Got CRABS??

I really enjoy watching the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch. I have DVR so I record them and then when I find myself with a little down time, I click one on. I find that it is one of the best programs on TV these days. I thought reality TV had gone by the wayside, and much of that "stick twelve people in a house and watch them have sex and fight" type reality has (thank GOD!) but this reality is while people are working hard. Some even argue it's the deadliest job in the universe, hence the name.

There are about seven boats which are manned by about seven-eight men, including the skipper. The only fish a few months out of the year for crab in the Bering Sea in insane weather. Often, during the season there are fatalities because of the deadly icy water into which someone falls. Also, the waves are so extreme, a boat will capsize. This is one of the deadliest occupations.

I was wondering the other day WHY I liked it so much? I think part of it is because it, in some ways the show echoes my "roots." My family has roots in Scandinavian fishing on my dad's side. That is how they made their a few lifetimes ago. One boat named "The Northwestern" in the show has two brothers of Scandinavian lineage, Sig and Edgar Hansen, who remind me of my dad's side in many ways...intelligent, wise, calculating fishermen. These guys are serious about fishing. As far back as they can remember, the family fished for a living. Sig often pulls out old maps of his grandfathers which are torn and tattered, outlining where the best "fishing holes" are for crab season. They work hard.

Another reason is the strong family bonds that are evident in some of the crews. These bonds remind me of the bonds shared on my mother's side. Deep love and loyalty are conveyed and displayed, even in these tough characters. It is a dichotomy of sorts...a tough "I can take anything, nothing hurts me, bring it on" types and yet a "I'd die for you, faithful, hugging" type. One boat is called "The Time Bandit." It has the three Hillstrand brothers on it. These guys work hard and play hard. There are a lot of "Shenanigans" that take place on this boat. It is the boat with the most fun and laughter. The family loyalty is strong and evident. Every year on the anniversary of his death, they sail up to an inlet where their father, the former captain of the boat, is buried on a hill. On this solemn occasion they shoot off fireworks, get drunk, and reminisce about their "pop." On another note, Captain Andy always is wearing a Penn State hat which definitely gets him points.

This theme of family love and loyalty is carried on in the "Cornelia Marie" with Captain Phil Harris. He is hard smoking, hard drinking, surly (his voice sounds like he swallowed a handful of razor blades), yet tender (his eyes well up with tears often) father of Jake and Josh, two deck hands who work hard for being relatively young fellows (they are both in their early twenties). These guys know a lot about the business for their age, showing they have been boating with dad for many years. Jake and Josh love to torment their father and "push buttons" getting Phil all riled up. Jake and Josh do a bit of fighting among themselves, as most siblings do, but always make up. A moving moment this past season was when Phil discovered a blood clost in his lung. The boys, especially Josh, showed much concern and compassion tending to Phil during the illness. After their dad had to be hospitalized, the boys stayed on the boat working through crab season because their dad desperately needed them to tend the business.

So I guess those are some of the reasons WHY I liked this show so much. These guys live on the edge. The work is so hard and demanding that you get raw, unrehearsed action and emotion. Even though many would say they aren't believers, they often aknowledge God, and call out to Him, because of the fierceness and reality of the nature in which they exist. These guys REALLY live every moment because they could literally really die at any moment.