Wednesday, April 25, 2007

As real as it gets

Hello Fishies!

Last night’s episode of Deadliest Catch finally managed to capture just how dangerous commercial fishing can be.

Equipment failure and operator error can occur on the best kept boats with the most experienced of crews. As you have seen over the years, almost no boat escapes some sort of breakdown. A broken propeller fluke such as that on the Cornelia Marie happens with more frequency than you might expect. Usually it is because the boat runs over something, such as a log, floating just below the water’s surface.

The rescue of the crewman from the Trail Blazer was as real as it gets. The raw terror amongst the men of the Time Bandit as they desperately sought to retrieve Josh from the water was not an act. I do not know if there is footage of the actual rescue itself, if there is I hope that it is shown. It appeared that Russ got into a Mustang immersion suit (Ocean Commander Immersion Suit with Harness :: Mustang Survival) and harness; this would enable him to be sent over the side and help the drowning man. If that is what happened, that is a brave and heroic deed, one that not many would even consider let alone try.

While this in no way demeans the valiant actions of the Time Bandit crew, this rescue did not happen in the middle of the crab season as the producers of the show would lead you to believe. These boats were in fact finished fishing and heading for home.

The name of the boat that the crewman fell from is the F/V Trail Blazer. It is a good boat, and its owners have a long and successful history with many stories to tell. Did you notice that the name of the boat was blurred out? I wonder why that was....but then again, maybe not!

Stay tuned!

<’)))>{

6 comments:

Storm said...

Discovery didn't have a contractual agreement with the f/v or written permission from the owners. It's the same reason that we sometimes see the logos and names blurred on t-shirts and hoodies the guys where. It's an issue where I work and we have to release permission for use of our logo, name or tagline. Again, just a guess on my part.

wishiniwasfishin said...

Hats off to the crew of the Time Bandit. It left me sweating and shakeing with tears in my eyes watching the rescue. A very intense moment at that. Heroic to say the least. I also got to say that the flour bombs were pretty cool too!

The Fish Wife said...

Thanks to both of you for your comments.
Storm I was kinda being a smart mouth about it, lol. It just wouldn't surprise me to learn that the owners of the Trail Blazer wanted nothing to do with the show.
But I could be wrong!

Storm said...

Crew of the Trailblazer have been posting to the Discovery Board and been very professional and helpful in their responses. They began in response to 'troll' posts that were occuring about Josh's overboard incident. They certainly would have been a great addition to Deadliest Catch!

The Fish Wife said...

Yes, I know about the trolls and the crew postings.
Sadly, one of the troll kings on other boats and crews claims to be on the Trailblazer.

Storm said...

Big sigh..despite my age, I'm still pretty naive about some things. I'm guessing who you're talking about and I've sure heard him sound bitter about a lot of things. What a mess...hope the message got through to Josh & crew that no one of any sense believes it was staged.