, made by John and Thomas Seymour of Boston in the late 1700s. Not only did the table have its original finish, but its original label was still affixed to the underside. The owner was astonished to learn that in today's market her table could sell for $200,000 to $250,000!
And then a year later the Show did an update: The owner appeared at an auction in Sotheby's and the piece ended up fetching 300,000 or more!
Don't know the schedule but yes check it out. You'll be amazed what you see people collect. Driving down the road you see a barn and think ok there is farm equipment, animals, feed, etc for the possibilities that you think are in there only to find out it is full of old cars or antiques of all kinds. I think you'll enjoy it.
I never head of American Pickers until yesterday as a matter of fact. It sounds like a interesting show. I am going to check it out. I think it comes on Tonight? I have DVR set to record it so I will get to check it out.
Yep, so nice to turn on the TV and see something good on. Another show I like is American Pickers. Two guys who drive across America stopping sometimes unannounced at farms. They show the owner their flyer that explains what they do and then if permitted go thru their barns picking out stuff to buy. What is cool about it even the stuff the owners doesn't want to sell they tell you the history about the product which I have learned a lot from. Kind of like Pawn Stars which tells you the history of certain items.
I watch that show Pawn stars when I'm really bored. LOL!
I think they take advantage of to many people on that show. I realize they got to make a profit and who knows how long it sits there before it's sold but sometimes i think they could give a bit in the negotiations.
It really surprises me on some items that are in the thousands why people don't try auction houses because even with the house cut I think they would make more.
I have watched Ice Road Truckers and Monster Fish. I want to watch the Colony just to see if it is any good. There is so much junk on it is not even funny. I like River Monsters a lot. It is something to see all the places that he goes and the fish that he catches. Amazing.
I think that show is what really got a lot of reality type shows going. I only watch certain small amount of TV but I flip around a lot and see how much there is these days that I think are trying to capture that shows magic.
Ever watched I believe it is called "Ice Truckers".
I will watch that show. Those people are NUTS! LOL!
Not a reality show concept so much but a show I been getting into lately is "River Monsters" I believe it is called. What is cool besides the monster fish is he goes all over the world to places I'm never going to see after these huge fish.
Never thought to look to see if a board was here about the show. I have seen every episode of this show. Thank you DVR I remember when it was 1st advertised I thought are they serious? A show about crab Fishing? That will be interesting for a week or 2. I missed the whole 1st season and when it was coming back on my old foreman couldn't stop talking about it. So I watched the reruns that they had on and have not missed a episode since then. Capt Phil I think was most peoples favorite. When he escaped death the 1st time I thought how lucky he was. This time when he didn't make it I think it was 1 of the hardest tv shows to ever watch. The way they do the show and you feel you get to know these people personaly even though most of us will never meet them. I hope Phil can RIP knowing his son went for help to fight his addictions and did so before he died.
Seattle-based fishing crew rescued from Gulf of Alaska
By KOMO Staff & News Services
Story Updated: Apr 20, 2010 at 11:01 PM PDT
KODIAK, Alaska -- The Coast Guard said it has rescued four people from the Gulf of Alaska after they reported their Seattle-based fishing boat was sinking.
Petty Officer David Mosley said the crew of the 75-foot Northern Belle radioed at about 5:30 p.m. that the boat was sinking about 50 miles south of Montague Island. (Listen to the mayday call)
He said a Coast Guard plane from Air Station Kodiak dropped a life raft to the four, and a rescue helicopter hoisted them on board after. They'd been in the water for approximately 2 1/2 hours by then, but were wearing survival suits, Mosley said.
The four were taken to a hospital in Cordova. One crew member was unresponsive, and three others were displaying symptoms of hypothermia, according to Mosley.
It is not known why the boat ran into trouble, and the investigation is ongoing.
Previews of new season...
http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/deadliest-catch-season-4-sneak-peek/