Troubled Sea

One

I looked at my phone, waiting to see if anyone I'd called would call back to say that they had an opening on their boat for me. After almost ten minutes, I let out a frustrated groan and fell back on my bed, about ready to give up. It had been nearly two weeks since I first started asking around to see if any boats had openings for the king crab season, and I figured that if I hadn't heard back by now, then I probably wouldn't hear back at all. Then, after deciding to take a shower, I noticed that I had a missed call from Johnathan Hillstrand, so I decided to call him back and see what he wanted. "Hello?" He asked over the phone. "Hey Johnathan," I replied. "Hey Trace, how's it going?" He asked me. "Could be better. I haven't heard from any of the guys that I called looking for a job for king crab season," I said. "What a coincidence, that's what I called to talk to you about. I'm coming out of retirement this year, and I still need another deckhand for the season. I remembered Sig telling me that you were looking for a spot on a boat this year. I was waiting to see how many guys I could get for a crew, and I wound up being a deckhand short. The job's yours if you want it," he said. "I'm in. I already packed my bags just in case I got a job, and I know that everyone usually heads up to Dutch Harbor a few days from now, so I suppose I'll see you there," I said. "Yeah. I'm looking forward to it. See you," he said, then he hung up.

A few days later, while my adopted dad Sig and my sister Mandy were putting their stuff in the truck, I joined them with my stuff and told them about the phone conversation with Johnathan. "That's good to hear, Trace. I'm sure that you'll do great," Dad said. "Yeah. From what I've heard, your enthusiasm for crab fishing is a lot like your dad's," Mandy added. I got into the truck and we left for the airport to catch a flight to Dutch Harbor. "I bet you were kinda sad when Jake didn't call you back," Mandy said out of nowhere, a devious smile on her face. "I wasn't sad that he didn't call me back about a job," I said defiantly. "Uh-huh. Sure," she said skeptically. "I'm serious, Mandy," I said. "So am I. I know you had a crush on him when you first started watching Deadliest Catch," she said. "That was ten years ago, Mandy, and I was like fourteen!" I countered. "Which is right around the time that teenage girls get their first crush," Mandy said. "Whatever. I'm looking forward to fishing this year," I said. "Me too. I can't wait to hear about your first trip," she said.

When we landed in Dutch Harbor, we went over to the Northwestern, where I waited for Johnathan to pick me up and bring me over to the Time Bandit. While I waited, I went out to see if I could help with anything, instead ending up talking to Mandy's husband, Clark Pederson. "It's good to see you again, Trace. I wish we were working together here on the Northwestern, but I think you'll fit right in on the Time Bandit. I remember some of the stories that Mandy's told me about the pranks you've pulled in the past," he said. "I've grown out of that phase of my life," I said, and Clark laughed. "What?" I asked him. "They'll bring that side of you out again, trust me," he said just as Johnathan arrived. "Well, I gotta go. See you, Clark," I said, giving him a quick hug before I went up to the wheelhouse to say goodbye to Dad and Mandy. I went out and joined Johnathan, and we talked for a bit on the way to the boat. What I didn't expect was to find one of my old friends from high school on the boat. "Grant?" I asked as I jumped onto the deck from the dock. "Trace?" He asked, and we started talking about what we'd been up to since we last spoke. As it turned out, he went up to go crab fishing the fall after we graduated from high school, which explained why we hadn't really spoken since our graduation.

We soon got to work loading the pots onto the boat, and that night, I joined Johnathan for the traditional meet up of the captains and their families. When we arrived, I went over to sit next to Mandy on a log by the fire. "This season is probably the most important one in a while. If we don't catch enough king crab this year, there might not be a king crab season next year. We need to trust each other to be honest with each other about the numbers we're seeing in order for this to work out," Dad said. "That must be a pretty hard word for you, Sig," Keith Colburn, the captain of the Wizard, said, and he and Dad went back and forth about honesty for a few minutes. After the meet up, Johnathan and I went back to the Time Bandit, where I climbed into my bunk, curled up under the covers, and fell asleep.

I woke up in the morning and helped the guys finish preparing for our first trip of the season. Just before the fleet left for the crab grounds, the traditional blessing of the fleet took place, and afterward, we threw lines and began our journey to the fishing grounds. I went up to the wheelhouse for a bit, taking a seat in the chair on the port side of the boat, lightly drumming my fingers on the table in front of me. "I have an idea," Johnathan said, which made me feel nervous. "Alright guys, we're going to shoot the Northwestern with paintball guns right here," he said over the deck microphone. I went down to join the guys, unable to resist the opportunity to surprise my dad and sister. I was able to see into the wheelhouse of the Northwestern, and I could already tell that Dad knew that Johnathan was up to something. He hit the buzzer that was usually used to let the crew know to launch a pot, and we opened fire. The side of the Northwestern's wheelhouse started to get covered with orange, pink, blue and green dots as the paintballs hit it. Dad put down his window to yell at us, but I could tell that most of the yelling was directed at Johnathan, who simply laughed evily on the microphone. I made eye contact with Clark for a brief moment, and I remembered what he said about the guys on the Time Bandit bringing out the prankster in me again.

Shortly after paintballing the Northwestern, we went inside to unwind before the real work began. Freddy Maugatai, Grant, and myself went up to the wheelhouse, where Johnathan was tuning in to the weather forecast. "Winds gusting up to thirty knots, with fifteen foot seas lasting through Friday afternoon, increasing over time," a voice said over the radio. "Just another day on the Bering Sea," Freddy said. "Well, that sounds like fun," I said. "That's the spirit, Trace," Johnathan said. I went to my bunk to get some more sleep so I would feel energized to work when we arrived on the fishing grounds.

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Just thought I would write a fanfiction about Deadliest Catch. The thing with the crew of the Time Bandit paintballing the wheelhouse of the Northwestern is something that actually happened on the show a few years ago. Until next time!