Deadliest Catch (2005–…): Season 18, Episode 3 - Five Souls on Board - full transcript
Desperate to reach helicopter range before his deckhand dies, Capt. Rip charges into an Arctic storm to attempt the riskiest USCG rescue in recent history.
Fine mess
we've gotten ourselves into.
Hey, look up,
look up, look up.
Whoo!
God help us.
Hey, watch out!
We're close
to St. George Island
and I'm not the kind of guy
that runs and hides,
but this is too dangerous.
I got a good opportunity
to go to Norway.
If it works,
let me know.
Zero... crabs.
We've had to improvise
the whole way.
Sig. What's going on?
All we want to do is be safe.
Whoa!
Hey!
*bleep*
Get him out!
Just breathe, buddy.
Just breathe. Deep breath.
Big breaths, big breaths.
We are asking for EVAC.
He is hurt badly.
228 miles southwest
of Dutch Harbor.
On the Patricia Lee.
Keep it steady.
Big wave just comes over,
buries the chute right there.
Next thing I know,
Francis is pinned between
the anchor pot and a pot,
and I'm the captain...
and it falls on me.
Three hours
after being crushed
by 2,000 pounds of steel.
This is serious.
I can't take any chances
with having
an internal bleeding.
Deckhand Francis Katangan
suffers from
blunt force trauma
to his pelvis
and possible
life-threatening injury
to the iliac artery.
My job
is to get this boat
to a safe spot
for the Coast Guard
to get Francis off,
which is not going to be easy.
In this direction
and the weather is getting
worse and worse.
*bleep*
In desperate need
of a medevac,
Captain Rip Carlton
races through a storm.
His plan, steam through
the 300 mile wide arctic low
towards Dutch Harbor
and into the 100 mile radius
of a United States
Coast Guard helicopter.
I'm telling you...
You just wanna go
to your room
and pull of covers
over your head, but you can't.
The buck stops here.
And if I can't get it together
and keep it together,
nobody can.
So we'll keep it together.
...what happened last year...
Still fresh.
Love the guys, love the crew.
Everybody's, you know,
just trying to teach me
and these guys are great.
The tragic death
of crewman Todd Kochutin,
another victim
of blunt force trauma
on the same deck
just eight months ago.
225 miles northeast...
It's getting
pretty nautical out here, eh?
...at the Dutch Harbor
airfield.
2,600 pounds of fuel
in their tanks.
The Coast Guard medevac team
puts five hours of air time
on the clock,
two to the Patricia Lee,
two back, and one hour
for the extraction
in the teeth of the storm.
Let's go!
It's a long ways
for a helicopter to fly,
especially
on weather like this.
So easily something
can go wrong,
someone could get hurt.
It's pretty breezy out here,
dude.
I don't know
if they're going to be able
to get to her fast enough.
These guys are animals,
so if anybody's
going to do it,
it's going to be
the Coast Guard.
Thirty-eight hundred miles
northwest
off the Norwegian coast...
The tide's running up
against it here.
Look at that.
Seas are just building,
so that's going to make
life really hard.
...on the Stalbas.
We went east and we didn't see
any kind of sign.
And so we went up
to the canyon
farther to the west.
I woke up this morning
thinking about
Mandy quite a bit.
I know that
as every day goes by,
she's getting bigger
and it's really intimidating
because bottom line is,
we've got to find crab.
Racing
his granddaughter's due date,
Captain Sig Hansen
looks to make up
for the $800,000 loss
of Alaskan red king crab
with reds
from Norwegian waters.
And so we're pushing it
right now.
But I think
we can get these pots up.
I can see the damn bag.
But in his path
to the Western canyons,
his first Norse tempest.
Throw the *bleep*.
You've got some big waves
right behind you.
We're in a full storm.
Little school.
All I want is
a little school.
Come on, Baby! Ooh! Come on.
*bleep* nothing.
That was a big fat zero,
but let's see the next one.
*bleep*
Uh, big one, big.
That's as best
as I can do, guys.
Throw it... right now.
So, the tide
is pushing it this way.
The wind is going this way.
The weather's kind of
pushing us back in the ditch.
Easy does it.
Holy *bleep*!
Get away!
Get out! Get out!
No!
*bleep*
The wind's just too slow
on that crane.
We can't get it
up and down fast enough
when we're
in the ditch like this.
I can't hold it up
against the weather
because I'm going
to tear the line off.
500 kilos swinging in a boat
that goes from side to side.
It's like, huge, huge waves.
You got this
really bad combination.
Up. Up, up, up, up, up.
Down, down, down, down.
Perfect. Perfect.
Son of a bitch.
Whoa! Whoa!
I can't go further east,
so we got to head west.
Pick a spot,
get these in the water.
They don't fish on deck.
I never thought coming home
would be so difficult.
3,600 miles
southeast...
on the Bering Sea,
anchored off
St. George Island...
Got to sleep,
but we don't feel safe.
...on the Time Bandit.
The weather's coming up
again really fast and hard.
So got a big Arctic low.
Welcome to St. George Island.
With 50 knot gusts
and currents fueled
by deep underwater ravines,
Captain Jonathan Hillstrand
retreats from
the unfamiliar depths
of the golden king grounds.
This is the way
you rip your anchor off.
But in the Arctic low,
even the shallows
are no safe harbor.
The anchor's holding
over a million pound cord.
You bust your anchor
when you surge
like that.
It's blowing
pretty good out here.
Wish I was right next
to the land.
...watch out.
Drag it.
Oh, my God.
*bleep*
Get a report
as quick as you can.
I'm trying
to hold it in the wind here.
When the bow
swings over like that,
it's doing about
seven or eight knots.
If that anchor catches,
it's going to stop
the whole boat
and the weakest link's
gonna snap.
It's up, it's up. It's up.
Hey, Freddy.
I could use some help here.
He's gonna
cut his fingers off.
Jerry, watch your fingers.
You're going
to wrap yourself up
in that anchor.
You can't straddle
the anchor like that.
Watch your ass!
That anchor chain snaps,
he's got his feet across it.
I'm going to have
the Coast Guard coming
to get one of my guys.
Watch your ass!
That anchor chain snaps,
he's got his feet across it.
Then I'm going to have
the Coast Guard come
and get one of my guys.
That thing's tight.
You don't want the chain
to snap and break on you.
It's getting too tight.
Back it off.
I got to adjust my course.
Once I get it back
into the winch, start to
haul it in as fast as you can.
I'm scared of
Mother Nature just to get
our damn anchor
back right now.
One more time.
One more time, baby.
Can't hold
in this wind much longer.
Jeepers creepers.
Come on, guys.
Come on. Let's go!
That anchor's winch
is so slow...
There she is.
Aye, aye, aye.
There's always somebody who
gets their *bleep* hand caught
in the *bleep* anchor winch,
they wrap them up
with the anchor winch.
And if you
start surging like this,
anchor winches are pulled
off the deck of boats.
It'll kill people.
That's evil.
I didn't sign up for this.
I know.
I have a selective memory.
It's all rainbows and whales
I thought out here.
This is the worst weather,
king crab weather
I ever seen in 25 years.
Mother Nature's
not being nice.
But it's not in my DNA
to get that close
to the beach.
Let's go take a peek outside.
We'll stick her head out
this long 50.
We've fished 50 before.
Yeah, roger.
With a whooping
guaranteed either way,
Captain Jonathan opts
to take his punishment
while fishing.
This might seem crazy,
but it just might work.
We're going fishing.
Yeah, baby!
270 miles southwest...
on the Patricia Lee.
Got a wife?
You got a
fiance. What's her name?
Autumn?
Yeah.
You guys
are going to have kids?
I'm devastated.
Completely devastated.
I feel like I've got
an ice pick
in each eyeball right now.
I just don't know,
you know, this weather.
Wind's like
185 miles over the ocean.
To hover over
a pitching vessel
and drop a guy down
and pick two guys up,
there's no way.
This is not like, "Come on.
Let's go, drop a guy down"
It's *bleep* out right here.
Yes, he is ready to be moved,
and his pain level
is increasing.
Oh, there they are
right there.
Oh, there's a chopper
right there.
With the MH-60 Jayhawk
batted by 39 headwinds,
the Coast Guard now
has only 20 minutes
to lower the rescue swimmer
to the pitching deck,
secure Francis,
and hoist each of them back up
before they run out of fuel
for the return trip.
Moving into position over top.
It's rocking.
Yeah, she is moving
pretty good.
*bleep*
You have
one bigger stroke coming.
Ooh!
Wow. This is crazy.
What they want is coming here.
Seriously.
Like the biggest set
rolling through right now.
How?
Come on, give us
a *bleep* break.
It ain't happening.
They left.
It sounds like
they're backing off.
That's...
that's not a good sign.
What a nightmare.
I don't know
if they're going to be able
to save him.
I don't know. How much more
of this *bleep* I can take.
I'm saying that right now.
Five POB on board.
You're not used
to the Coast Guard
telling you that,
I'll tell you that.
Can you hear that?
That's scary.
He's doing that.
So if that chopper goes down,
Rip knows how many guys
he's looking for.
It kind of makes the hair
on the back
of your neck stand up.
Five POB on board.
You're not used
to the Coast Guard
telling you that,
I'll tell you that.
I don't see
how they're going to do this.
It's not... Here he is.
*bleep* me.
No way, dude.
No way.
Holy *bleep*.
Whoa.
That was freaking amazing,
that guy made it down here.
Swimmer went inside.
You're gonna roll
on your right side, bud.
- Roger.
- You ready?
- Yeah.
- Three, two, one.
Feels like
we're in some kind of movie
just it's not
the good movie.
This just...
It does not get
any more intense.
Come on. You got this.
You got it.
Oh, my God,
this is *bleep* crazy.
He's good, man.
Looking good.
Francis is up,
but the rescue swimmer
is still here.
Whoo!
Holy *bleep*!
Did you see that?
The guy saluted
and flew by the crane,
like, by two inches.
That is incredible.
Ah!
Holy *bleep*!
That...
That was impressive.
I can't thank you enough.
Francis is in good hands.
We are headed back to Dutch.
And we should land in...
He's going
to get checked out
immediately by the medic
and that's all we can do.
They got him.
They *bleep* got him.
Wow!
That was stressful.
Those guys...
The best of the best.
At least it's going
to give this guy
a chance to live.
Hopefully,
they can get him to safety,
stabilize him.
I hope that guy is okay.
He's not out of the woods yet.
4,000 miles northwest.
It looks a lot like
Dutch Harbor.
They call this
the Northern Paris.
Paris in the north.
I wonder
if people don't bathe.
Yeah, let's do this.
Oh, my God.
And I know taking this trip
and taking this risk
to come over here,
it's pretty bizarre,
and it's a, it's a reach,
but any crab you put
on the market,
it's going to be valuable.
Prices are going to soar.
So, what's that shipyard
bill coming to?
Oh, man.
I'm guessing three
or four hundred
thousand bucks.
Racking up
a hefty tab for repairs
to the fishing vessel
Summer Bay,
Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski
and Deck boss Landon Cheney
travel halfway
around the world
to the one place
there's still open season
on reds.
So what's the plan?
We're going to go down
and meet with a guy
named Tobias who owns a boat.
I don't know
what to think about this,
you know, Sig set it up.
Three hundred
and forty miles
inside the Arctic Circle
on the Stalbas.
Hey.
Sig.
I made it.
I'm here in Norway.
I'm glad you made it in.
Actually,
I'm headed down to the boat.
I want to take a look at
what I'm getting into here.
There's a small boat,
so it's a house-forward.
I have a feeling
I'm going to need
a cigarette when this is over.
As long as this thing
can catch crab,
Landon and I'll make it work.
It'd be nice to compare,
you know.
We can start sharing
some info back and forth,
so see if we can't put
this puzzle together.
Yeah. Okay.
We went up to the canyon,
and that was a skunk.
All right.
The good news is
the price is sky high.
You know, we're at $20
a pound to US.
That's amazing, man.
That's amazing.
Word is coming up.
Uh, we got to get
these pots off the boat.
Good luck to you.
Roger.
This one right here?
I guess that's it.
It's a wee one.
We could probably fit
a few of those
on the Summer Bay.
Hey, capitan.
How are you?
I'm good.
How are you, sir?
You're Tobias?
- Captain Bill?
- Yeah. Pleasure.
- So this is it, huh?
- Yeah.
How many pots do you haul?
Normally,
I haul about 30 a day.
Because I really hope
we can run more gear,
you know?
You see the way
it goes in Alaska,
we run a lot of gear.
I could take
more at one time,
less trips for
re-arranging moving gear.
Yeah.
- You're willing to try it?
- Yeah, of course.
I am open to improvement.
Yeah.
You got a plotter?
I got a plotter
I can show you.
Show me
where you're fishing, man.
Show me
where we're fishing,
maybe, huh?
Yeah.
So I think we put
the initial set up shallower.
- Well, we're starting from scratch...
- Yeah.
...and I'm thinking
we try some deep stuff.
Yeah.
At least
we have a plan.
I'm not sure
it's the right plan,
but we've got a plan.
Yes.
Back on the Stalbas.
Right now we're about
15, 20-foot sea,
so it's coming up as we speak.
It's a good 40 knot plus.
I'm going
to have this all night.
The guys
are muddling through it.
Fantastic weather to fish in.
As far as this area,
you know, we did some research
and we've been poking around.
Yeah, we made a pass
over this ridge.
It looks like a crab claw, basically.
Doesn't seem
too hard bottom,
which is really good.
We're just going
to get 'em in the water
and hope for the best.
Captain Sig
targets a soft patch
of sea floor to the west,
where he suspects
the red king are congregating
in the shelter of the mud,
if the locals behave the way
they do back home.
Well,
it's the first storm
I've been in in Norway,
and I'm not liking it
very much.
Okay. Set them
when you're ready,
it's 155 fathoms.
You know, this weather
wouldn't challenge me
a bit on my boat.
Here,
I'm extremely uncomfortable
because it's not my boat,
not my crew,
and, uh, not my ocean.
Plain and simple.
Whoo-hoo!
Oh-oh.
Uh-oh.
We got problems.
That's a big one...
*bleep*
Ohh!
This is crazy.
Hey, watch out!
*bleep* Damn, this thing!
Did you hear that?
I can't... *bleep*.
Damn it!
Guys, get in here.
We got a situation.
Ah!
Now what?
Oh, my God.
Galley is full of water.
Did you hear that?
On the Stalbas.
Oh, my God.
Galley is full of water.
Oh, my God.
Damn it.
They don't have
to take the *bleep* off.
Just get in here, fast.
We had a wave hit.
It pulled that whole sink
out of the wall.
The whole thing came out.
The weather is pretty,
pretty bad.
We need
to find the main shut off
for the fresh water
because they've got a line
that's leaking right here
out of the wall.
Son of a bitch!
Yeah.
It was, it was a big wave.
The chairs just flew...
straight across.
Boat's been taking rolls
that I'm not even
comfortable with.
It's a heavy boat. And she,
really when she rolls, she...
It's...
it's like gravity, man.
It's just...
A lot of pressure.
Oh, my God.
Well, I did mention
they're not tying things down,
but it didn't hurt
anything structurally.
So we can get back
to work here.
The weather keeps going.
Guys are starting
to get their rhythm down,
I have not.
Very hard to get the boat
to do what you want it to do,
but we're going to keep at it.
Keep trying.
Thirty-eight hundred
miles southeast...
in Dutch Harbor.
Ten hours
after his injury,
Patricia Lee deckhand
Francis Katangan transfers
to an emergency flight
bound for
an Anchorage hospital
800 miles away.
One hundred
and sixty-three miles
southwest.
Patricia Lee.
If you hear anything else,
please give me a call.
Roger. Thank you.
Francis is on the medevac
to Anchorage.
We don't know what kind of
condition he is in.
We won't know
until he's in Anchorage.
I sure hope
he's going to be fine.
I'll beat myself up
for everything.
That's just the way it is.
So wanted to be going
this way with three tanks down
and a happy crew
and couldn't be
more different.
Forty-two hundred
miles northwest.
I'm looking forward to this.
Go out and see what we can do.
I think Landon's rigging
the last one or two
we got to do here.
Captain Wild Bill
and crew
make final preparations
to the Tromstind before their
Norwegian maiden voyage.
You guys are rigging those
for 100, 110?
No, we're rigging for 50.
What do you mean?
I thought you just told me
they were catching them--
I told, I told him
we're rigging for 110.
And then I talked to him
and he said,
they're catching deep.
I said,
forget the shallows then.
I know. I'm just trying
to tell you what happened.
He said, we'll cut 'em.
You just told me
they were catching from--
Yeah, they were.
Well, if they are,
they are catching in the deep,
we need to be able to go deep.
So I make my decisions
on what I hear
from the questions I ask.
So let's...
- You live here, you fish here.
- Yeah.
I'm taking your knowledge
and trying to work with it.
How difficult is it to bring
the one back
to make it a real deep one?
Can we take both the pieces
we cut off
and put it on there?
Yeah.
We need
to get this here in the water.
Let's get this done.
Four thousand miles
southeast...
I take my head out
of the window,
I think I can do this.
That was a big one.
If I can just get
though my pots
and make this all worthwhile.
...on the Bering Sea...
That's a big wave there.
...aboard the Time Bandit.
This is like Derby Day weather...
where folks die, people die.
It's been badmouthed
one after the next.
This weather
*bleep* pot straight.
Whoo!
Hopefully,
it gets a little nicer.
Last pick,
we found 28 crab on the spot.
We're 72 miles past that.
After abandoning shelter
from the storm
near St. George Island,
Captain Jonathan ventures
to the deeper
golden crab grounds.
That's two miles
those kind of numbers,
I can slam some crab
real quick right there.
Pirates are going
to fish the storm.
Whoo!
The goal,
turn over 40 pots
and see if they contain
a 28 crab average
he needs to staunch
the bleeding
from the season's
red king crab closure.
Hey, guys, be careful.
I know we could do this.
Okay.
I got it, in my sight.
So, when you're ready.
Hopefully, we got crab legs.
If we don't have crab legs,
we just keep going
till we see crab legs.
First pot of the storm.
Only ones out here.
We got it all to ourselves.
Whoo!
Yeah, baby!
Yeah.
That's what I'm talking about.
In the storm,
in the hurricane,
that's a good pot.
Whoo! My hair's standing.
My hair's standing on my neck.
I was hoping that'd be like
18 or 20, so...
Hopefully, it's all good.
Three.
33. 33.
Wow!
Whoa!
Thirty-three!
Whoa! 33. 33 crabs.
Whoo!
Oh,
my God. Look at that pot.
Oh, my God.
That's what I'm talking about.
Yeah, baby!
Forty-eight. Big 48.
Get some... Get some.
I don't know
what kind of dance that is.
I'm freaking out over here.
That's the best pot
we've seen all year.
I love you, man.
I love you, baby.
Love you, Freddy.
Love you, guys.
Whoo! Whoo!
Rock and roll, brother.
The wind's coming up again
really fast and hard.
We got some 35-footers,
so, hopefully,
I get through this gear.
Whoo!
Boo-yah!
That was a big one.
That's a big one.
That's a big one.
Oh, *bleep*!
Look out. Look out.
Whoa!
Hang on...
Look out.
Rest in peace, little buddy.
Oh, man. I was really liking
that coffeemaker, too.
Damn it.
The coffee machine
is the most important thing,
yeah?
No coffee, no work.
Missing a key component
of state-of-the-art
Scandinavian operational
technology...
We had a wave hit.
It's just a shame
we had to lose
the coffee machine.
This is the first time
I've ever stopped
drinking coffee.
...Captain Sig
has a latte on his mind.
Normally, that would be
the comfort I go to,
and I'm not doing it.
Oh, we're gonna fix it.
I don't want to get jittery.
Jake at the top spot,
Sig at the bottom?
What has become of this world?
On the Time Bandit.
That's a big one.
That's a big one.
That's a big one.
Oh, *bleep*.
Look out. Look out.
Whoa! Hang on...
Look out.
Wow!
Wow!
Oh, God.
That was a 65 plus knot gust.
If that's the game
we're going to play the game,
we'll play the game.
Onto the next spot.
Crab fest.
That's a good pot.
Wow! Wow!
32. 32.
Wow!
Yeah, baby.
Now we're making it big.
It all comes together,
you know?
When you got a due,
you got to work hard.
We came out here,
we took a risk,
and it's paying off.
Thirty-six hundred
miles northwest...
We've covered
a lot of ground,
but so far we're not coming up
with anything.
I'm getting a little nervous
about the whole thing here.
...on the Stalbas.
Hopefully the crab claw
will have something.
After three days
battling harsh weather
in unfamiliar seas...
Pot's up?
What do we got?
We got crabs.
Yeah!
Shut the *bleep*.
It's a big crab...
Six crabs in nine,
ten hours
is a really good sign.
We've been traveling
for miles,
so to see sign of life
means that it can be done.
It means that there is life.
Captain Sig
is the first and only
Alaskan crabber this year
to get a taste
of red king crab.
I would like to compare
what's going on in the fjords.
We're going to find out
soon enough.
You know,
that's gorgeous
to get out of here today.
We got all the gear on board.
We got fuel, we got bait,
we got provisions,
we got water.
Bill, you're ready?
- You ready?
- Yeah.
Let me, uh,
cut this guy loose.
Yeah.
Clear!
Yeah,
this is first time fishing
in Norway for me
in a lot smaller boat,
so I guess
we'll see what this brings.
Last bailer is coming up.
And that will be that.
Patricia Lee.
Yes, this is captain, roger.
Okay. Great. How is he?
All right. So you think
he's going to be okay?
I can't thank you enough
for calling.
That's great news.
Thank you very much.
Right, I appreciate it.
Hey, guys,
I just talked
to Francis's doctor,
and he's going to be okay.
He's going to be fine. So...
Yeah, that's good news.
Yeah, baby!
When Francis got injured,
my heart freakin'
dropped through my stomach.
It was...
terrible.
We had a tough winter
the winter before,
and now I have this happen.
It's like *bleep*, seriously?
Really?
This is happening again?
We made a commitment
when we started this
and we're going to keep going.
I mean, that's what we do.
We never give up
over here, ever.
It looks like Francis
won't make it back
for this trip.
So, we just have
to get Francis's replacement.
It's just so intensive,
and if we're getting the crab,
we're going to need him.
We got to go make some money.
We have to,
we don't really have
any choice.
we've gotten ourselves into.
Hey, look up,
look up, look up.
Whoo!
God help us.
Hey, watch out!
We're close
to St. George Island
and I'm not the kind of guy
that runs and hides,
but this is too dangerous.
I got a good opportunity
to go to Norway.
If it works,
let me know.
Zero... crabs.
We've had to improvise
the whole way.
Sig. What's going on?
All we want to do is be safe.
Whoa!
Hey!
*bleep*
Get him out!
Just breathe, buddy.
Just breathe. Deep breath.
Big breaths, big breaths.
We are asking for EVAC.
He is hurt badly.
228 miles southwest
of Dutch Harbor.
On the Patricia Lee.
Keep it steady.
Big wave just comes over,
buries the chute right there.
Next thing I know,
Francis is pinned between
the anchor pot and a pot,
and I'm the captain...
and it falls on me.
Three hours
after being crushed
by 2,000 pounds of steel.
This is serious.
I can't take any chances
with having
an internal bleeding.
Deckhand Francis Katangan
suffers from
blunt force trauma
to his pelvis
and possible
life-threatening injury
to the iliac artery.
My job
is to get this boat
to a safe spot
for the Coast Guard
to get Francis off,
which is not going to be easy.
In this direction
and the weather is getting
worse and worse.
*bleep*
In desperate need
of a medevac,
Captain Rip Carlton
races through a storm.
His plan, steam through
the 300 mile wide arctic low
towards Dutch Harbor
and into the 100 mile radius
of a United States
Coast Guard helicopter.
I'm telling you...
You just wanna go
to your room
and pull of covers
over your head, but you can't.
The buck stops here.
And if I can't get it together
and keep it together,
nobody can.
So we'll keep it together.
...what happened last year...
Still fresh.
Love the guys, love the crew.
Everybody's, you know,
just trying to teach me
and these guys are great.
The tragic death
of crewman Todd Kochutin,
another victim
of blunt force trauma
on the same deck
just eight months ago.
225 miles northeast...
It's getting
pretty nautical out here, eh?
...at the Dutch Harbor
airfield.
2,600 pounds of fuel
in their tanks.
The Coast Guard medevac team
puts five hours of air time
on the clock,
two to the Patricia Lee,
two back, and one hour
for the extraction
in the teeth of the storm.
Let's go!
It's a long ways
for a helicopter to fly,
especially
on weather like this.
So easily something
can go wrong,
someone could get hurt.
It's pretty breezy out here,
dude.
I don't know
if they're going to be able
to get to her fast enough.
These guys are animals,
so if anybody's
going to do it,
it's going to be
the Coast Guard.
Thirty-eight hundred miles
northwest
off the Norwegian coast...
The tide's running up
against it here.
Look at that.
Seas are just building,
so that's going to make
life really hard.
...on the Stalbas.
We went east and we didn't see
any kind of sign.
And so we went up
to the canyon
farther to the west.
I woke up this morning
thinking about
Mandy quite a bit.
I know that
as every day goes by,
she's getting bigger
and it's really intimidating
because bottom line is,
we've got to find crab.
Racing
his granddaughter's due date,
Captain Sig Hansen
looks to make up
for the $800,000 loss
of Alaskan red king crab
with reds
from Norwegian waters.
And so we're pushing it
right now.
But I think
we can get these pots up.
I can see the damn bag.
But in his path
to the Western canyons,
his first Norse tempest.
Throw the *bleep*.
You've got some big waves
right behind you.
We're in a full storm.
Little school.
All I want is
a little school.
Come on, Baby! Ooh! Come on.
*bleep* nothing.
That was a big fat zero,
but let's see the next one.
*bleep*
Uh, big one, big.
That's as best
as I can do, guys.
Throw it... right now.
So, the tide
is pushing it this way.
The wind is going this way.
The weather's kind of
pushing us back in the ditch.
Easy does it.
Holy *bleep*!
Get away!
Get out! Get out!
No!
*bleep*
The wind's just too slow
on that crane.
We can't get it
up and down fast enough
when we're
in the ditch like this.
I can't hold it up
against the weather
because I'm going
to tear the line off.
500 kilos swinging in a boat
that goes from side to side.
It's like, huge, huge waves.
You got this
really bad combination.
Up. Up, up, up, up, up.
Down, down, down, down.
Perfect. Perfect.
Son of a bitch.
Whoa! Whoa!
I can't go further east,
so we got to head west.
Pick a spot,
get these in the water.
They don't fish on deck.
I never thought coming home
would be so difficult.
3,600 miles
southeast...
on the Bering Sea,
anchored off
St. George Island...
Got to sleep,
but we don't feel safe.
...on the Time Bandit.
The weather's coming up
again really fast and hard.
So got a big Arctic low.
Welcome to St. George Island.
With 50 knot gusts
and currents fueled
by deep underwater ravines,
Captain Jonathan Hillstrand
retreats from
the unfamiliar depths
of the golden king grounds.
This is the way
you rip your anchor off.
But in the Arctic low,
even the shallows
are no safe harbor.
The anchor's holding
over a million pound cord.
You bust your anchor
when you surge
like that.
It's blowing
pretty good out here.
Wish I was right next
to the land.
...watch out.
Drag it.
Oh, my God.
*bleep*
Get a report
as quick as you can.
I'm trying
to hold it in the wind here.
When the bow
swings over like that,
it's doing about
seven or eight knots.
If that anchor catches,
it's going to stop
the whole boat
and the weakest link's
gonna snap.
It's up, it's up. It's up.
Hey, Freddy.
I could use some help here.
He's gonna
cut his fingers off.
Jerry, watch your fingers.
You're going
to wrap yourself up
in that anchor.
You can't straddle
the anchor like that.
Watch your ass!
That anchor chain snaps,
he's got his feet across it.
I'm going to have
the Coast Guard coming
to get one of my guys.
Watch your ass!
That anchor chain snaps,
he's got his feet across it.
Then I'm going to have
the Coast Guard come
and get one of my guys.
That thing's tight.
You don't want the chain
to snap and break on you.
It's getting too tight.
Back it off.
I got to adjust my course.
Once I get it back
into the winch, start to
haul it in as fast as you can.
I'm scared of
Mother Nature just to get
our damn anchor
back right now.
One more time.
One more time, baby.
Can't hold
in this wind much longer.
Jeepers creepers.
Come on, guys.
Come on. Let's go!
That anchor's winch
is so slow...
There she is.
Aye, aye, aye.
There's always somebody who
gets their *bleep* hand caught
in the *bleep* anchor winch,
they wrap them up
with the anchor winch.
And if you
start surging like this,
anchor winches are pulled
off the deck of boats.
It'll kill people.
That's evil.
I didn't sign up for this.
I know.
I have a selective memory.
It's all rainbows and whales
I thought out here.
This is the worst weather,
king crab weather
I ever seen in 25 years.
Mother Nature's
not being nice.
But it's not in my DNA
to get that close
to the beach.
Let's go take a peek outside.
We'll stick her head out
this long 50.
We've fished 50 before.
Yeah, roger.
With a whooping
guaranteed either way,
Captain Jonathan opts
to take his punishment
while fishing.
This might seem crazy,
but it just might work.
We're going fishing.
Yeah, baby!
270 miles southwest...
on the Patricia Lee.
Got a wife?
You got a
fiance. What's her name?
Autumn?
Yeah.
You guys
are going to have kids?
I'm devastated.
Completely devastated.
I feel like I've got
an ice pick
in each eyeball right now.
I just don't know,
you know, this weather.
Wind's like
185 miles over the ocean.
To hover over
a pitching vessel
and drop a guy down
and pick two guys up,
there's no way.
This is not like, "Come on.
Let's go, drop a guy down"
It's *bleep* out right here.
Yes, he is ready to be moved,
and his pain level
is increasing.
Oh, there they are
right there.
Oh, there's a chopper
right there.
With the MH-60 Jayhawk
batted by 39 headwinds,
the Coast Guard now
has only 20 minutes
to lower the rescue swimmer
to the pitching deck,
secure Francis,
and hoist each of them back up
before they run out of fuel
for the return trip.
Moving into position over top.
It's rocking.
Yeah, she is moving
pretty good.
*bleep*
You have
one bigger stroke coming.
Ooh!
Wow. This is crazy.
What they want is coming here.
Seriously.
Like the biggest set
rolling through right now.
How?
Come on, give us
a *bleep* break.
It ain't happening.
They left.
It sounds like
they're backing off.
That's...
that's not a good sign.
What a nightmare.
I don't know
if they're going to be able
to save him.
I don't know. How much more
of this *bleep* I can take.
I'm saying that right now.
Five POB on board.
You're not used
to the Coast Guard
telling you that,
I'll tell you that.
Can you hear that?
That's scary.
He's doing that.
So if that chopper goes down,
Rip knows how many guys
he's looking for.
It kind of makes the hair
on the back
of your neck stand up.
Five POB on board.
You're not used
to the Coast Guard
telling you that,
I'll tell you that.
I don't see
how they're going to do this.
It's not... Here he is.
*bleep* me.
No way, dude.
No way.
Holy *bleep*.
Whoa.
That was freaking amazing,
that guy made it down here.
Swimmer went inside.
You're gonna roll
on your right side, bud.
- Roger.
- You ready?
- Yeah.
- Three, two, one.
Feels like
we're in some kind of movie
just it's not
the good movie.
This just...
It does not get
any more intense.
Come on. You got this.
You got it.
Oh, my God,
this is *bleep* crazy.
He's good, man.
Looking good.
Francis is up,
but the rescue swimmer
is still here.
Whoo!
Holy *bleep*!
Did you see that?
The guy saluted
and flew by the crane,
like, by two inches.
That is incredible.
Ah!
Holy *bleep*!
That...
That was impressive.
I can't thank you enough.
Francis is in good hands.
We are headed back to Dutch.
And we should land in...
He's going
to get checked out
immediately by the medic
and that's all we can do.
They got him.
They *bleep* got him.
Wow!
That was stressful.
Those guys...
The best of the best.
At least it's going
to give this guy
a chance to live.
Hopefully,
they can get him to safety,
stabilize him.
I hope that guy is okay.
He's not out of the woods yet.
4,000 miles northwest.
It looks a lot like
Dutch Harbor.
They call this
the Northern Paris.
Paris in the north.
I wonder
if people don't bathe.
Yeah, let's do this.
Oh, my God.
And I know taking this trip
and taking this risk
to come over here,
it's pretty bizarre,
and it's a, it's a reach,
but any crab you put
on the market,
it's going to be valuable.
Prices are going to soar.
So, what's that shipyard
bill coming to?
Oh, man.
I'm guessing three
or four hundred
thousand bucks.
Racking up
a hefty tab for repairs
to the fishing vessel
Summer Bay,
Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski
and Deck boss Landon Cheney
travel halfway
around the world
to the one place
there's still open season
on reds.
So what's the plan?
We're going to go down
and meet with a guy
named Tobias who owns a boat.
I don't know
what to think about this,
you know, Sig set it up.
Three hundred
and forty miles
inside the Arctic Circle
on the Stalbas.
Hey.
Sig.
I made it.
I'm here in Norway.
I'm glad you made it in.
Actually,
I'm headed down to the boat.
I want to take a look at
what I'm getting into here.
There's a small boat,
so it's a house-forward.
I have a feeling
I'm going to need
a cigarette when this is over.
As long as this thing
can catch crab,
Landon and I'll make it work.
It'd be nice to compare,
you know.
We can start sharing
some info back and forth,
so see if we can't put
this puzzle together.
Yeah. Okay.
We went up to the canyon,
and that was a skunk.
All right.
The good news is
the price is sky high.
You know, we're at $20
a pound to US.
That's amazing, man.
That's amazing.
Word is coming up.
Uh, we got to get
these pots off the boat.
Good luck to you.
Roger.
This one right here?
I guess that's it.
It's a wee one.
We could probably fit
a few of those
on the Summer Bay.
Hey, capitan.
How are you?
I'm good.
How are you, sir?
You're Tobias?
- Captain Bill?
- Yeah. Pleasure.
- So this is it, huh?
- Yeah.
How many pots do you haul?
Normally,
I haul about 30 a day.
Because I really hope
we can run more gear,
you know?
You see the way
it goes in Alaska,
we run a lot of gear.
I could take
more at one time,
less trips for
re-arranging moving gear.
Yeah.
- You're willing to try it?
- Yeah, of course.
I am open to improvement.
Yeah.
You got a plotter?
I got a plotter
I can show you.
Show me
where you're fishing, man.
Show me
where we're fishing,
maybe, huh?
Yeah.
So I think we put
the initial set up shallower.
- Well, we're starting from scratch...
- Yeah.
...and I'm thinking
we try some deep stuff.
Yeah.
At least
we have a plan.
I'm not sure
it's the right plan,
but we've got a plan.
Yes.
Back on the Stalbas.
Right now we're about
15, 20-foot sea,
so it's coming up as we speak.
It's a good 40 knot plus.
I'm going
to have this all night.
The guys
are muddling through it.
Fantastic weather to fish in.
As far as this area,
you know, we did some research
and we've been poking around.
Yeah, we made a pass
over this ridge.
It looks like a crab claw, basically.
Doesn't seem
too hard bottom,
which is really good.
We're just going
to get 'em in the water
and hope for the best.
Captain Sig
targets a soft patch
of sea floor to the west,
where he suspects
the red king are congregating
in the shelter of the mud,
if the locals behave the way
they do back home.
Well,
it's the first storm
I've been in in Norway,
and I'm not liking it
very much.
Okay. Set them
when you're ready,
it's 155 fathoms.
You know, this weather
wouldn't challenge me
a bit on my boat.
Here,
I'm extremely uncomfortable
because it's not my boat,
not my crew,
and, uh, not my ocean.
Plain and simple.
Whoo-hoo!
Oh-oh.
Uh-oh.
We got problems.
That's a big one...
*bleep*
Ohh!
This is crazy.
Hey, watch out!
*bleep* Damn, this thing!
Did you hear that?
I can't... *bleep*.
Damn it!
Guys, get in here.
We got a situation.
Ah!
Now what?
Oh, my God.
Galley is full of water.
Did you hear that?
On the Stalbas.
Oh, my God.
Galley is full of water.
Oh, my God.
Damn it.
They don't have
to take the *bleep* off.
Just get in here, fast.
We had a wave hit.
It pulled that whole sink
out of the wall.
The whole thing came out.
The weather is pretty,
pretty bad.
We need
to find the main shut off
for the fresh water
because they've got a line
that's leaking right here
out of the wall.
Son of a bitch!
Yeah.
It was, it was a big wave.
The chairs just flew...
straight across.
Boat's been taking rolls
that I'm not even
comfortable with.
It's a heavy boat. And she,
really when she rolls, she...
It's...
it's like gravity, man.
It's just...
A lot of pressure.
Oh, my God.
Well, I did mention
they're not tying things down,
but it didn't hurt
anything structurally.
So we can get back
to work here.
The weather keeps going.
Guys are starting
to get their rhythm down,
I have not.
Very hard to get the boat
to do what you want it to do,
but we're going to keep at it.
Keep trying.
Thirty-eight hundred
miles southeast...
in Dutch Harbor.
Ten hours
after his injury,
Patricia Lee deckhand
Francis Katangan transfers
to an emergency flight
bound for
an Anchorage hospital
800 miles away.
One hundred
and sixty-three miles
southwest.
Patricia Lee.
If you hear anything else,
please give me a call.
Roger. Thank you.
Francis is on the medevac
to Anchorage.
We don't know what kind of
condition he is in.
We won't know
until he's in Anchorage.
I sure hope
he's going to be fine.
I'll beat myself up
for everything.
That's just the way it is.
So wanted to be going
this way with three tanks down
and a happy crew
and couldn't be
more different.
Forty-two hundred
miles northwest.
I'm looking forward to this.
Go out and see what we can do.
I think Landon's rigging
the last one or two
we got to do here.
Captain Wild Bill
and crew
make final preparations
to the Tromstind before their
Norwegian maiden voyage.
You guys are rigging those
for 100, 110?
No, we're rigging for 50.
What do you mean?
I thought you just told me
they were catching them--
I told, I told him
we're rigging for 110.
And then I talked to him
and he said,
they're catching deep.
I said,
forget the shallows then.
I know. I'm just trying
to tell you what happened.
He said, we'll cut 'em.
You just told me
they were catching from--
Yeah, they were.
Well, if they are,
they are catching in the deep,
we need to be able to go deep.
So I make my decisions
on what I hear
from the questions I ask.
So let's...
- You live here, you fish here.
- Yeah.
I'm taking your knowledge
and trying to work with it.
How difficult is it to bring
the one back
to make it a real deep one?
Can we take both the pieces
we cut off
and put it on there?
Yeah.
We need
to get this here in the water.
Let's get this done.
Four thousand miles
southeast...
I take my head out
of the window,
I think I can do this.
That was a big one.
If I can just get
though my pots
and make this all worthwhile.
...on the Bering Sea...
That's a big wave there.
...aboard the Time Bandit.
This is like Derby Day weather...
where folks die, people die.
It's been badmouthed
one after the next.
This weather
*bleep* pot straight.
Whoo!
Hopefully,
it gets a little nicer.
Last pick,
we found 28 crab on the spot.
We're 72 miles past that.
After abandoning shelter
from the storm
near St. George Island,
Captain Jonathan ventures
to the deeper
golden crab grounds.
That's two miles
those kind of numbers,
I can slam some crab
real quick right there.
Pirates are going
to fish the storm.
Whoo!
The goal,
turn over 40 pots
and see if they contain
a 28 crab average
he needs to staunch
the bleeding
from the season's
red king crab closure.
Hey, guys, be careful.
I know we could do this.
Okay.
I got it, in my sight.
So, when you're ready.
Hopefully, we got crab legs.
If we don't have crab legs,
we just keep going
till we see crab legs.
First pot of the storm.
Only ones out here.
We got it all to ourselves.
Whoo!
Yeah, baby!
Yeah.
That's what I'm talking about.
In the storm,
in the hurricane,
that's a good pot.
Whoo! My hair's standing.
My hair's standing on my neck.
I was hoping that'd be like
18 or 20, so...
Hopefully, it's all good.
Three.
33. 33.
Wow!
Whoa!
Thirty-three!
Whoa! 33. 33 crabs.
Whoo!
Oh,
my God. Look at that pot.
Oh, my God.
That's what I'm talking about.
Yeah, baby!
Forty-eight. Big 48.
Get some... Get some.
I don't know
what kind of dance that is.
I'm freaking out over here.
That's the best pot
we've seen all year.
I love you, man.
I love you, baby.
Love you, Freddy.
Love you, guys.
Whoo! Whoo!
Rock and roll, brother.
The wind's coming up again
really fast and hard.
We got some 35-footers,
so, hopefully,
I get through this gear.
Whoo!
Boo-yah!
That was a big one.
That's a big one.
That's a big one.
Oh, *bleep*!
Look out. Look out.
Whoa!
Hang on...
Look out.
Rest in peace, little buddy.
Oh, man. I was really liking
that coffeemaker, too.
Damn it.
The coffee machine
is the most important thing,
yeah?
No coffee, no work.
Missing a key component
of state-of-the-art
Scandinavian operational
technology...
We had a wave hit.
It's just a shame
we had to lose
the coffee machine.
This is the first time
I've ever stopped
drinking coffee.
...Captain Sig
has a latte on his mind.
Normally, that would be
the comfort I go to,
and I'm not doing it.
Oh, we're gonna fix it.
I don't want to get jittery.
Jake at the top spot,
Sig at the bottom?
What has become of this world?
On the Time Bandit.
That's a big one.
That's a big one.
That's a big one.
Oh, *bleep*.
Look out. Look out.
Whoa! Hang on...
Look out.
Wow!
Wow!
Oh, God.
That was a 65 plus knot gust.
If that's the game
we're going to play the game,
we'll play the game.
Onto the next spot.
Crab fest.
That's a good pot.
Wow! Wow!
32. 32.
Wow!
Yeah, baby.
Now we're making it big.
It all comes together,
you know?
When you got a due,
you got to work hard.
We came out here,
we took a risk,
and it's paying off.
Thirty-six hundred
miles northwest...
We've covered
a lot of ground,
but so far we're not coming up
with anything.
I'm getting a little nervous
about the whole thing here.
...on the Stalbas.
Hopefully the crab claw
will have something.
After three days
battling harsh weather
in unfamiliar seas...
Pot's up?
What do we got?
We got crabs.
Yeah!
Shut the *bleep*.
It's a big crab...
Six crabs in nine,
ten hours
is a really good sign.
We've been traveling
for miles,
so to see sign of life
means that it can be done.
It means that there is life.
Captain Sig
is the first and only
Alaskan crabber this year
to get a taste
of red king crab.
I would like to compare
what's going on in the fjords.
We're going to find out
soon enough.
You know,
that's gorgeous
to get out of here today.
We got all the gear on board.
We got fuel, we got bait,
we got provisions,
we got water.
Bill, you're ready?
- You ready?
- Yeah.
Let me, uh,
cut this guy loose.
Yeah.
Clear!
Yeah,
this is first time fishing
in Norway for me
in a lot smaller boat,
so I guess
we'll see what this brings.
Last bailer is coming up.
And that will be that.
Patricia Lee.
Yes, this is captain, roger.
Okay. Great. How is he?
All right. So you think
he's going to be okay?
I can't thank you enough
for calling.
That's great news.
Thank you very much.
Right, I appreciate it.
Hey, guys,
I just talked
to Francis's doctor,
and he's going to be okay.
He's going to be fine. So...
Yeah, that's good news.
Yeah, baby!
When Francis got injured,
my heart freakin'
dropped through my stomach.
It was...
terrible.
We had a tough winter
the winter before,
and now I have this happen.
It's like *bleep*, seriously?
Really?
This is happening again?
We made a commitment
when we started this
and we're going to keep going.
I mean, that's what we do.
We never give up
over here, ever.
It looks like Francis
won't make it back
for this trip.
So, we just have
to get Francis's replacement.
It's just so intensive,
and if we're getting the crab,
we're going to need him.
We got to go make some money.
We have to,
we don't really have
any choice.