F/V Ocean Challenger (Part 1)

“Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?” *

It was about 10 o’clock in the morning of October 18, when the 600 foot car-carrier, M/V Overseas Joyce, heard the mayday call from the 58 foot F/V Ocean Challenger. The freighter was close enough for her crew to watch with shock as the fishing boat deployed her life raft in seas nearly 3 stories high. Shock gave way to horror as the smaller craft capsized, sending all of her crew into the frigid waters of the Bering Sea.

The master of the Overseas Joyce immediately relayed the distress call and location - approximately 60 miles south of Sand Point - to the US Coast Guard. Air Station Kodiak launched a C-130 air plane, an HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter, and the USCG cutter Munro. The car carrier and a second freighter, the R.J. Phifer, a 500-foot container ship, remained to help in the search.

The Jayhawk arrived on scene approximately an hour after the call. The conditions were reported as 50-knot winds, 30-foot seas and a temperature of about 45 degrees. Brutal on land, deadly at sea.

The crew of the Jayhawk, locating the only man wearing a survival suit, lowered a rescue basket into the frenzied waters and hoisted , Kevin Ferrell, 28, originally of Lynchburg, Va. to safety.

The Coast Guard rescue swimmer reached the skipper, 51 year old David “Cowboy” Hasselquist of Hoonah, and 26 year old Walter Foster, of Westport, Washington only to have them pronounced dead by the flight surgeon.

Still missing is Steve Esparza, 26, of Kodiak, Alaska.

Coast Guard C-130 pilot Lt. Jerred Williams said he arrived on scene in the afternoon with a second crew to look for the missing man. “The waves were so high you actually got white caps at the top of the wave,” he said. “And, then, with the wind streaking across the blue water, and the white turbulence everywhere, it made it very challenging to find a person in the water.”

The high waves and wind eventually made the search almost impossible by air so only the Munro continued the search for Esparza into the evening. The Coast Guard called off the search just before 8 p.m. that Thursday night. The search covered approximately 1,730 square miles, and lasted 46 hours and 20 minutes.

Kevin Ferrell was flown to the Cold Bay Clinic, about 50 miles away, then to an Anchorage hospital.

Stay tuned.

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* from "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

More Lobstermen!

That's right Fishies!

Discovery Channel will be bringing us more Lobstermen.

Filming has recently wrapped up on the east coast of the US. Apparently last years mini-series about lobster fishing was VERY highly rated. Whether this was due to its time slot with the Deadliest Catch, or on its own merits, I do not know.

It is always entertaining and educational for me to get a look at a fishery that I am not all that familiar with. It is my hope that you will approach this new series in this manner as well.

Enjoy the Lobstermen!

Stay tuned!

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President Bush Screws Fishermen Of Bristol Bay, Alaska

Hello Fishies!

Well, heck. With a title like that, why don’t we just get a rope?

For those of you who are not familiar with the topic, you can access this article at the Alaska Report:

President Bush Screws Fishermen Of Bristol Bay, Alaska

My goodness, where on earth to start with this one?

I would like to point out that this article has NO by line and the dateline is from Washington, D.C. Ahh yes D.C. – one of the places that fisherman just love to hate. Home of the bureaucrat desk jockey and environmental lobbyist.

The first paragraph implies that ALL fishermen are in direct opposition – but do you see one single quote from any one in the industry? Of course not.

The second part quite clearly states: “Before any drilling, there will be scope for studies and public comment said the Interior Department, which stressed the need for energy security.”

Studies and public comments. Why, just imagine! Some one is going to actually take a good long look at the situation. Who’da thunk it? And all people will be allowed to comment (let’s just hope they are sound judgments based on facts, not emotions). Security….why whatever will we do? You mean they, (gasp) actually are concerned about keeping things safe?

This article is just one more of the millions cranked out by hysterical enviro-whackos. It is designed to sway public opinion with its ghosts of oil disasters past. Its additional agenda is, as usual, to castigate the President and continue their drum beat of how horrible he is.

Lions and tigers and bears oh my!

Give me a break.

Stay tuned

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PS There isn’t much of anything a fisherman detests more than a bunny hugging liberal.

Discovery Channel's Emmy-Nominated Series DEADLIEST CATCH Returns for a Third Season in April

Hello Fishies!
Here is a press release for you!

- Submersible Cameras and Chase Boat Footage Give Viewers New Perspective
                       on Life on the Bering Sea -

 SILVER SPRING, Md., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The fleet of crab-fishing
boats that captivated nearly three million viewers each week on Discovery
Channel's Emmy-nominated series DEADLIEST CATCH returns in April for a
third season of daring adventures on the high seas. Viewers once again
voyage to the Bering Sea and follow the brave captains and crew of eight
crab-fishing vessels as they struggle against the treacherous weather
conditions doing one of the deadliest -- and most lucrative -- jobs in the
world.
   This season, which is currently being filmed as boats head out to catch
opilio crab, viewers experience life above and below the Alaskan waters.
Submersible cameras capture unprecedented underwater images of crabs
migrating on the bottom of the Bering Sea and entering the crab pots.
   In addition, footage shot from a "chase boat" shows just how diminutive
these crab boats actually are in the midst of the Bering Sea. For the first
time, viewers see the fishing vessels being tossed around by the high winds
and rough seas. The unique angle will also offer a new perspective of the
fishermen working the rails, setting and hauling the massive 800-pound crab
pots as their boats fight the crashing waves.
   The second season of DEADLIEST CATCH was the highest rated series on
Discovery Channel in 2006.
   DEADLIEST CATCH is produced for Discovery Channel by Original
Productions. Thom Beers and Jeff Conroy are executive producers. For
Discovery Channel, Paul Gasek is executive producer.

Stay tuned!

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Vessel Monitoring System

Greetings Fishies!

A VMS system uses electronic transmitters, placed on fishing vessels that transmit information about the vessel’s position to enforcement agencies via satellite. This allows someone on land, monitoring such transmissions, to determine if a vessel is in a closed area.

A VMS is now required on nearly every type of commercial fishing vessel operating in US waters. Additionally, most countries world wide are implementing mandatory VMS requirements in their fishing fleets.

In a satellite based communications system, data is transferred from the vessel to a satellite and then to an earth station. The earth station then forwards the data to the monitoring agency via a secure public data network. The accuracy of the GPS system has greatly improved and is now accurate to less than 10 meters. Nonetheless, it is important to note that VMS provides only position, speed and course of vessels.

At first VMS was greeted with a great deal of anger and suspicion. One writer in a national fishing publication likened it to the ankle-bracelet used to monitor offenders. After all, how would YOU like being under the watchful eye of law enforcement 24/7? Eventually it became apparent that not only did it act as a deterrent, but did indeed catch fisheries violators. Many of those caught with the aid of the VMS have had their permits revoked, vessels seized and fines totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

While the following information is regarding Alaska crab, it is applicable to ALL vessels with VMS.

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson Stevens Act) authorizes the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) to prepare and amend fishery management plans for any fishery in waters under its jurisdiction. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) manages the crab fisheries in the waters off the coast of Alaska under the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab (FMP).

A vessel that harvests crab in the crab fisheries, including a vessel harvesting CDQ or Adak allocations, would be required to have onboard an operating NMFS-approved VMS transmitter at any time when the vessel has crab gear on board. These transmitters automatically determine the vessel’s location several times per hour using Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites and send the position information to NMFS via a mobile communication service provider.

The VMS transmitters are designed to be tamper-resistant and automatic. The vessel owner should be unaware of exactly when the unit is transmitting and would be unable to alter the signal or the time of transmission.

The VMS information is used primarily by the NOAA Fisheries, Office for Law Enforcement, Alaska Region (OLE) for enforcement purposes and by the NMFS, Alaska Region, Sustainable Fisheries Division for fishery management purposes. The information is used to track the location of vessels participating in the fisheries. To participate in the VMS program, a vessel owner must:

1. Purchase a NMFS-approved VMS transmitter and have it installed onboard the vessel. VMS transmitting units range in price from $1,000 to $5,800, with transmission costs of $1.00 to $5.00 per day. Transmission costs will likely increase with the length of the trip.

2. Before participating in a crab fishery, activate the VMS transmitter. Upon completion of purchase and installation of the VMS units, and prior to participation in a crab fishery, the participant must submit to NMFS by FAX a VMS check-in report. The information on this report will enable NMFS to verify that the VMS system is functioning and that VMS data are being received.

3. A vessel’s transmitter must be transmitting if:

The vessel is operating in any reporting area off Alaska;

The vessel has crab pots or crab pot hauling equipment, or a crab pot launcher onboard; and

The vessel has or is required to have a Federal crab vessel permit for that crab fishing year.

4. Make the VMS transmitter available for inspection by NMFS personnel, observers, or an authorized officer;

5. Ensure that the VMS transmitter is not tampered with, disabled, destroyed, or operated

improperly; and

6. Pay all charges levied by the communication service provider.

The last thing you want to be caught at is turning your VMS off or otherwise tampering with it.

Stay tuned!

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Captain of doomed vessel set to change plea

Greetings Fishies!

Captain of doomed vessel set to change plea

By DAVID KROUGH, kgw.com Staff

The captain of a ship that sunk off the Oregon Coast killing three people was set to change a manslaughter plea to guilty, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Capt. Richard Oba was in charge of the fishing vessel Sydney Mae II when it was hit by strong waves and sunk in September of 2005 near the mouth of the Umpqua River.

The Coast Guard had closed the Umpqua Bar at the time and denied the captain's requests to enter because of the weather, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The Coast Guard rescued two people, two of the passengers' bodies were recovered and a third was never found.

The NTSB ruled that the likely cause of the accident was the captain's decision to get too close to the bar, and his failure to ensure the passengers were wearing life jackets, which they were not at the time.

Oba's lawyer said despite the planned plea change scheduled for December 15, his client admitted to being negligent but not reckless and he disputed the government's account of the sinking.

Sentencing is set for March.

Stay tuned!

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Putting Out the Trash

Hello Fishies!

Many posts ago I promised you some information on both the VMS that each boat is required to carry, and some more tidbits about some of the Deadliest Catch participants. Here is one example:

When the captain and crew of a certain blue boat decided to dump all of their garbage into the crab pots of the F/V Wizard, (this was NOT a prank), they forgot all about that dear little tracking device known as the VMS. The Vessel Monitoring System tracks all vessels via satellite. It shows where the vessel is and has been, with an amazing amount of accuracy. Foolish, foolish men. But then these guys have had some serious issues in the past, and are not known for their good judgment.

Now aren't we all most curious.....will they show this on the series?

Stay tuned!

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Father of lost skipper tells of tragic capsizing

Hello Fishies

Tonight I share with you an Associated Press article regarding the F/V Ash, which I posted about a while back. I want you to take a break from the “who is the hottest, biggest, best” or whatever. Instead, I would like you to focus on what it must have been like for the men aboard the boat and the witnesses as this tragedy unfolded.

You see my friends and readers, fishermen are real people just like you. They live, love, laugh and cry, have families, hopes, joys and fears. I did not know the men who were lost, this time.

Father of lost skipper tells of tragic capsizing

Associated Press

PORT ORFORD, Ore. -- The Ash, a 43-foot fishing vessel, had never been out crabbing before Saturday, when Captain Robert Ashdown, three crewmen and 70 crab pots headed toward the sea. As the boat crossed the Rogue River bar, the U.S. Coast Guard said, a huge wave struck the bow, followed seconds later by a wave that rushed the stern. The crew sent a distress message about 3:40 p.m., but the vessel, previously a research boat, capsized and sank.

The Coast Guard searched for the men Saturday evening and again Sunday. The search was called off late that afternoon.

The crewmen were identified Monday as Louis Lobo, 39, of Las Vegas; Mark Wagner, 40, of Port Orford; and Joshua Northcutt, 30, also of Port Orford. Wagner was the father of a 6-month-old girl; Northcutt had a 4-week-old daughter.

The captain's father, Michael Ashdown of Port Orford, told The Oregonian newspaper that he was cleaning his salmon gear Saturday when a friend phoned from the jetty at Gold Beach.

"He said, 'Hey the guys are going out, just letting you know,"' Michael Ashdown said. "He told me they were making it just fine." Then the first big wave came. "He said, 'Oh, they got over that one. Another big one's coming,' and then, 'You better get down here, it rolled over.' You can imagine how I felt. "

Ashdown, 68, a commercial fisherman of 32 years and father of three commercial fishermen, rushed to Gold Beach. When he arrived a half hour later, the sea had scattered the boat and its crew.

The Coast Guard said conditions were dangerous the day the Ash sank, with swells at the bar topping 18 to 22 feet. Ashdown, however, said the conditions were not that unusual for fishermen.

"It was rough, but not terribly rough." he said, adding that the crew would have voted whether to go out.

"If anyone didn't want to go they wouldn't," he said. "We had discussed that. If I could have been here, I could have stopped them. In hindsight it is easy to say that."

Ashdown said his 44-year-old son coached high school basketball, volunteered with the fire department and led the local Boy Scout troop. He was the father of two sons and a daughter.

Northcutt was a longtime family friend who fished with the Ashdowns for about eight years, said Michael Ashdown.

Wagner was described as a talkative man who doted on his new daughter, his first child. "Mark was very into his family," said fiance Jamie Justice. "He loved his little daughter. She was his pride and joy."

Justice said Lobo was new to crabbing. "This was his first time out," she said. "He was just learning."

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U.S., CANADIAN COAST GUARDS RESCUE FISHING VESSEL CREW

Greetings Fishies!

Here is a press release from the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guardm dated Dec. 29, 2006.

SEATTLE - Crews from the U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard have rescued the crew of a 58-foot fishing vessel 22 miles southwest of Cape Flattery, Wash.

The four crewmen of the fishing vessel Oak Bay, homeported in Neah Bay, Wash., donned their survival suits as a precaution after the vessel began taking on water at approximately 10 a.m. today.

The Oak Bay is en route back to port with the crew of a 47-motor lifeboat from Coast Guard Station Neah Bay escorting the vessel. The flooding is under control.

The crews of a Canadian Buffalo search aircraft and a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter dropped pumps to the crew of the Oak Bay to assist with the flooding. The fishing vessel's pumps were unable to keep up with the flooding.

47-foot motor lifeboat crews from Coast Guard Stations Neah Bay and Quillayute River headed to the scene to assist along with the crew of the Canadian buoy tender Provo Wallace.

The Oak Bay is a 58-foot wooden long liner built in 1944.

Video from this case can be downloaded here.

Stay tuned!

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What do you do with a drunken Sailor?

Happy New Year Fishies!

And in the spirit of the day - here is one of our favorite sea chanties......

What do you do with a drunken sailor,
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
Ear-lie in the morning?

Chorus:
Way hey and up she rises
Way hey and up she rises,
Way hey and up she rises
Ear-lie in the morning

Throw him in the long boat till he's sober,
Throw him in the long boat till he's sober,
Throw him in the long boat till he's sober,
Early in the morning

(Repeat using the following verses)

Keep him there and make 'im bail 'er.

Pull out the plug and wet him all over,

Take 'im and shake 'im, try an' wake 'im.

Trice him up in a runnin' bowline.

Give 'im a taste of the bosun's rope-end.

Give 'im a dose of salt and water.

Stick on 'is back a mustard plaster.

Shave his belly with a rusty razor.

Send him up the crow's nest till he falls over.

Tie him to the taffrail when she's yardarm under.

Put him in the scuppers with a hose-pipe on him.

Soak 'im in oil till he sprouts flippers.

Put him in the guard room till he's sober.

Put him in a bed with the captain's daughter (or mother).

Have you ever in your life seen the captain's daughter?

Give the poor bastard to Mother Rackett.

Are ye' daft, you might wake Mother Rackett.

Put him in the bilge and let him drink it.

That's what you do with a drunken sailor.

Stay tuned!

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