The Deadliest Job
The opillio crab season is just about to start.
Working a crab boat on the Bering Sea is not for the faint of heart. Danger abounds wherever you look. If it rough seas are not enough to knock you overboard, there is plenty of equipment on board that can do the job. Between swinging pots, yards of shots and wet, slippery decks, you will get hurt at some point during the trip.
Sitting at the dock in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, is the F/v Olympic Coventry.
Up in the wheelhouse at the helm, sits the Owner and Captain, Carlisle Cullen. He watches the crew and shouts orders as they finish up tying down the 200, 700 pound crab pots and loading the rest of the supplies needed for the entire trip.
Carlisle grew up on fishing vessels. I guess you could say it's in his blood. He comes from a long line of crabbers, fifth generation, to be exact.
F/v Olympic Coventry originally belonged to his father. He takes pride in that fact and instills that same pride into his sons. It is a family run operation. Carlisle loves nothing more than working with is boys and hopes that one day, one of them will want to take over the family business.
When they are at sea, his eyes are constantly sweeping the deck and the sea, hoping to spot that rogue wave that has the capacity to wreck havoc with his ship and crew. The job is a stressful one, having the life of five men in your hands. But he loves his job and wouldn't trade it for the world. He likes to think of himself as a fair Captain; even though there are times that his crew wouldn't agree to that statement. Sometime you have to be harsh in order to get the results, especially if the men are tired from working full strings and they want to fight amongst themselves instead of getting the work done.
You can't have the men going after each other, not when their lives and the lives of their fellow crewmate are at risk. Things can happen in a blink of an eye and you could easily loose a man overboard. They really need to pay attention.
Carlisle has learned the signs, so that he can usually head things off before they get out of hand. Usually he leaves that up to the deck boss, but sometimes he has to step in himself and settle things. A good threat of losing shares and a job, works wonders in those instances.
The eldest son, Jasper, is the deck boss. It's his job to make sure everyone else is doing their job. Don't let his laid back attitude fool you. Screw up once, and you'll find out quick what is hiding beneath that calm exterior of his. Jasper has the ability to keep everyone calm during a crisis, which makes him perfect for the job.
He is a quick study and has worked his way up to the deck boss position and is now learning everything he can from his father and is currently taking courses to become a certified captain, in hopes of one day, taking over the Coventry, when his dad retires.
Emmett is Carlisle's middle son. He is the chief mechanic and hydraulic operator. Those two jobs are more than enough to keep Emmett busy. There isn't anything he can't fix or at least jury-rig it enough to get to port and fix it right.
The boy does have a tendency to joke around a play pranks on his fellow crew mates. Emmett will go as far as to pull pranks on other ships. Between Emmett and the Hillstrand boys over on the F/v Time Bandit, they are constantly trying to one-up each other.
Edward is the youngest of the three boys. He is very smart and had a chance to go to Dartmouth, which he did. With a degree in business management, he takes care of the books for the family business when he is not at sea. But when he is, you can usually find him hanging over the rail with a hook in his hand, reeling in the crab pots. Edward's throwing accuracy rate is in the very high
90's, but when he does miss a pot, the boys don't let him live it down.
Since five deckhands are needed for a smooth operation, Carlisle has to hire extra hands.
Jacob Black is one of the hired hands. He has known the Cullens all his life and even went to school with the brothers. He has been with them for several years now and can do just about everything. His ambition is to one day own his own boat.
The newest member of the team is Seth Clearwater, Jacob's cousin. Not only is he new to the crew, but he is also a greenhorn. Greenhorn, meaning that he knows absolutely nothing about working on a crab boat. It also means that all the dirty jobs, fall to you.
Seth's main job is to fill the bait containers and hang them in the pots. Even doing bait is not as easy as it sounds; you have to make sure that it's ready when needed. The preparation of the bait is just as dangerous. You have to put large blocks of frozen bait into a grinder that can rip your arm off. Try doing this on a slippery deck covered in ice! Not only that, it's his responsibility to help keep the boat clean and to beat the ice of the ship with a sledgehammer.
Like most greenhorns, Seth is at liberty to the crew and they will take it out on him. A strong backbone and a cast iron stomach usually helps, as sea sickness is usually the thing that can take out a man quicker than anything.
There is no break for the weary, once the season has started. It is nothing to work 30 hours straight with only breaks between pot lines. If your lucky, you can grab a quick bite to eat and a very short nap, especially if you are setting the pots back.
On deck you can expect to face 60 mph freezing winds, temperatures that are so low that the spray from the waves turns the Coventry into a floating Popsicle. The waves can get high enough to knock a window out of the wheelhouse; they are even capable of capsizing the boat.
Now if it gets too bad out there, Carlisle will take mercy on them and call them in for a bit. The guys usually take turn with the kitchen duty. If everything is going smoothly, one of he guys will try to cook for everyone between the pots. A skilled deckhand can work the lines and still cook without burning anything.
The guys are pretty decent cooks, especially Edward. They meals the boys eat are high in protein and carbs for energy. From pasta to steak, the meals run the gauntlet. It is a must, especially when they work out in the cold like they do. The meals are made from quality ingredients, to keep the crew happy and healthy.
Lots of times, while they head out to sea, Edward will make several dishes, freezing them until needed. They can be reheated while out on deck, so when a break comes they can eat quickly.
Ah but they do love their snacks and they have plenty of it on board. Even the wives and girlfriends make sure they send lots of baked goods with them.
As the crew of the F/v Olympic Coventry finishes what needs to be done, Jasper calls the crew to him. Carlisle joins them on deck as over the loud speaker, the Blessing of the Fleet commences.
"Most gracious Lord, who numbered among your apostles the fishermen Peter, Andrew, James and John, we pray you to consecrate this boat to righteous work in your name. Guide the captain at her helm. So prosper her voyages that an honest living may be made. Watch over her passengers and crew and bring them to a safe return. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be upon this vessel and all who come aboard, this day and forever. Amen" Captian Cullen gives the order to cast off... Opillio crab season is officially open. * * * Written in the memory of Captain Phil Harris F/v Cornellia Marie