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Q: Last week you saved a man's life. Was it the first time you pulled a fisherman from the sea?
A: No, it's like the sixth guy I think I've pulled out of the water. Once I pulled three guys out of the water; had to get in a survival suit and jump in the water, and they were almost dead. It was summer time, so it was a lot warmer. These guys were in 52 degree water. The guy that owned the boat, the guy I saved, got a tattoo of my boat on his arm, Arctic Nomad. The other guy I pulled out, it was too late to save him. You can see when Josh White comes on my boat his arms and legs work, he's got colour, and he's moving around. Once he starts moving, he turns white, he loses control of his limbs, that's hypothermia. He was really close to being in trouble. So, no it was not the first time.
Q: How were you able to get close to the guy you saved, it seemed like a long way to go and how was he able to grab onto the life line? Also, how long can everybody stay awake and working before the risk of accidents goes up to an unacceptable level?
A: It's like pulling up to a buoy, so once I located him I kept an eye on him between the waves. I lost track of him but was watching the life ring, I was going towards that and saw him again. The waves helped, putting him right up to rail level. If we would have dropped him we might not have been able to reach him in time. A minute's delay can be the difference between life and death with this dangerous fishing job. As for time without sleep, it's up to every captain to decide that. I know that when I'm tired my guys are even more tired. I watch my guys to know when that point is.
Q: How often does the crew do rescue drills?
A: We do them before every season. Usually before king crab fishing we do them with the coastguard. They come on the boat and they're a lot of help. They simulate a fire and we have to find it and put it out. It makes it more real. Nothing can prepare you for when it really happens. My legs were shaking for two hours after pulling Josh out of the water, from the emotions.
Q: What do you do with a greenhorn who gets seasick?
A: That's the worst thing. You have to take them in. They can't drink water, and they get delirious about two days later, then you have to put them on an IV because they're dehydrated. On the third day, you decide to take them into town and it takes us a day and a half to get to town. Usually they need medical attention by the time we get there. The seasickness is one of the worse things in the world. I get seasick.
Q: What kind of training do the mates have to go through to make it on your boat?
A: My mates are my brothers so we've been in the fisheries since we were kids. We usually don't take anyone out to sea who's never been out to sea before. Usually it's someone who's been doing fisheries before during summertime as kids. They're used to the hours. Somebody who has never been in a fishing family is used to eight or nine hours of sleep at night.
Q: What is the biggest wave you have seen. Do they scare you?
A: A 100ft wave, with probably 30ft of white water on top. It rolled us on our side, it threw a microwave from the galley through the door, square through the door. You know how small you are when you're out there, when you're in 100ft seas? You don't feel too big out there.
Q: How much does a full tank of fuel to fill your boat cost?
A: It'd be about $50,000. It lasts us about a month.
Q: Finding crab seems like looking for a needle in a haystack. What are the general rules/guidelines you use?
A: I always cover depth on opening day. You don't want to set all your gear in one depth. It could be real good or real blank. Usually when you cover depth you'll run into something and then grind on what you find. Don't listen to radio crab. They're even harder to catch than real crab!
Q: What is the biggest catch you've ever had in a season?
A: 134,000lb of king crab. We had 1.1 million lb of opilio one season.
Q: What's the difference between the derby and the IFQ and which do you prefer?
A: I prefer the derby. There's not much difference because we catch them as quick as we can. We can't pick our weather because we're a day and a half out. If you wait for the weather to get nice because there's a storm out there it could be three or four days with a low coming through. Also, you can stack quota on your boat and fish it for $1 per pound, that's how a lot of people get their big quotas. I just fish my own for whatever the cannery gives me. I guess I probably should join them, if you can't beat them join them, right? And put some quota on the boat.
Q: Is bycatch a big problem for the Time Bandit?
A: No. Any crab we discard is unharmed. And with the 9 and a half inch mesh at the back of the pot, it's one of the cleanest fisheries there is.
Q: I noticed that Andy works the deck during king crab season and drives the boat during opilio season. Do you work the deck during opilio season or do you just stick to driving the boat part-time?
A: This season I got out on deck. The only reason I wasn't there last year was because St. Augustine, the volcano where we live, was shooting out for like 12 days in a row and we couldn't fly out. That's the first opilio season I've missed in 27 years.
Q: We all know from the show that being a crabber is such a dangerous job, but is there a job out there that you think you would be afraid to do?
A: I'm scared of driving on the freeway, when I come home it's a culture shock. So I think you guys are crazy on the freeway. That's pretty darned dangerous!
