Last night's Deadliest Catch episode inspired me to share with you a special tour I got while I was in Unalaska for the Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Bombing of Dutch Harbor and Aleut Evacuation- a crab boat tour! My friend and Unalaska resident, Lydia, surprised me with arranging a tour of her friends fishing vessel- F/V Baranof, on a rainy Saturday when all the warbird flights were grounded due to the lousy weather. I was stoked! I have been watching the Discovery Channel's, Dutch Harbor based crab fishing show for the last nine years, not in an effort to learn more about crustaceans but in a effort to learn more about the Aleutians itself and the type of environment that my grandfather would have encountered while flying P-40's there. It somehow connected me to his experience. As a positive result, I now have a new found appreciation for the fishing industry.
Deck of the 180ft F/V Baranof
Anatomy of a crab boat: the launcher, the block, coiler and the crane (left).
F/V Baranof Captain Patrick Sjodin. Good sport. Thanks for your time.
I took quite a bit of teasing for my viewership of the show and especially for the LFS Bering Sea 2017 sweatshirt I donned while at sea during the WWll history tour that took us out along the chain to Attu and back. Now understand, some people from those parts, have a beef with the show; how is has become dramatic, fake, exaggerated, over glamorized (is
that even possible of a fishing show?) and in a sense, invaded their community. All sentiments I agree with especially in the latter years of the show but it is television and most TV shows are
like that. Real with a hint of exaggeration or outlandishness. They almost have to be in order for the show come across the tube as compelling enough to watch. It is the nature of television. It is 'entertainment' after all. How entertaining would it be if the people on the show were as boring as dirt? Exactly.
My buddy and retired Bering Sea crab fisherman, Travis Lofland. BIG props to you Travy and friends. I don't know how you did it...
Aside from the stretch in reality that it may be at times, a positive aspect of the show is that it brings light to one of the many overlooked industries that we so easily enjoy the fruits of.. or in this case, the meat of. These guys work in some horrendously treacherous conditions just so we can eat crab and other sea foods! And after watching an episode a few weeks back where they fished through 30 foot seas and 50mph winds, I have even more appreciation for those who catch the crab I eat. I mean, I know what 10 foot seas feel like (see my short, measly in comparison, video below) and that was plenty enough. And I was just sitting in the wheelhouse never mind running around on a pitching and rolling deck with freezing spray. Seriously- that is some unbelievable shit they go through. Almost unimaginable. So why not recognize them- we (and I don't mean me.. just to be clear) celebrate the Kardashian's and Honey Boo Boo for goodness sakes and they provide us with nothing! I 'd say we owe these crab guys a great big freaking thank you!!!
Oh dear... and I digress, the crab boat tour...right. Lydia, sweet soul Lydia, being the good sport and human that she is, indulged my inner guilty pleasure and set up a tour. Alex, one of the CAF warbird pilots, came along and boy was he glad he did. He and the engineer had a blast talking mechanics. I thought they were never going to emerge from the three floor engine room. The F/V Baranof is not your standard crab fishing boat, it also serves as it's own processor. It processes and boxes all it's own catch right there on board to ensure the highest standard of quality and freshness. The frozen and boxed product is then shipped and sold mostly to Asia. Why? Simple. Supply and demand. They are huge seafood consumers, much more than the U.S. and they buy the stuff up. Luckily for us, not all of it went west that day, we were sure to leave with two boxes of freshly caught crab to be enjoyed on our last day of the commemoration. And it was scrumptious!
Lydia and I on deck of the F/V Baranof
Alex, one of the CAF pilots with our dinner! 2- 11lb boxes of crab.
Scarlet King Crab (front) vs. Tanner or Snow crab (back). Scarlet all the way.
Alex & Cricket enjoying a well deserved crab feast after a weekend full of flying.
So, I'll continue to withstand the friendly jabs at my show preferences because in the end, I actually feel grateful because it inspired me to learn more about the Aleutian Islands and what my grandfather persevered in the 1940's. It peaked my interest, and it helped motivate me to travel there. And look what has come of this so far? No complaints here... nothing but smiles. Fish on.
As I mentioned in one of my last posts, I just love to see the law of attraction in action. For those of you who are not familiar, the law of attraction is when you put your thoughts and energy into something and then you begin to attract people or circumstances about that same thought. If you feel like you have never experienced this, you have but may not have been aware of it. A great example is this blog. I started this journey without knowing much about Alaska, well other than it has the most stunning geography, that they have some great fishing, and that my grandfather fought up there in WW2 and oh, Northern Exposure, I loved that show. And now on a weekly basis, I either get emails or run into people who are connected to either WW2 in Alaska or those who previously or currently live there, have family there, work there etc... It does not matter how often it happens, the excitement of the discovery never gets old. It makes this large world we live in seem so small.
Crab fisherman, pilot, throttle man, Captain , and all around good guy- Travis Lofland at last year's book signing.
One of the great, Alaskan rooted, people I have met in the last year is Travis Lofland. If that name sounds familiar, it should. He is one of those brave Alaskan crab fisherman who for the last 10 years, has entertained us weekly on Discovery's hit show The Deadliest Catch. Turns out, when he is not on the Bering Sea, he lives near me and thanks to the magic of social media, we were able to connect and become friends. Travis is an incredibly inspirational guy who wears a lot of hats besides the burly tough guy crabber.
It was about this time last year, I discovered that Travis and his Corn en Bleu trained chef of a brother, Jason Lofland, collaborated to create a very cool and manly Cookbook titled CATCH. I got wind that he was going to be on our local radio station and simply contacted him. You see, I had this big idea of a book signing/cookout featuring him and his book. He was delightfully onboard so I happily set up a big ol' book signing (a.k.a. party) which was put on a by a great company in our community, Anna Maria Island Accommodations. They cooked up and served over 200 of his delectable fish tacos (page 134) to all who were willing to wait in line. Needless to say, the turn out was huge and he nearly ran out of books. It was the most fun I have had in months!
Since then, Travis and I have remained in contact. I love hearing about his shenanigans. And by shenanigans, I mean the guy never stops. He moves from one adventure to the next. He dreams big and goes for it. I love it. Besides working at one of the most deadliest jobs, crab fishing in the treacherous Alaskan waters for the last 13 years, he is also a proud pilot- his plane, a Mooney, stays here in the lower 48... for now. And when he is not flying or fishing, he is zipping around at ridiculous speeds in the warm Florida waters as the throttle man in the big boy power boat- The Instigator. Now that, my friend, is some craziness. They placed first in their class this past July.
Sarasota Powerboat Parade, July 2013
On land, with both feet planted, you can find him in the back country tackling wild animals then turning them into mouth watering dinners for segments in his own aspiring TV travel/cooking show called "Catch Em, Kill Em and Grill Em". A concept I dig. I'm no hunter but I love to eat meat!
As if that is not enough, his latest venture is starting a charter fishing company out of Key West which will open when he gets back from the crab fishing season working on board the legendary F/V Cornelia Marie.
Travis, last week, with a big ol' King Crab on board the F/V Cornelia Maria.
All that bravery aside, the best part about Travis, is his enormous heart (oops sorry Trav, secret's out). He gives his limited time to different charities around the area including a fishing tournament for the physically and mentally challenged, "The Friendliest Catch" which raises money for the Suncoast Charities for Children, "Charlie-palooza", to raise money for the The Angelus, a home for severely handicapped individuals, and "Hugs for Kids" which raises money for kids with cancer. And at last years book signing we combined efforts to raise money for a good friend of his who was battling cancer. This month, we are doing another book signing but this time to raise money for the Honor Flight Network, which I am very excited about. For anyone who does not know, the Honor Flight flies WW2 vets to Washington, D.C. to visit the War Memorial. I plan on being a guardian this year for our local chapter.
Yeah, you. Are you going to be there? Friday, November 29th, 2013
Last week, as Travis was all the way in Unalaska, Alaska (Dutch Harbor), where on June 3rd, 1942, Japan launched the first ever air attack on North American soil to begin the WW2 Aleutian Campaign, we were working out the details for the next big book signing. I could not help but be awestruck with the process of life and the way in which things always seem to tie themselves together. It also made me wonder what would have become of the our continent if it had not been for those courageous American and Canadian soldiers who withstood the worst possible conditions in a deathly cold and desolate place to fight for our freedom.
Wow. The profound appreciation of just how connected we all are, no matter where we come from, just got even deeper. Darn cool, I'd say.
