Archive for the ‘Featured’ Category

Posted on February 27, 2010 - by Morgan

The Future of the Cornelia Marie

The season premiere of “Deadliest Catch” will be April 13, 2010. This will be the sixth season of the “Deadliest Catch” and the fifth season that the “Cornelia Marie” has been featured on the show. The television crew from Original Productions boards our boat during the fall for King Crab season and then in January to videotape the Opilio Season. They videotaped the King Crab season on board with Capt. Phil and the crew. In fact, the King Crab season included a “near collision” of the F/V Cornelia Marie and the chase boat.

Up to and through the passing of our skipper, the Discovery Channel cameras have been rolling.  The cameras were present in the hospital with Capt. Phil and up to the end.  The cameras then accompanied much of the activity in the weeks following, up to the private memorial for Capt. Phil on February 21st.  We don’t know how Discovery will choose to edit the show.  It’s true that Phil allowed the cameras into his hospital room after surgery.  While still recovering from surgery, Phil was unable to talk so he wrote a note to keep shooting, because “we need a great finish to this story”.  I actually thought one week after the stroke that he indeed was going to make a great recovery.  As a boy coming of age on Alaska fishing boats, I always thought of skippers as rather indestructible.

According to the show producer Thom Beers, whether any of the hospital footage will air will be a decision made later with Phil’s family.  I think that is the right decision and really the only appropriate way to go.

Most likely the cameras will be present at the beginning of the next King Crab opening in October to videotape Phil’s ashes being scattered into the Bering Sea.  Whether the Discovery Channel wishes to follow the Cornelia Marie through the remainder of the King Crab season and the Opilio season will be up to them.  Of course, the F/V Cornelia Marie is a fishing boat and needs to keep on working.  Appearing on the TV show doesn’t pay the bills, only bringing crab aboard does that.  We were fishing before the TV show and we’ll be fishing after the TV show.

Many have asked us if Jake and Josh will continue fishing.  It’s too soon to tell.  As part owners of the boat, they would always have that choice.  Many have also asked if Josh or Jake will now take over as Captain.  The job of skipper and deckhand are two different worlds.  Many great deckhands never become skippers for very good reasons.  Being a skipper is one the most stressful jobs in the world.  Things will become more clear as the months go by and we get closer to King Crab in October.

The F/V Cornelia Marie will finish Opilio fishing in a few weeks.  Our current skipper, Derrick Ray has done his best to finish off this tough season.  As stated earlier, Derrick is an old family friend who started his career earlier on the precursor to the Cornelia Marie – the F/V Milky Way.  The Milky Way was one of the boats owned by Ralph Collins who owned and built the F/V Cornelia Marie.

We are grateful to all the fans of the Cornelia Marie and Capt. Phil.  Thank you for the many nice words left here and other places on the internet.  I hope this blog entry answers some questions.  Capt. Phil was one of a kind and is missed by everyone.  I look forward to the new season with apprehension.  It will be strange to see Phil brought back to life on videotape only to face what we all know happened.  Yet, I also assume the camera captured new joyful and humorous moments too – so that will be good.

Posted on February 21, 2010 - by Morgan

Capt. Phil: A Celebration of Life

Discovery Channel hosted a memorial service for Capt. Phil’s family and friends today.  It was an event most agreed Phil would have loved.  F/V Cornelia Marie crew members flew in from the Bering Sea to join former crew members and other Bering Sea captains.  Many of the “Deadliest Catch” boat captains were in attendance to pay their respects to their friend and fellow fisherman.  The Alaska Crab fishing fleet is close knit and many fishermen know each other.

Everyone always said Phil enjoyed “playing with his toys”, so it was fitting to have a beautiful Harley Davidson in the corner.  On the walls hung many images of Capt. Phil and the Cornelia Marie crew.

After some words from Josh, Jake and other close friends and family, Discovery showed a specially edited video highlighting the best of Capt. Phil.  The video was very well done, narrated by Mike Rowe himself.

One of the most emotional speeches was from Todd Stanley, long time Cornelia Marie camera person.  Todd spent “hundreds of hours” and “hundreds of days” side by side in the wheelhouse with Phil.  During that time, Todd and Phil became very close friends.  Crew members even described their relationship like “an old married couple”.  When Phil had to leave because of a blood clot two years ago, Todd was there.  When Phil had a stroke and was medivacked to Anchorage, Todd was again there by his side.  Todd was assigned to cover the Skipper as his job, but came away with a good friend and years of great memories.

Thank you to Todd and all the other “Deadliest Catch” camera operators.  It’s a difficult job with little recognition.  Learn more about Todd here.

This was a private memorial for friends and family, but many of you have followed Capt. Phil and the Cornelia Marie since the beginning and are like extended family… so I wanted to share a little of this day with you.  Thank you to everyone who has sent in beautiful letters, emails and comments.

A public memorial will most likely be held during the annual “CatchCon” hosted by Discovery.

Posted on February 20, 2010 - by Morgan

Mike Rowe says goodbye to Capt. Phil

(The following is an excerpt from mikeroweworks.com) A few years ago I was in Seattle, preparing to film the first round of After the Catch. For those of you unfamiliar with the program, After the Catch is a talk show in a bar, where The Captains and crew from Deadliest Catch gather to chat about this and that. I impersonate a moderator, and do my best to keep things on the rails. (Think Charlie Rose with cigarettes and whiskey.)

Anyway, on that first day of shooting, I arrived a few hours before filming began, and observed the kind of chaos that one can only find around a TV production. We were going to be shooting in a style called “Live to Tape,” which means we’d record the show in real time, as though it were a live production, but edit later for content. (Can you imagine filming the Captains with no time delay?) Consequently, there were at least 7 cameras positioned around the big table, and all kinds of lights hanging from the ceiling and poking through the windows. The plan was to record two shows in one afternoon. Producers and directors and cameramen and all manner of production personnel were milling about, and there was a real sense that no one actually knew what the hell was going on. Which was indeed the case.

As the Captains took their places around the table, it was clear they were not entirely sure what to expect. I can’t say they were nervous, but I can assure you that ambiguity does not sit well with men who are accustomed to being in charge. This kind of filming is the opposite of what goes on aboard their boats, and they had lots of questions about how the day would unfold. Unfortunately, I had no answers for them. (Unlike Captains, I actually prefer confusion and ambiguity – especially in television – and I told them as much. I also suggested that, being in a bar, there were any number of remedies nearby capable of taking the edge off – a completely unnecessary piece of advice, given my audience and setting.)

The only one who appeared completely at ease was Phil. He arrived at the last minute, and did so in style – cruising into the parking lot aboard a brand new motorcycle. He walked into the bar with a big smile, said hello to the gang, and then glanced at me with an amused expression. We then had the following exchange.  (Please click here to finish reading the article on Mike’s personal website.  Thanks Mike, great job)

Posted on June 10, 2009 - by Brittney Reynolds

F/V Cornelia Marie at Island Seafoods in Kodiak

One lucky guy from Island Seafoods had the pleasure of chatting with Josh Harris and Captain Murray of the Cornelia Marie last week after returning from tendering herring in Togiak Bay.

“Josh and Capt. Murray are busy getting the boat ready to head back up to Bristol Bay to tender salmon in the fast and furious Sockeye Salmon fishery. The boat will leave Kodiak in five days. Before the boat heads up to the Bay, Josh and Capt. Murray are going to fly down to San Diego to film the ‘After the Catch’ episode tomorrow. There the guys will meet up with Capt. Phil Harris, his younger son, Jake and the rest of the captains from the Discovery Channel’s hit show.”

Among other juicy tidbits, he also discovered that while Captain Murray will be running the boat for the summer season, Josh is headed to New York to participate in some Discovery Channel events and help promote the show and industry.

To view more details and tons of great pictures from Island Seafoods chat with Captain Murray and Josh aboard the Cornelia Marie, check out the Island Seafoods blog HERE.  All I know is suddenly I have an urge to get a job with Island Seafoods…

Posted on June 9, 2009 - by Morgan

Kodiak Boat “F/V Incentive” debuts on Deadliest Catch

As many of you know, the F/V Cornelia Marie is based out of Kodiak, which is where I grew up and went to high school.  Many of the families in Kodiak were fishing families and as a result many of my classmates are fishermen.  Tonight on the Deadliest Catch, we will see the debut of a new boat on the show – the F/V Incentive.  The boat’s skipper is Harry Lewis and the deckhands are Larry Ryser, Doug Dawson, Dominic Costello, Jimmy Johnson, Larry Gundersen and Nuni Canete.  I know most of these guys from growing up in Kodiak.

Some of my friends fished every summer growing up and therefore were quite experienced by the time they graduated from High School.  I know at least a couple guys who became skippers directly after high school at the age of 18.  So, these guys on the F/V Incentive are going to be experienced fishermen who know what they’re doing.

The F/V Cornelia Marie had a rough winter with bad weather, break downs and trouble with ice.  The F/V Incentive (97 ft) is one of the smaller boats and probably had more of a challenge in dealing with these same problems.  I expect the F/V Incentive is going to provide for some good viewing.  These photos are from the Dutch Harbor Dirt website – check it out.

Posted on June 4, 2009 - by Brittney Reynolds

FANCAST interview with Captain Phil Harris

I’m sure all the Deadliest Catch fans out there are just as excited as I am to see Captain Phil Harris back on the open sea. It’s great to see him back in his chair doing what he loves and spending some quality fishing time with Jake and Josh. Just can’t get enough of Captain Phil and the Cornelia Maria crew? Check out this FANCAST interview to get even more of your Captain Phil fix! Nobody is more aware of the struggles Alaskan Crab Fisherman face every season on the Bering Sea than Captain Phil.

“You got to be mentally tough. You got to drop all [your personal stuff] and forget all that. You’re just walking away from everything you know. You’re not going to be back for three months. That’s tough to do.”

Read about the Captain’s pet peeves, must-haves on any fishing trip and more in the FANCAST interview and of course, don’t miss seeing Captain Phil in person June 25th at Ray’s Food Place in Mount Shasta, California.  Captain Phil will be at Ray’s from 4 to 7pm meeting, greeting and signing autographs to say “thank you” to his fans and customers. Come see your favorite Deadliest Catch Captain and taste his new line of Captain’s Reserve Coffee!

Posted on June 2, 2009 - by Morgan

Capt. Phil of the Cornelia Marie is back on the Deadliest Catch!

You can’t keep a good man down! Capt. Phil is back in his favorite chair as the skipper for the F/V Cornelia Marie. At the start of the King Crab season, Phil’s doctor said he wasn’t ready yet to go back out to sea. Phil was forced to sit out and let relief skipper Murray Gamrath take the helm for the season.
In early January, at the start of the Opilio season – Capt. Phil re-joins the crew!

Posted on May 27, 2009 - by Morgan

Before the Deadliest Catch, Mike Rowe did QVC

The King Crab Season is finally over on the Deadliest Catch… thank goodness.  It was a long season for the Cornelia Marie – we were one of the very last boats fishing in the fleet.  It just took us that long to catch our quota.  Also, I did hear some comments about the “large” amount of deadloss.  That aspect was played up a bit on the show through editing.  Every boat experiences some deadloss on every trip.  Of course, any dead loss is too much.  We hope to experience zero but it occurs for many reasons.

So to lighten the mood – As many of you know, the voice of the “Deadliest Catch” is Mike Rowe.  He is also the host of the popular show “Dirtiest Jobs” on Discovery Channel.  But, how many of you knew he spent four years at QVC fine-tuning his on-camera wit?  Okay, so  a few of you knew… well, I just found out.

Posted on May 22, 2009 - by Morgan

Lessons learned from watching the “Deadliest Catch”

Has your husband made comments that you you’re watching too much “Deadliest Catch?  Or maybe your girlfriend doesn’t really get why you watch the show about crab fishermen?  Well, next time – tell them your learning valuable lessons.  I came across a blog today entitled, “Five Things Deadliest Catch Teaches Small Business Owners” by Steve Averill.  Since I’m a small business owner myself, this caught my attention.

I think its a good article and it made me realize that in many ways I operate my small businesses similar to the way I was taught about work growing up commercial fishing.  My employees and I work around the “job” and not an arbitrary time clock.  We work as long as it takes to make the deadline and then take time off when the work allows.  My work ethic is definitely the same as the fishermen I grew up with – they are the hardest working group you will ever encounter.  To this day – I have never seen anyone work harder than the man who owned the F/V Cornelia Marie before my mother and Captain Phil … his name is Ralph Collins.  I will have to write about him some day.

As it turns out, I was shocked to find many other articles written about “lessons learned from the Deadliest Catch”.  There are several articles written about “leadership”, like this one and this one.  Or how about “leadership lessons for the military” learned from the Deadliest Catch.  Lastly, my short search turned up this gem about “Poker lessons” learned from crab fishermen.

Has anybody out there have any lessons they learned from the show?

Posted on May 12, 2009 - by Angi MacLaren

Deadliest Crew

Remember to go online to www.discovery.com/catch to watch the new Captains Raw video. See them in a whole new light.  You can also watch CatchCon videos and the Catch Confidential Web Series.