The Discovery Channel is airing a four part mini series entitled, “After The Catch”, starring the captains of the vessels from Deadliest Catch. Along with Mike Rowe, the captains will relive some of the previous aired video and talk about some fishing stories.
The Mini-Series aires tonight 10PM EST on the Discovery Channel. You won’t want to miss it!
Here are the mini-series overviews:
SHOW 1: Overboard
The series opens with some of the Bering Sea’s greatest stories of successful and failed rescue attempts. Spike Walker himself will retell the great Master Carl story, and the ship’s two survivors will meet in person for the first time since their rescue over 30 years ago. The fishermen will talk about their own losses at sea, and they’ll get a chance to swap stories with two of the greatest Coast Guard personnel ever: superstar chopper pilots Jimmy Ng and Laura Guth. As always, there will be no shortage of laughs, as the guys inflate a raft (at the table) and make Mike wear a survival suit. Premiere: May 29, 10 p.m. ET/PT
SHOW 2: Man vs. Nature
The fishermen will swap stories of the worst storms they remember; these are harrowing near-death tales of extraordinary focus at the helm. They will talk about what it’s like to face the ice pack and just how terrifying it is to know it could rip their boat and sink it like the Titanic. They’ll talk about what it takes to scare a sea captain, namely gigantic rogue waves that come from nowhere. They’ll relive the Big Valley tragedy and talk about what might have been done differently. Then, they’ll lighten the mood and have some fun with stories of exhaustion, notorious seasickness and crazy antics at sea. Premiere: June 5, 10 p.m. ET/PT
SHOW 3: Mysteries at Sea
Our captains and deckhands shed light on some of the more peculiar aspects of crab fishing. What are the rituals these guys go through every time they head out? What kind of toughness is expected from a crab fisherman? Viewers will hear the incredible story of the Ghost Ship, the Golden Viking, told by Phil Harris’ dad, who was her captain. Spike Walker will return to lend a new angle to the St. Patrick story. The guys will also share their own “close call” stories, where they were barely spared their ships and their lives. Viewers will understand how many of these guys escape TO the Bering sea because of their troubled lives on land, and they’ll get a chance to meet the series creator, Thom Beers, who will explain how and why Deadliest Catch came to be. Finally, all the captains will disappear from the room, and the deckhands will take over. At that point, Mike can get the straight scoop on those captains. Premiere: June 12, 10 p.m. ET/PT
SHOW 4: On the Edge
First, the guys will talk about the lineage connected to their career, starting right at the table, with the Hansens, Hillstrands, Harrises and even the Hendricks. Viewers will delight in tales of the glory days of crab fishing, when money flowed as freely as the booze and crab fishermen were the new breed of prospectors. Mike will have them weigh in on how they feel about those noteworthy “chickens” who abandoned ship, and he’ll invite a couple of Deadliest Catch’s most high-profile women to toss in their perspective as well. The guys will have a little send-up for the “Deadliest Greenhorn,” as they bring Kevin Davis to the table, and finally, they’ll celebrate some of the most notorious pranks, both at sea and onshore. Premiere: June 19, 10 p.m. ET/PT
Rogue waves, also known as freak waves, are relatively large and spontaneous ocean surface waves which are a threat even to large ships and ocean liners. In oceanography, they are more precisely defined as waves that are more than double the significant wave height (SWH), which is itself defined as the mean of the largest third of waves in a wave record.
Once thought to be only legendary, they are now known to be a natural ocean phenomenon, not rare, but rarely encountered. Anecdotal evidence from mariners’ testimonies and damages inflicted on ships suggested they occurred; however, their scientific measurement was only positively confirmed following measurements of a rogue wave at the Draupner oil platform in the North Sea on January 1, 1995. During this event, minor damage was inflicted on the platform, confirming that the reading was valid.
In the course of the Project MaxWave, researchers from the GKSS Research Centre, using data collected by ESA satellites, identified a large number of radar signatures that may be evidence for rogue waves. Further research is underway to verify the method that translates the radar echoes into sea surface elevation.
Freak waves have been cited in the media as a likely source of the sudden, inexplicable disappearance of many ocean-going vessels. However, although this is a credible explanation for unexplained losses, there is to date little clear evidence supporting this hypothesis nor any cases where the cause has been confirmed, and the claim is contradicted by information held by Lloyd’s Register. One of the very few cases in which evidence exists that may indicate a freak wave incident is the 1978 loss of the freighter MS München, detailed below. In February 2000, a British oceanographic research vessel sailing in the Rockall Trough west of Scotland encountered the largest waves ever recorded by scientific instruments in the open ocean.
Have you played? If not, make sure to check it out. Takes a bit to figure out what you are doing but it’s definitely an exciting game to play. Learn to be your own captain, plot using gps, pick your crew, and make some money!
If you have played, what’s your highest score? Let us know by click on the “Comments” Link below the post title.
While watching the show, you are probably wondering how many different types Alaskan King Crab there are; well, we’ve found that information for you.
The Red King Crab
Caught in the waters of Bristol Bay and Norton Sound, the true red king crab is the most prized species of crab in the world. There was just one major harvest of red king crab in Alaska this winter. The season lasted only 4 days. Over 250 boats participated in the fishery (in the waters of Bristol Bay) and harvested a total of more than 14 million pounds. Alive, red king crab are actually a dark burgundy in color. When they are cooked they turn bright red- with firey-red highlights on the top part of the shell, and especially around the toes. Taste-wise, true red king crab is the best in the world. The meat is snow-white, with highlights of bright red.? Succulent, and served steaming-hot, there is no other meal I would rather have.
The Blue King Crab
Caught in Alaska near St. Matthew Island and the Pribilof Islands, this species is known for its proportionally giant claws. Pribilof Island blue king crab are among the largest crab in the world.? In Dutch Harbor in 1998 I saw blue king crab being unloaded at the dock weighing more than 18 lbs! When they are alive, blue king crab are brown with royal blue highlights. However, when they are cooked they turn a bright orange-red. This is why blue king crab is generally marketed as “red king crab”. Taste-wise, blue king crab is a close second to true red king crab.? When it is available in-season, I like serving blue king crab when I am entertaining guests. They are always amazed at the size of the legs- and especially the claws.
The Golden King Crab
Caught in the waters surrounding the Aleutian chain, brown king crab are the smaller of the three main species. Brown (golden) king crab is similar in taste to blue king crab. These crabs are the smaller cousins to red and blue king crab. They are a good value.
The Scarlet King Crab
Though not commercially marketed, the Bering Sea also holds a fourth type of king crab known as the Scarlet king crab. Though I have never tried this type of king crab, I have heard a tale or two that they have extremely sweet meat. Scarlet king crab have neither the size nor population to sustain a commercial harvest.
A crab boat that spent nearly four decades in the Bering Sea will begin a second life as a tourist attraction in Ketchikan later this month.
For a fee, visitors to the Southeastern port can get a tour of the fishing vessel Sea Star, which appeared on the first season of the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” before the boat was retired from the crab fishery following crab rationalization in 2005.
“The show is very popular–we get quite a few people coming down to the docks here in Seattle wanting to see a crab boat,” said Sea Star owner Larry Hendricks, a retired crab fisherman who now works as a consultant for the production company that films “Deadliest Catch.” “So it just made common sense to look at the possibility of making it a tourist attraction and promote the Alaskan crab fishery.”
Sea Star Tours is a joint project between Hendricks and Gary Stewart, the captain of the retired vessel Polar Lady, which also appeared on the first season of “Deadliest Catch.” Many of the series’ current stars, including the captains of the Northwestern, the Cornelia Marie and the Maverick, are investors in the business, and Hendricks said they’ll occasionally drop in on the Sea Star tours to talk with their fans.
“They’ll be working their regular vessels also, but we’ll be flying them up to Ketchikan to make guest appearances,” he said.
The Sea Star venture is the latest example of how the success of “Deadliest Catch” has reverberated throughout the Alaskan crab business. The Aleutian Ballad, a crab boat appearing on the current season of the show, is also running a tourism operation out of Ketchikan aimed at cruise ship passengers. Both the Northwestern and the Cornelia Marie now offer merchandise for sale on their websites. Hendricks said those products will also be among the offerings in the Sea Star’s onboard gift shop, which will also feature its own souvenirs.
The Sea Star is in Seattle now, but Hendricks hopes to sail it up to Ketchikan by May 20.
