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00:01Newfoundland.
00:03A beautiful and isolated island in the North Atlantic.
00:07It's like nowhere else on Earth.
00:10Nice and slow, not too fast.
00:12Some windy out here.
00:13And harbours are the lifeblood of this place.
00:16Hold it!
00:17The island's population of just over half a million
00:19depends on fishing.
00:21Come on with it!
00:22Chipping.
00:23Coming down, boys.
00:24Search and rescue.
00:25And deep water exploration to thrive.
00:28But keeping these harbours running on a good day is hard work.
00:31One down, one up.
00:34Never mind a bad one.
00:36Oh, my.
00:37Watch your head.
00:38This life is not for the faint of heart.
00:40Need some assistance over.
00:43Every day brings new challenges on both land.
00:46Today's blowing about 60.
00:48And sea.
00:50Anchor gone!
00:51Bit of a privilege to be able to actually do something like this
00:54because not everyone can.
00:56Heading back to dock.
00:57And these are the stories of the people who put it all on the line to keep them going.
01:02This is another day for us.
01:03Yeah!
01:04Woo!
01:05Yeah!
01:06These are the East Harbour heroes.
01:10John's traffic.
01:11John's traffic.
01:12Atlanticate Fisher.
01:13Fisher.
01:14St. John's traffic.
01:15Go ahead.
01:16So here we are coming into the port of St. John's.
01:17One of the most beautiful, natural harbours of the world.
01:19Just have it ready to hand up to the bow.
01:20Yeah, roger that.
01:21You tell me when they come in there.
01:22This little red dot here.
01:23This little red dot here.
01:24This is us here in St. John's Harbour.
01:25There's different ships that are all around the port.
01:27It can be a really tricky port getting in and getting out of.
01:29The only way into St. John's from the Atlantic Ocean is through the narrows.
01:43Ringed by steep rock walls, it takes a skilled captain to bring ships into port.
01:48Known as threading the needle, its narrowest point is only 60 metres wide.
01:54I'm Paul Dalton.
01:55I'm from Cape Royal, Newfoundland.
01:57And I work the harbour.
01:59With a fleet of 28 boats, Paul provides a range of marine services up and down the east coast of the island.
02:06Different operations, different jobs.
02:09Four, three, one, two minutes.
02:10Give us a gentle push midships, please.
02:12Push on easy midships.
02:14Tug work, maintenance work.
02:16We take some debris out of the harbour.
02:18I'm not designed for sitting in an office all day long.
02:25Here in front of us now is the OceanX dock.
02:27You see their containers are piled up.
02:30Operating out of its 23-acre terminal, OceanX is the biggest transportation company in eastern Canada.
02:38Keeping all of it running are the hardhat heroes at OceanX.
02:42Hey, Brian, you've got to keep travelling your tower now.
02:44Very easy to peel a mountain for sure.
02:45Every week, three massive ships, the Sanderling, the Avalon, and the Canagra, arrive in St. John's loaded with supplies.
02:54It's food, medicine, vehicles, heavy equipment, you name it, we can ship it.
03:00The only thing we do not need to bring into the island is the fish.
03:03My name is Johnny Coombs.
03:04I'm from Newfoundland and Labrador.
03:06I'm the assistant peer superintendent of OceanX.
03:08I'm going on to my ninth year.
03:11I've always been interested in working in the marine industry, so it's nice to follow a bit of a dream to come to work to a place like this.
03:18The first ship in today is the Canagra.
03:21Johnny and the crew have 12 hours to get this ship back out to sea.
03:25We're getting ready to shift this crane.
03:27He's offloaded in the front.
03:29As soon as the ship is docked, ground crews have to get 400-ton mobile cranes into position for the offload.
03:37Before we move the crane, obviously the whole area has to be cleared out.
03:40It's about a dozen pieces of equipment, even employees here working.
03:44All right, let's go!
03:47I'm the first in my generation to work here.
03:50I have three boys at home, ages 2, 9 and 11.
03:53They're a handful.
03:54One day I'd like to have them down here working with me.
03:57It's a great place to work and it's a good industry for them.
03:59OceanX may have some of the biggest ships in port, but there are plenty of other big players in the harbour.
04:09We're starting to come up alongside the fishing boats here now.
04:12From the wheelhouse of his tugboat, Paul Dalton has a clear view of one of them, the Atlantic Storm, owned by the Quinlan Brothers.
04:20Trying to get that wire back now to power up that panel?
04:23Yeah.
04:24Quinlan Brothers is a family owned and operated fishing business with a fleet of 11 boats.
04:30You got pinned on there, see?
04:32Yeah.
04:33At the helm of the Quinlan vessels is a special breed of mariner.
04:37My name is Paul Duguay.
04:39I'm a skipper on the Atlantic Storm.
04:41Paul and his crew are gearing up for cod season that starts in 72 hours.
04:46You want one on either end there?
04:48Yeah, you want one down here.
04:50Problem is, the cod boats aren't ready.
04:53A new fishing system is being installed.
04:58And it's putting pressure on Quinlan fleet manager Chris Blunden.
05:02How's everything looking?
05:04I don't know if you want to come up with a shorter piece of pin bar?
05:07Yeah, well I can get a new piece for the railroad.
05:09Right now we can just shorten that up.
05:10My name is Chris Blunden and I look after all the maintenance for Quinlan's vessels and their refits and stuff.
05:16Chris, we know each other for a long time, since 95.
05:19He's our shore skipper, you could call him.
05:22He knows whatever boat that's in our fleet.
05:25He can fix things.
05:26If he can't, he knows who to talk to.
05:28And he's a good man to have around.
05:31Skippers like Paul Duguay lease a fishing vessel from Quinlan, then share the profits of their catch with the boat owners.
05:38Shrimp and cod and redfish and crab is the thing we do every year.
05:44This is where we make our money, really.
05:46And then, well, the rest of us keep in the revenue common, right?
05:50It's a win-win.
05:51So long as Chris has the boats ready for the upcoming cod season, which lasts only 12 days.
05:56Here in Newfoundland, the seasons are short, they're tight.
05:59It's pretty easy to miss one.
06:01You know, you've got to be ready.
06:02Getting ready to fish cod this year means spending a lot of money
06:06on a very efficient hook-and-line system.
06:10These boats, some of them were built 20 years ago, some of them were built 25 years ago.
06:14And now is the time to invest into gear.
06:17The new gear lets crews catch more fish in less time.
06:21It's straightforward.
06:22You get a busted hook, you just change them, and it's not hard to replace either.
06:27And installing it on four of their boats is costing Quinlan's over a million dollars.
06:32Back over at OceanX, the clock is ticking on their offload of the Canagra.
06:42Their experienced team of crane operators are some of the best in the business.
06:47Can I get the crew member out of William Reaper?
06:49Yeah, 10-4.
06:50Yeah, he should be out of my way there, yeah.
06:53Most other ports on the east coast of North America, they usually have gantry cranes, yes.
06:59And these are actually mobile harbor cranes.
07:02You need more depth perception.
07:03I think you've got to be more skilled.
07:05The crane's 1,000 horsepower engine drives the pulleys, levers, and cables to lift up to 104 tons.
07:13There's three EXFU tanks there.
07:16Just leave them, and then everything else doesn't matter.
07:18All right.
07:19Looks like it's hooked on the forward end there.
07:23Oh, no, you got her.
07:24I'll go if you got her.
07:25And one guy here is a signal man letting me know if I'm having a problem with a container.
07:30We don't want any spills or any issues with the dangerous ones coming off.
07:34We usually like to get them out first if we can.
07:36There's a big difference between, you know, some containers are five tonne and your next one is 34.
07:41And handling that 48 metres out is a special gift to be able to move those like they do.
07:47Despite the time crunch on Johnny and the crane operators, they've asked trainee Brian Goss to get in on the action.
07:54I'm going up now and check out the engine room and the winches there, isn't there?
07:57All right. Sounds good. Start.
07:59Brian's cockpit sits eight storeys above the ground.
08:03To be honest with you, I'm afraid of heights, actually.
08:06I know this is kind of funny because I'm trying to go for a crane operator.
08:10Overcoming a fear of heights is one thing, but mastering this Titan is quite another.
08:16We're going to just check our limits there and get back there, OK?
08:22Most fellas, when they operate the crane first in it, they're a bit nervous.
08:26So when you're holding on the two joysticks, it tends for your hands to sweat.
08:30And you're high up near and got to watch what you're doing and try not to screw up.
08:38Veteran operator Shane Williams is showing Brian the ropes.
08:42You get boomed up now is another good time.
08:44You can have a real good visual on your spreader there.
08:47The operators have a lot to deal with in this port, even when conditions are ideal.
08:52You're lifting something so heavy, it's not easy.
08:54You've got everybody around you. There's a lot of things going wrong.
08:57I mean, you're looking for the men.
08:58You're looking for where the next canes are going to come on the drop.
09:01It can be on them and then it can fall off.
09:03I mean...
09:04You can be quite nerve-wracking as a 400-ton crane there you're operating.
09:07It's not a little Mini Cooper going down the road.
09:09This is a school of hard knocks.
09:13But it's the only way Brian's going to learn.
09:16Put some slack under there.
09:21Brian struggles to lift the container from the one beneath it.
09:25I'll try.
09:26I'll let it down now and then haul on it again.
09:33Hands are still sweating, bro.
09:36Ah, they're pretty sweaty.
09:37Don't sweat for a while yet.
09:39Back aboard the Atlantic Storm...
09:4384?
09:44We'll show Chris how to hang a line.
09:46Technicians Josh and Kerwin still have a lot to do to complete the install of the new
09:51Autoline system on Skipper Paul's boat.
09:54Hopefully in two or three days we'll have her ready to go.
09:58The Autoline fishing system is a huge improvement on older net-based ways of catching fish.
10:05It allows Skippers to target specific fish and minimize damage to other species.
10:12The machine automatically baits hooks attached to a line that is then dropped in the water.
10:17Once the line is hauled in, the fish are removed and the hooks are cleaned and re-racked, ready to be baited again.
10:25If you're using other fishing methods, you know, you're dragging or whatever, you're scooping it up.
10:30You're taking in mass volumes of fish.
10:32There's a lot of dead fish.
10:34With oak and loin fishery, the amount of bottom impact is minimal.
10:38Getting this upgrade installed on schedule is all on Chris.
10:42The boats need to be ready in time or Skipper Paul and the crew lose out big time.
10:48If you're not there for the first day of the season with hooks in the water, someone else is getting you a fish.
10:53Every day that you miss fishing is potentially $25,000, right?
10:57And that's the way it works.
10:58And then the money is gone, the quota is gone, the season's gone.
11:01Josh, you got any Torx screws here?
11:04Right now she's not locking like it should.
11:08Can't move her, right?
11:10With the cod season starting in less than three days, Chris and Paul can't afford any delays.
11:15It's just going to be, I guess you could twist that.
11:17I would adjust it on the, on this actually, if you can give it to that.
11:20So, so we're still on the three days?
11:22Yeah.
11:23There's always something that comes up.
11:26The boy tells me they can install these systems in three days.
11:29So I'm hoping they can.
11:37All right, Bob, take it away.
11:39Over at OceanX, they're running into time crunches of their own.
11:47Relaxing.
11:48Oh.
11:49Rookie crane operator Brian Goss is wrestling with a stubborn container.
11:54All right, try to put it down and warm it up a little bit, buddy.
11:58Okay.
11:59It takes a lot to actually sit in the seat.
12:01There's a lot of things going to happen in a split second.
12:04You're trying to break free, don't you?
12:07Locks are caught.
12:14Warm it up a little bit, buddy.
12:16The locks are caught and it won't let you release.
12:19So the spreaders attached to the cranes have four locks on each corner and they're all in sync.
12:23As Brian's pulling on one side and if it releases while he's pulling 30, 40 tons of pressure,
12:28it's going to create a slingshot and we do not want a slingshot with a 53-foot container.
12:33You might have to take the can pushing against it and you might need that little bit of room
12:38to get the can to release after lockster.
12:40So when our crane operators are offloading containers, they don't know the weight until they lift it.
12:46They could have 20 ton of flour up on one end and five ton of toilet paper on the other end,
12:51so the can's not going to come up level.
12:54To do a level lift, operators must find the container's centre of gravity.
12:59They do this by moving the crane tower over the can.
13:03Then they lower the spreader and inch it along until they feel the weight of the container even out.
13:10Only then can they bring it up into the air.
13:14They got a 10 degrees tolerance with your spreader.
13:17After that, it's unsafe to lift it with the crane.
13:19So it can be challenging.
13:21And the main thing is to try to control the spreader.
13:23It's like you're going to chase your load.
13:25Brian can't force this.
13:27It's all about a calm, steady hand.
13:33There you go.
13:34Just level her up there now.
13:35His next challenge, the wind is picking up.
13:38Every container is, you know, going up over 100 feet in the air.
13:41You know, a sudden gust of wind can turn 30 tons 53 foot long into a helicopter really quick.
13:47So it can create a hazardous condition, you know, in milliseconds.
13:51On top of everything else, the team has just got word that the year's first hurricane is bearing down on St. John's.
13:58It's decision time.
14:00Happy there, Brian.
14:02Fine.
14:03Had a couple of productivity delays up forward there.
14:07It's a little slower than expected.
14:08I'm going to need Shane to take over for a bit.
14:11Though disappointed, Brian knows the time crunch to get ahead of the weather trumps training.
14:17All right, the reefer's good to go.
14:19Good for you, Shane.
14:21I'm an apprentice.
14:22Trying to get the hours, bill up seat time.
14:25Just trying to get the groove of the crane, the feeling.
14:28Trying to get comfortable with it.
14:29It's intimidating.
14:30It's 400 ton.
14:31I mean, it's a beast.
14:32It's a beast of a crane.
14:34Farther up the wharf, at Pier 6, Paul Duguay is itching for the work on the Atlantic Storm to wrap up.
14:40That's pretty quick, isn't it?
14:42Thankfully, the Mustad technicians have successfully installed the new hook and line fishing system.
14:48You see, you can slow her down with the...
14:53Okay.
14:54With the handle, when she's all the way on, you got a lot of speed.
14:57Getting ready for the new system with the Mustad.
15:00And getting anxious now to go trying it to see how it'll go in the work, right?
15:03This is all new to us now, so it's going to be a new experience.
15:08But skipper Paul Duguay has more in his mind than 12,000 new hooks.
15:13Look what's coming, huh?
15:15The first big hurricane of the season is approaching Newfoundland.
15:2245 to 50.
15:2445 to 50 knots.
15:25Yep.
15:26The winds with this incoming system will be over 100 kilometres an hour, more than strong enough to damage trees and down power lines.
15:34It's picking up all the time, huh?
15:37It's going to get worse, too, later on in the day.
15:40Bit of hurricane coming up from down south and tearing up the ocean all around the fishing grounds and all on the northeast coast.
15:47Although it's risky with a storm on the way, Paul decides to sail for Bay de Verde to pick up the supplies he needs for cod fishing.
15:55Yes, good morning.
15:58That's us here at Pier 6, getting ready to depart.
16:02The wind is gradually increasing, going up to 30 to 35 for afternoon towards the evening, so we're trying to get in there so early as we can.
16:17The commercial cod fishery can't start until the storm has passed.
16:21Nobody intentionally goes to that kind of sea condition.
16:24In a hurricane, you can't get hooks off.
16:26You can't get any kind of fishing gear off, really, and get it back without tearing everything up and busting everything up.
16:31But it was just too dangerous.
16:38Back in the shelter of St. John's Harbor, the OceanX crew hustles to offload the Conagra.
16:46We got a couple of dozers that are coming off the main deck of the ship here.
16:50We have to put ropes and stuff in under the tracks so we don't do damage to the deck of the boat or the concrete on the pier.
16:56We're obviously tracking when hurricanes are coming up to the coast.
17:00Most importantly is the vessel.
17:02Will the vessel make it on time?
17:03And what do we need to do on the terminal to prepare?
17:06Newfoundland sits directly in the path of tropical storms moving north during hurricane season.
17:12That lasts from June to November every year.
17:16Straight in the row.
17:18It's all hands on deck to outrace the storm.
17:21They have to get the ship out to sea before Hurricane Earl hits.
17:25This game here is hour by hour.
17:28Luckily, Johnny and his team win the race and the Conagra sets sail ahead of the bad weather.
17:35As the day winds down, Paul's gamble to reach Betta Verde pays off.
17:40He also arrives before the storm.
17:44It's a good thing, too, because as night falls, so does Hurricane Earl.
17:59Originating off the coast of Africa, Hurricane Earl spiraled north from the Caribbean before walloping Newfoundland with more than 200 millimeters of rain.
18:12The flooding this morning, 15 years, I've only seen it happen twice.
18:16OceanX and the harbor are hit hard.
18:21None of the cargo ships can dock at port until floodwaters recede.
18:27Instead, 7,000 tons of cargo are stuck aboard the Sanderling, waylaid beyond the harbor.
18:35We've got medical supplies, we've got food, water, clothing.
18:39Right now, everything's at a standstill.
18:41With the pier in lockdown, the impact will be felt immediately.
18:45If we're delayed and the water doesn't have time to clear off, we're going to see some empty shelves.
18:54Though the storm has passed, all operations at OceanX are at a standstill until floodwaters recede.
19:02Meanwhile, over in Betta Verde.
19:08You got a cover that fits the tub.
19:10We need one at least with the cover on for putting on the rope.
19:15Skipper Paul Duguay is focused on getting his boat ready to sail.
19:20When we all got that gallon coffee, it'll be time to come in.
19:24Acquiring a license to fish cod is a huge investment for skippers.
19:28But Paul has a lot more than money riding on this trip.
19:31My grandfather was fisherman, my father was fisherman, my brother was fisherman.
19:36The line of Duguay fisherman doesn't stop at Paul.
19:40That's my son Joshua Duguay.
19:42He knew how to pump her out, sir, before he knew how to walk.
19:47Ever since I was just a little kid, I've always said that I wanted to work with my father aboard the boat.
19:52And I'm here now and able to do it.
19:54Over the years, I'm going to have to learn a lot from my dad there.
19:56Of what to do, what not to do, and how to do it right, and how to do it wrong too.
20:00Is he sloppy a lot?
20:03I don't know what's the bear with him.
20:05No, no, no, no, that goes in there.
20:07Me and Dad always usually get along pretty well.
20:09Every now and again, you are going to have a little scuff here and there.
20:11But you've got to corner off, he'll sit down.
20:13Just step, get up on him and jump him down, see what he'll do.
20:18Get your fingers out of that. Come on.
20:20This here's a big legacy.
20:22Not only my dad, but his dad and his dad's dad was also into the fishing industry.
20:28I am actually working up my time now to go into the Marine Institute and go get my fishing masters ticket.
20:35I always said to everyone that I'd be like my dad, running a boat out on the water.
20:39And I'm finally working my way there.
20:43Experience is the most important.
20:45And they're only going to come with time and work.
20:47Hopefully they'll sponge in as much as possible.
20:51Before the Atlantic storm can leave, the crews need to load plenty of supplies
20:56and the first batch of frozen bait.
20:59Do you line up?
21:02Yeah, that's why I had this on there, look.
21:05As the crew stalks the boat, there's a weather update.
21:09Peter Hull, this is Placentia Coast.
21:12Radio loud and clear. Channel 1-6.
21:15Uh-oh.
21:16Saturday morning.
21:17It's going to be just south of St. John's.
21:20Strong wind to 50 mile plus.
21:23Already, another storm is brewing along the eastern seaboard.
21:27There is weather coming, so it's kind of a bit of time crunch.
21:30You've got to get out and get in before that day comes,
21:32because it's not very nice getting stuck out and that kind of stuff.
21:34Hard to sleep, hard to cook, kind of eating out of cans.
21:37That is just a horrible day out on the water.
21:40The last thing Paul needs is any kind of delay.
21:47In St. John's, the OceanX team isn't even thinking about the next storm.
21:52They're still grappling with flooding from the last one.
21:56Three feet of water up there.
21:58I'm not going to be able to get trucks in there.
22:00The team is focused on finding a safe way to bring in the ship, staff and trucks,
22:05so essential goods can be delivered to the island.
22:09I want to stay away from out there.
22:11It's just too high.
22:12It's moving too fast.
22:13You don't necessarily know what's underneath it.
22:15There's a pothole, a sinkhole.
22:17Hours go by, but there is still no way for the operations to start again.
22:22No way for the Sanderling to dock safely.
22:26I'm under a lot of pressure here in this position.
22:28On any given day, there's upwards of 125 people here working underneath me.
22:32Safety is my number one priority here.
22:34Getting my team home to their families at the end of every shift, no matter what happens.
22:40Up the coast in Bay de Verde, skipper Paul Duguay and his crew are eager to get cod fishing.
22:46He's only got a two to three day window before the next storm lands,
22:50so they have to make quick work of the trip.
22:53There's another stormy wind coming for the weekend,
22:56so we're trying to get out now and in out of that before that comes along.
23:00Here you come.
23:02We get our tobs.
23:06Up!
23:07Up!
23:08We got the bait down the wharf for us waiting.
23:11We're unloading squid, blocks of squid, for bait to put on the hooks.
23:15The crew rush to fill the boat's hold, the last step before they set sail.
23:21We don't have a lot of figuring out to do in a hurry, right?
23:25That's part of it.
23:26That's how she goes.
23:27We're definitely checking everything over, make sure that we got it all,
23:30because that's not a spot you really want us to go to.
23:32There's no stores to 100 miles off, for sure, so.
23:37As daylight fades, Paul knows they have little time to spare.
23:41His favourite fishing spot is still eight hours away.
23:45You excited?
23:46Yeah.
23:48Let's do it.
23:49Yes, sir.
23:50We're a bit short of time to get to where we wanted to do.
23:53The fishing at the cod is better when daylight breaks.
24:00Throughout the night, the cod leaves the bottom,
24:02so wherever we're going to be when daylight comes,
24:05the depth is good, it's going to go on.
24:08The plan now is to steam until just before daylight,
24:12and then we'll get up in the morning.
24:14Father will take everything over.
24:16We'll all get up, get ready, and get out and start shooting a bit of gear.
24:20The skipper and his crew are trying to get their cod season started in between storms.
24:25A lot is riding on this trip.
24:34Day breaks off the northeastern coast of Newfoundland.
24:37Paul sailed all night to reach the cod fishing grounds.
24:41We took advantage of daylight.
24:43We're going to spend the day here now, give it a try.
24:46It's within this vast expanse of sea the size of Spain
24:49that Newfoundland offshore fishers can drop their anchors
24:52to catch their quota of cod.
24:58No!
24:59I changed the zebra here.
25:01This year, Paul's quota is 17,000 pounds, and he only has 12 days to get it.
25:09And if we don't get it, well then that deer puts a big hit on us,
25:13because then we're left with fish and water.
25:16It's not very good for us at the end of the day, really,
25:18because that deer is our money that we're losing out on.
25:20Atlantic cod are a cold water species best caught at depths between 100 and 200 meters.
25:34I got my chart there with all the contours and all of that.
25:37We're in the right depth.
25:39150, 160, 170.
25:41Hopefully there's a few here.
25:42You never know.
25:43If you're coming up with a few, you might just stay here.
25:45I'd have a really good teacher, my father or something.
25:47He's a good skipper.
25:48He's a good skipper.
25:49He's really good at keeping the level-headed stuff,
25:51and he's good at figuring stuff out when it needs to be figured out.
25:55Now that Captain Paul has picked their first fishing spot,
25:58the crew is keen to see the new hook and line system in action.
26:03My bait's set up right now for when we start to go shooting.
26:06I'm going to be taking the squid out of here,
26:07and I'll be feeding them into the conveyor.
26:09And as I'm feeding them, she's going to feed the hooks and bait her all up.
26:14Oh, yeah.
26:15It's good stuff.
26:16While Josh prepares the bait, Paul tackles the buoy and anchor lines.
26:23I'm not sure what I'm doing.
26:25I think he's only going in this way.
26:28That's it.
26:29I wonder if that got that pass right in there?
26:32Huh?
26:33I don't know.
26:34I had a pressure feeling for that was pretty high, honestly,
26:37because using that baiter was something completely new for me,
26:40and I just didn't know how it worked or how it was going to work.
26:43You got to come in through the machine?
26:44Yeah.
26:45In around it.
26:46Guaranteed there's always a little panic time at times,
26:49but you got to get over it and take the upper hand on it.
26:53See?
26:54It's almost too tight.
26:55Yes.
26:56Straight cut, straight up through.
26:57Yeah, yeah.
26:58Right on, just down through.
26:59Then the yards, the rest of it are all right then.
27:01Yeah.
27:02First couple of hooks are probably not going to get a bit of squid on him.
27:06Yeah.
27:07That's going to have to be clutched in up there,
27:08and it's only going to start feeding once he starts click, click, click.
27:12Click, click, click.
27:13Yeah.
27:14Getting exciting.
27:15See how it all pans out.
27:17He always did enjoy fishing, Joshua, ever since he's like that.
27:21I carried him aboard a boat, and he was only four, five-year-old.
27:26I had my arm going around boats.
27:28So it just carries on.
27:31There must be something about it.
27:33Joshua eats it for breakfast, dinner, and supper.
27:38Yeah, me and Dad have always been pretty close together.
27:40It was so close we could get where he was always fishing when I was young,
27:43and now that I'm fishing with him, it's after bringing us together quite a bit.
27:46Beef your horn when you want some gun.
27:52I got my hand here.
27:54Anchor gun!
27:57The team's first line releases into the frigid Atlantic at a rate of nearly three baited hooks per second.
28:04At that speed, they can release about 1,800 hooks every 10 minutes.
28:09Well, we're setting our first one for today.
28:11Going good so far.
28:12Nice and steady.
28:13Beautiful day.
28:14Can't ask for much better.
28:15Right on.
28:16She spins.
28:24Back in St. John's, tugboat captain Paul Dalton and deckhand Jamie Duggan respond to the port authority's call
28:31to keep the vessel traffic flowing after the storm.
28:34Got him?
28:35Good job.
28:38They normally get a lot of debris in the harbour after a hurricane.
28:41We're always on standby for them whenever they need.
28:44Small stuff is not a big concern, but as you can see, we got some logs out on the deck, the back deck there now, and they could do damage.
28:52I can see another one up here ahead, so we're just going to grab this one.
28:55The surface of the floodwater is dotted with hazards, and if they get caught in a boat's propellers, they could cost mariners more than just their vessels.
29:08It's certainly a potential danger for smaller boats, like this one here, or the food fishery people that are out, recreational fishery, and speed boats 18, 20 feet.
29:18If they hit them, it could be really serious.
29:21You should be a cowboy.
29:22You got him?
29:23That gets up around your prop, you know.
29:24Just trying to keep everybody safe.
29:36On the terminal at OceanX, the flooding has subsided.
29:40Copy mechanics?
29:41We're down about a foot of water over here.
29:44We'll be good to start operations on the Sanderling if you want to let the team know there.
29:50The Sanderling can finally dock at the OceanX pier.
29:55St. John's traffic police, good.
29:58St. John's traffic, good.
29:59Currently slipping lines here now at Pier 15, looking for a traffic update.
30:04Watch your heads now.
30:05Nice shot.
30:06So you're going to put it on right over to that dump there.
30:09Charlie Anninson runs a line handling business in the port of St. John's.
30:14Knowing well the havoc that hurricanes can wreak, he takes extra precautions with the ship's mooring lines.
30:21And they put some more on because the undertow caused by the hurricane and it's a lot of pull and push and pull on the vessel and the lines.
30:30If a vessel's lines aren't well secured, it can be catastrophic.
30:36In 2019, in choppy seas in the port of Antwerp, a container ship broke its moorings and slammed into a gantry crane.
30:46These big ships, they need to have somebody to tie them up and let them go, no matter what the weather.
30:53With the terminal back in action, it's go time for the OceanX crew.
30:58So when we're home, we're trying to pick up on productivity.
31:00And we have to play catch up.
31:05We got 20 names.
31:06There's 20 names.
31:08You're not listening, bud.
31:10Another ship is already on its way to St. John's.
31:13The delay in docking the Sanderling now means double shifts until the crew can turn the vessel around.
31:19We have a lot of pressure to try and get this boat out of here by midnight.
31:22When the vessel arrives late, your eight-hour day shift turns into 16 hours overnight.
31:29Little things like that can certainly take its toll on a person.
31:33At the cod fishing grounds off the coast of Newfoundland...
31:42Let's go, boys.
31:43...Josh and the crew are excited to see the new system working beautifully.
31:50Hooks will start coming in through the bait, and as we're doing that, the bait is getting cut off and put on the hooks automatically.
31:55As the hooks are going, you'll hear click, click, click.
31:58That's the bait getting cut and put on the hooks all by itself.
32:0225 minutes.
32:0325 on the hooks.
32:06The baited line sinks toward the bottom, luring the cod.
32:11In sync with the new system, the crew feeds the baiter and smooths out any tangles on the line.
32:18Oh!
32:19Oh, God!
32:23Okay!
32:24The baiter is jammed.
32:27When it's not running, the fish aren't biting.
32:29That's why the hooks didn't fish.
32:43Out at sea, aboard the Atlantic Storm, the crew grapples with the new fishing gear.
32:49I got it.
32:50Give me a knife.
32:51Why, a knife, Ash?
32:52I'm gonna lose him.
32:53Why?
32:54Where is he hooked up to?
32:55Inside the machine.
32:57The baiter is jammed, and the crew isn't sure how to fix the new, unfamiliar system.
33:04When your fires are on, you don't know what they expect.
33:07It might not be what you think it was.
33:09You better think about something else and get it straight in the way.
33:13Still caught.
33:14You just cut the ginger.
33:16Huh?
33:17White robe, yeah.
33:18So you got some help?
33:20If your bait is getting soft or too hard, you get that just opening for the bait to go in through.
33:26It's only matter to move a notch.
33:28With a bit of time, he'll get used to it.
33:33There we go.
33:38Baiter needs a bit of a tune-up, but we'll get that straight in the way once.
33:42Simple little mistakes can cause a big mess.
33:44Not too, too many hooks I went on bait.
33:48It didn't go too bad.
33:50Hopefully the next one will go just good.
33:54The Atlantic storm is back in action.
33:57Whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop!
33:59Another baited line is cast into the sea.
34:01Anchor gun!
34:06All good!
34:08While the crew waits for the fish to bite.
34:10We're hooking up the chute to run down into the fish hole off our slush tank.
34:16We've got to get it ready for hauling gear instead of shooting gear.
34:23Finally, the moment they've been waiting for.
34:26The first line is hauled in.
34:30There you go.
34:31Oh, yeah.
34:33Where's the few coming?
34:34It's an encouraging start.
34:36You could get a really good line of fish for 15, 20 hooks.
34:39Right in the road.
34:40Or it could be a fish on each one.
34:41And then you could go for 100 hooks and not have no fishing.
34:44But to make their quota, they'll need a lot more cod biting.
34:49That's why they call it fishing and not catching.
34:51Because you don't know what you're going to get.
34:54There you go.
34:55Like that, I can see it, though.
35:00Back in St. Johns Harbor, the OceanX team is quickly offloading thousands of tons of cargo from their ship.
35:07Helping the race to the finish line is trainee Brian Goss.
35:13Beautiful day.
35:14Good day to be alive.
35:15High in the sky.
35:17Today, Brian is having no trouble keeping pace with the veterans.
35:21With only 30 hours of training left to complete, he'll soon be ready to take his final test and hopefully become a full-time operator.
35:28He'll probably be one of the better operators on the pier in another year or so there.
35:34I gotta say, it's a good feeling when he says that, yeah.
35:37Coming from an experienced crane operator for sure, yeah.
35:39Out at sea, aboard the Atlantic Storm, the crew is working hard to bring in the cod.
35:50Fish gone on, no?
35:52Randy checks each fish before sending them to Ashley for cleaning.
35:55Josh gaffs the heaviest ones.
36:01I'm always doing something, running around, just to try to help everyone else out the best I can.
36:06You watch yourself down there.
36:08Don't go put yourself where you could get hurt or in their way, like.
36:12Definitely like scab and a few fish.
36:14Puts a bit of excitement in the day.
36:18Throughout the morning, a steady stream of cod flows in under the skipper's watchful eye.
36:24It looks like there's a few in there.
36:27For me, it's more to see what I'm going to have in weight there now.
36:33And if I'm not satisfied, I'll stay till the morning and shoot another one too.
36:38With the stream of cod coming in, Paul is banking on this spot to fill the tubs.
36:43When you get on them, you're best to stay on them.
36:47There's always something that changes down there too.
36:49Weather change, tide change, the fish will follow where he wants to be, like.
36:54The skipper's instincts are right.
36:57The only constant is change, including the forecast.
37:00There's a bad system coming across there now.
37:03The year's second major storm is fast approaching.
37:07Better be ready for it and be better place than out here.
37:11But if Paul leaves the fishing grounds now, he won't hit his quota.
37:20Nice.
37:21A full day's sail from dry land.
37:29The crew aboard the Atlantic storm is hard at work, hauling in loads of cod.
37:34There's a bad system coming across there now.
37:38That's not something you want to be stuck out in.
37:41That can turn off a lot of big swell.
37:43Skipper Paul Duguay knows he has to sail home before the storm hits.
37:46But with the bins half full, he decides to keep fishing.
37:50You never know what can happen.
37:53You're always going to try to push it to the end of it.
37:56Oh!
37:58There's the skipper's car at the end of the day to go on in.
38:01And it kind of sucks for him, really, because especially if we're on good fishing,
38:05he don't really want to leave.
38:07The guys are in for a long night, but they've all been here before.
38:11I've been fishing ever since.
38:13I'm an eight-year-old with my father.
38:15Eight-year with Paul.
38:17Hard work, but used to love him.
38:19I've been a fisherman now almost 20 years aboard this boat, 12.
38:24This boat here, everyone gets along really well.
38:26It's a lot like a family.
38:28With night falling fast, the crew sets another line.
38:31Oh, man!
38:33The cotter biting, the new hook and line system is working to perfection.
38:37And the bins are filling up.
38:40First, when we started hauling, it wasn't that great.
38:43And all of us others started combing.
38:46You could see all the cod underlying there, so that was good.
38:49And all you're opening, just keep combing like that, right?
38:52All right, we got the boys here now.
39:00Outside, the wind and swells are rising with the oncoming storm.
39:03Josh tries to stay on top of the lines so they don't get snarled.
39:08Now this evening, the wind was southeast.
39:1120, 20-odd mile wind is already kicking up a little bit there now.
39:16You got to work through it.
39:17Once you're hooked down, you're hooked down.
39:18You're committed.
39:19You got to keep going.
39:21The rough seas are tangling the hauler lines.
39:24Another problem Josh has to solve fast.
39:26All right, stop the hauler.
39:27We're moving around.
39:29Every now and again, the hook will get caught up somewhere.
39:32And that there ends up being a big snarl.
39:34One little tangle in this last string that we hauled.
39:39Ten minutes and we had to clear it up.
39:41We're going.
39:43The crew are back at it, while Paul steadies the vessel against the rocking sea.
39:47The wind was just as strong as the tide, so I was just there going around the circle, trying to fight it.
39:53It's not always as easy as it sounds to be.
39:56The swells are rising by the minute.
39:59The skipper decides they can't wait any longer.
40:02They have to secure the lines and head home before the full force of the storm hits.
40:07Yeah, we're all finished up now for the day.
40:11We hauled two fleets of gear.
40:13We hauled 2,500 hooks the first time, and then we hauled 1,200 the second time, and that's what we just finished up doing.
40:19Now the crew will repack all the fish, while Paul prepares to battle the stormy waters.
40:26The ride home is going to be a lot bumpier than this.
40:29We're in for a good 10, 12 hours of bouncing.
40:33Paul wastes no time setting a course for home.
40:37We'll get her offloaded and go back to St. John's and tie her up good for that storm that's coming.
40:43Oh, that's really good.
40:44The feeling of coming home with a belly full of fish.
40:47Knowing that you're after putting in the work to do what you had to do is really nice.
40:53And another part is that you get to go home and see your family too, so that's an awesome feeling.
41:00At OceanX, the cranes have finished their work.
41:02And now the team gets the last of the cargo off the Sanderling.
41:07We're finally getting some new automobiles and new trucks coming off the boat.
41:11We'll have to travel through some water, of course, in the parking lot, but you get a sense of relief.
41:15Things are starting to play out. You can see an end.
41:16The OceanX team pulled off a great win and the Sanderling now leaves port.
41:22I'm happy to get today over with, you know, another couple of hours, but then the great thing is we get to do it all again over tomorrow.
41:28So it's one day after the other.
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