Sig Hansen Gives Jake Anderson The Opportunity Of A Lifetime | Deadliest Catch
10 days into his beise season, Captain Sig Hansen has found his honeyhole. Yeah, a big stop looking pretty good. We’re definitely on a tight schedule, and with a delivery just 6 days away, the skipper needs to top off his tanks.
“I need about 15,000 crab, so today is imperative that we put all our pots in the right places. 95, the H will keep you alive. Jake stepped up, did a great job as Chief so far. Bottom line is, he’s going to be the go-to guy for any mechanical failures.”
With tech boss Edgar Hansen still on the disabled list, Jake fills in as the boat’s engineer. “Being a captain is just one goal in my life, and I want to accomplish that as soon as I can,” he says, but he has eyes on a bigger prize. “Opportunity is huge, and I’m just waiting for mine.”
“Hey Anderson, we’ve got about a mile here, then I think it’s your time to haul some gear.”
“I guess S is going to give Jake a little run at the boat again. Good for you, Jake. I’m going to make it happen for you, honestly. I didn’t think it was going to happen.”
“Dicky, get us to do a string.”
“138.”
“138, yeah. Is that it for that tank? Is there another manhole, or is that full too? You’re going to put the conveyor down. Almost got the front tank full. Put this last little Nab in the half tank. No, we’re not dragging it over. Go, go, go.”
“Are you kidding me? Oh yeah, kill a hydraulic blue. Now what? Is there a leak or something? What is it?”
“Another conveyor belt you just disconnected. Never fails. Every time I want to put the pedal to the metal, something has to happen. Blew a hose on the belt.”
“Oh, it’s the bottom one.”
“Yeah, the line was old. All it’s going to do is slow us down like we’re not behind already. Don’t want to.”
“Hey, can somebody relay to me what’s going on down there?”
With S chomping at the bit to pull pots, it’s already 2:00 PM, and we’ve pulled one string. Jake’s chance to haul gear begins to fade.
“Jake’s going to put on a new hose, but we disconnected, so why don’t you just haul the CLT unless you want to wait?”
“Let’s do that. We’re time away.”
“Roger. Put in the damn totes and carry them back there. I’m just going to keep hauling. Jake can play with it.”
210 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor, the weather is just crappy on the Northwestern. There is supposed to be weather coming in from the northwest at 30-35. Captain Sig Hansen approaches his next string in building seas.
“Is everybody on deck?”
“What about Anderson?”
“Yeah, where the hell do you think I’d be, in my bunk?”
Two days after missing a rare chance to drive the boat, it’s on the bow. Don’t miss this.
Aspiring Skipper Jake Anderson is still a little ticked off. He’s got to stop thinking about where he should have been by now and start thinking about where he’s going from now and in the future.
“Just put yourself in a place to get ridiculed all the time about what you’re not doing right. Oh, and the pity thing. You know, I should have been farther along, and I should have this and that, but maybe it’s time we let him haul some gear. I did promise.”
“Hey Anderson, why don’t you come on up? I think it’s your time to haul some gear.”
“I’m serious. We’re three tanks down, you’ve got wind and a bad tide, so have a good time. Don’t screw anybody up.”
“Yeah, I’m actually kind of scared.”
“You should be because you can screw somebody up right now. All right, get in here. Don’t worry about the bags, the numbers, nothing. You just want to find those pots and not screw anybody up. That’s your job. You should be looking at this and that, not that. Get your head out of that window and look here and there. They know what they’re doing; you don’t. That way, slow down because you have to make a turn. Get to port, man. Now you got to go in reverse, and the guy on the rail is going to get—let me do one. I’ll show you. Here, watch. It’s fine. It’s just—no, it’s just—keep doing what you’re doing. Stop talking. See, I’m not over-steering everything. You see how my hand’s not doing this all the time? But you just got to know when—that’s something that takes time. You don’t just jump up here and start running a boat. It doesn’t work that way. I’m sorry. All right, try this.”
“There’s one, there it is. That’s what I’m talking about right there. Jake’s come a long way. You know, he’s had some issues, and now he’s put those demons behind him. Look where he is now. Proud of him.”
“So is this your future?”
“Are you kidding me? I’m going to be kidding.”
“When’s all this going to happen?”
“How fast did it happen for you?”
“You’re not me. Do you want me to leave so you can do this by yourself for the night?”
“Next hour. If you think that this is fun right now, this is the exact opposite. It’s awesome here though. You know, one of my favorite places to be is in this chair.”
