'Deadliest' Rounding Home

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Definition of Bering Sea Dementia (courtesy of deckhand Josh Harris, son of Captain Phil, of the Cornelia Marie):

- You do not think properly
- You run on no sleep
- You have too much work
- You have nightmares while awake


This is pretty much where our Deadliest Catch gang is at right now.

As in, the brutal Opilio crab season is coming to a close, and the crews are scrambling to pull in their final pots, load their tanks and head home after 50-some-odd days of nightmare. Next week is the season finale, but before then:


Rockin' on the Wizard: So, was there a gremlin on board that just would not let the crew get their last tank full? As in, they kept dumping and dumping and dumping and dumping (and wishing) and dumping, and the tank would still not top off. That makes for a cranky crew - especially one who had to chop off six tons of ice. But Captain Keith gets the line of the night: "The clock's tickin', the spray's freezin', the ice is chargin' but the Wizard is rockin'."

Five Man Zombie Crew Aboard the Northwestern: I can't claim credit for that line; has to go to narrator Mike Rowe. But that is just.too.perfect. Captain Sig did rescue his gear from last week's ice pack cometh - a 36-hour marathon session, but hey, what else is new. And all that moaning about having to leave a goldmine of crab behind ...? Turns out Captain Sig lands on it once again. Buy that man a lottery ticket.

Pinch Hitting on the Cornelia Marie: So, my fave relief captain Murray is still at the helm given Captain Phil ain't makin' it back to the boat this season. Phil is still in the hospital, and we'll see how that wraps up on next week's finale. Now, is it just me, or does Murray make it seem like 50-60 foot seas and 30-35 knot winds are no big deal? He is just so calm all the time not to mention he has the deep respect of the crew. I don't think Captain Phil could ask for a better pinch hitter.

Special Privileges on the Time Bandit: As Captain Andy does his best Captain Sig impression - that is, run his crew into the ground with a 4-day pot pulling marathon - nephew Scotty (bro' Johnathan's son) seems to think he can take his own breaks whenever he wants. What's up with that? Especially when they have only 36 hours to catch 190,000 pounds of crab? And didn't he almost kill the greenhorn last week? Time for special privileges to be revoked.


Tune in for the season finale of Deadliest Catch nest Tuesday at 9 p.m. on Discovery Channel. You can also tune into all new episodes of After the Catch at 10 p.m. to hear the captains' insights on the season's highs and lows. Visit the official Deadliest Catch Web site for the latest on the captains and crews of the Northwestern, Cornelia Marie, Time Bandit, Wizard, Early Dawn and North American.