92 ft crab boat sinks - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Raider Ronnie · 01-16-2005, 11:09 AM

Just read about a 92 ft crab boat that sank yesterday, had a crew of 6, 1 known dead, 3missing!!!
Commercial crab season just started yesterday at noon time!!!
One other boat has a crew member who went over board and is missing

I guess those shows on the discovery channel about crab fishing in the Berin sea being the most dangerous job is no joke!!!

kippy · 01-16-2005, 01:34 PM

Ron, I saw that episode. I can't believe the conditions those guys go into. I pray for the safety of the other crewmembers.

Vectorfisher · 01-16-2005, 04:15 PM

I think I would give it a shot for the money

Good life insurance policy for wifey and son all in place, either way a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Raider Ronnie · 01-16-2005, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Vectorfisher
I think I would give it a shot for the money Good life insurance policy for wifey and son all in place, either way a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Not to mention some Very good money!!!

Uncle Matt · 01-16-2005, 05:29 PM

Not this kid. I've watched several of those crab fishing shows and I'd just as soon work 100 hours a week in an effort to make decent money and stay alive. Those seas are unforgiving and one mistake and your done.

TunaCell · 01-16-2005, 06:52 PM

I watched something on either the discovery chanel, or the history chanel about the Bering sea crab fishery, a fleet of three boats set for their maiden voyage, all of them sank with in 24 hours due to the conditions.

relentless · 01-16-2005, 09:03 PM

When I lived on Kodiak Island for three years between 1996-1999 we saw lots of deaths due to capsizing. It was also with seiners fishing for salmon or heering. The memorial plaque at the waterfront is filled with names of people who have died and each year it seems they add a few more. Every Memorial Day they toll the bell in memory of those who have crossed the bar. Trust me the Bearing Sea is no picnic. My heart goes out to the families of the missing crew.

Dave

Fish On · 01-16-2005, 11:27 PM

I saw that show on the 3 boats that sank on their maiden voyage. The problem was with the loading. the traps are all on deck and were too heavy. Boat was self-tipping instead of self-righting. Tremendous tragedy.

That life insurance policy you talk about would probably cost about half of what you'd get if it paid off I'd imagine. Don't think I'd want to do it at any price.

Raider Ronnie · 01-17-2005, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Fish On
I saw that show on the 3 boats that sank on their maiden voyage. The problem was with the loading. the traps are all on deck and were too heavy. Boat was self-tipping instead of self-righting. Tremendous tragedy.

That life insurance policy you talk about would probably cost about half of what you'd get if it paid off I'd imagine. Don't think I'd want to do it at any price.

The life insurance policy wouldn't do anything for you,re family if they don't find you're body!!!

relentless · 01-17-2005, 06:29 PM

These boats were built in Anacorte Washington and known as the A-boats, Americus, Alyeska and the Alliance.

After an upgrade with additional gear, the vessels weighed 50 tons more than the 300-ton sister-ship Antares they were copies of -- a dangerous miscalculation that would make the boats top-heavy and prone to capsizing, the Coast Guard concluded. Mistakes apparently were made in deciding which of the 10 fuel tanks to fill, and how seawater was distributed among the four crab-holding tanks below decks.

There's speculation that moving up the "boot top" -- the stripe of red paint that separated the protective copper paint on the bellies of the steel ships from their blue, above-the-water hulls -- may have affected judgment calls about how the boats were riding in the water.

The A-boats went down at a time when fishing in Alaska killed an average of 36 people and claimed 42 vessels each year, according to U.S. Coast Guard data. Safety has improved, but during the past 10 years the toll has averaged 15 men and 29 vessels.

I am thinking of going to Kodialk and Seward again this summer, it will be sad to see the names of the crew missing on the Fishermans Memorial. I don't care how big your vessel is, the sea is powerful and us rec and charter fisherman should never ever push the envelope just to catch a fish. I have not caught one that is worth dying for.

Dave

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wjm · 01-19-2005, 05:25 PM

I taught people to loop, roll, spin and fly upside down in airplanes.
There is no way in hell you'd get me out in the bearing straight to fish crabs..............

S-Journey · 01-19-2005, 11:26 PM

That sucks, god rest their souls! It's a shame they still have to go out there in the dead of winter. It's like the government leading the lambs to slaughter. The season is only a few weeks and they can catch those crabs on the shelves year round~!

I fished the same crab season out there for 4 years back in the 90's, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. They were out fishing for Opillio crab and the season is very short now-- around two weeks I think usually starts on the 15th. When I fished out there we would go out until the boat was filled with 155,000#'s of crab or we were running low on fuel. Our longest trips were around 30 days and the shortest was six days. The season lasted 2-3 months back then.

Every year there would be a boat or two that I knew people on that would go down. It sucked but it was just the way it was. We almost sunk three times out there but it never stopped us from going back.

I guess it is something you'd love or hate-- I loved it and would go back in a heartbeat if I didn't have children, plus you can't beat the $$

I'll post a few pics if I can figure it out....

S-Journey · 01-19-2005, 11:45 PM

This picture was taken in 1995 three days after we had to call in a mayday because we were going down. This picture is the bow of the 110 footer I worked on and as you can see there is so much ice you can hardly move. We ran into a storm with 60-70 knot winds with the temperature around -40 for a week+ straight. If you notice off the starboard side you can see ice in the water, thats what saved the boat. When you get really strong storms like that one for a period of time huge fields of ice the size of the town of Marshfield or bigger sometimes will break off from the Bering straight and float down to the fishing grounds. What we did was plow the boat into the ice field and float with it until we cleared the ice. Even thought it was still a nasty storm and we were 700+ miles out there were no waves because the field of ice was bigger than 7 miles and the waves would only pound the outside edge.

S-Journey · 01-19-2005, 11:53 PM

This is the other side of the bow after two days of breaking ice. Gives a good idea of how much ice was on there. The huge chunk in the middle that's left there is about the size of a FedEx truck.

S-Journey · 01-20-2005, 12:00 AM

This is the boat I worked on....

S-Journey · 01-20-2005, 12:08 AM

Last one, this was the only wave that actualy came out in any of the pictures I took, and it might not come out right but here it goes.

Hooper · 01-20-2005, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Vectorfisher
I think I would give it a shot for the money Good life insurance policy for wifey and son all in place, either way a once in a lifetime opportunity.

I saw one episode where the guys worked a week straight, 20 hour days, and made 16K. That doesn't sound like a lot of money to me for what you'd have to go through.

As Captain Quint said, "I value my neck a lot more than three thousand bucks, Chief!"

I'd rather go to Alaska in the summer months and hook up with a salmon boat.

S-Journey, Awesome photos!!!

fishweewee · 01-20-2005, 09:29 AM

s-journey, that is n#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g futs.

Gotofish · 01-20-2005, 12:24 PM

What a great thread to read through as I'm about to start on a boat out of Pt. Jude. Not as nuts as Alaska but not as safe as my old office either. I talked to the Captain as he was heading towards the Canyons on Tues afternoon in the 0 degree weather.....kind of glad I missed that trip but I'm sure there'll be bad ones to come.

partsjay · 01-20-2005, 04:23 PM

In the words of Paully Walnuts....." You got some balls my friend "

I have seen those shows many times on Discovery Channel. You won't find me out there....all set. All it takes is one slip or the rope being around the ankle...and off you go. I hate my job, but I have a real good chance of going home everynight @ 5:00.

Awesome pics S-J...

S-Journey · 01-21-2005, 12:15 AM

King Cove Ak

S-Journey · 01-21-2005, 12:23 AM

Got Crabs?

relentless · 01-21-2005, 04:09 PM

S Journey,

I remember King Cove well, we stopped there quite a bit when I was stationed on board the buoy tender FIRE%$%$%$%$, homeported out of Kodiak. I rember many a night pulling in there and walking to Ricks or the Peter Pan Bar. OK everyone yes I did drink at the Peter Pan bar but there were no fairies in this place. It was owned by them as they packed a lot of the crab out of there. Did you ever have the pleasure of transiting through Bechevin Bay? Boy you talk about one bad ass wterway saving 24 hours steaming time with no water under you in a few of the spots. The unisea was always a good watering hole in Dutch and I hope to get back up there this summer. Where was the boat out of you fished on? Was it a Seattle or Kodaik boat? Have a good night.

Dave

PS: Sand Point was my least desirable port to pull into.

S-Journey · 01-21-2005, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by relentless
S Journey,

I remember King Cove well, we stopped there quite a bit when I was stationed on board the buoy tender FIRE%$%$%$%$, homeported out of Kodiak. I rember many a night pulling in there and walking to Ricks or the Peter Pan Bar. OK everyone yes I did drink at the Peter Pan bar but there were no fairies in this place. It was owned by them as they packed a lot of the crab out of there. Did you ever have the pleasure of transiting through Bechevin Bay? Boy you talk about one bad ass wterway saving 24 hours steaming time with no water under you in a few of the spots. The unisea was always a good watering hole in Dutch and I hope to get back up there this summer. Where was the boat out of you fished on? Was it a Seattle or Kodaik boat? Have a good night.

Dave

PS: Sand Point was my least desirable port to pull into.

Hey Dave,

WOW, someone that knows King Cove! Right on!!!

Yup, Peter Pan bar and Ricks, spent many a night in those bars

I liked Ricks better because it was closer to the boat and the walk back from the PP bar sucked at 2:00am

You ever go in to one of those bars at the end of crab season? What a good time. Every time the bell rang that was another guy buying a round for the entire bar, and the bell never stopped ringing all night

Did you know the Peter Pan cannery in King Cove is the largest cannery in Alaska?

The boat I fished on was originally based out of Kodiak until the owner moved down to Seattle. Then it was based full time out of King Cove because we sold to Peter Pan and it was closer to False Pass, the route we would take to the Bering Sea from the gulf. We would take her back down to Bellingham WA after the opillio season to do repairs and upgrades and get ready for the summer salmon tendering season.

I only went to Dutch Harbor a few times and we never hung out long so I never got to go to Unisea. We would be in King Cove for two weeks before the season, a week after and the rest of the time we would be in the Bering Sea and would deliver to St George or St Paul.

Never saw Bechevin Bay, is that located on the bay side near cold bay?

You might have even seen one of our boats, the "Mary J" or the "Betty J".

My family also owns the Aleutian Ballard and the Ocean Ballard. They live down in Fort Bragg CA but keep the boats running out of Seattle.

You must have seen that boat that went down, the “Big Valley”. They were out of Kodiak and frequented King Cove a lot before the season. I never met anyone from that boat but did see it a few times.

Rich

relentless · 01-21-2005, 05:03 PM

Bechevin Bay is the waterway that runs between False Pass to the west into the Bearing. You know, you come off the public pier at False Pass with a load of gear and head to the NW still in deep water and while working west looking for those little piss ant buoys we set in skinny water working your way out of the Bay and head for the red and white BB Buoy (Bechevin Bay) and out to the grounds. You could only cross a couple of the shoaled in areas at high water and working those buoys sucked because of the constant shoaling and trying to mark best water. It was always a trip watching the boats heading up in the spring to Togiak for the herring.

I enjoyed King Cove as we were always treated pretty well there. What do you do these days as I am still in the Coast Guard and run and own the charter boat RELENTLESS out of Green Harbor mostly fishing for cod. I hope to try to get back up this summer for a halibut/salmon trip fishing Seward and Kodiak at the end of July. It is a shame about the loss of the crew and I am sure I have seen the boat before. I use to grab a coffee and head downtown (LOL) and watch the boats pull into ST Hermans and ST Paul Harbors. God the memories are good.

Thanks,

Dave