I still remember sitting in my one bedroom apartment in Grand Prairie watching the first mini-series on crab fishing in the Bering Sea. I think it was three episodes. It was riveting, gritty, and raw. I was awed by the extents these men (and a few women) would go to catch the high-dollar crustaceans.
My fascination with the show carried on for years until kids and overseas living kept me from watching regularly. As a matter of fact, I’m not even sure which season I stopped watching. I looked at the column of 18 (18!) seasons and picked the most recent one to start. I’m happy some of the same boats and captains are still there. I will say, I miss one of the early captains who was on in the early seasons. The ship was “Maverick”, I think. The captain’s wife would go out to sea with him and cook for the crew. The crew liked having someone to look after them. It made it a little bit easier to be away from home.
The show still draws me in. I’ve seen any number of times that the newbies, or greenhorns, are warned about watching their feet on deck. It’s not because they might trip over something. Occasionally, a loop of the line can wrap around the ankle of an unwary crewman as the pot weighing hundreds of pounds goes over the side and into the deep. Only a sharp knife and quick-thinking will prevent disaster. I’d never seen it, just the warnings. But this season, it has happened no less than three times and I’m not even done with the season, yet. All three times a fellow deckhand was there to save the day. What’s it like having a job where your coworker could literally save your life?
Tuvela Two-Step 