- 5 weeks ago
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00:01Hook, hook!
00:02That's a fish.
00:03We might have a fish.
00:04Nice and slow, not too fast.
00:08Once the wind is actually happening,
00:12there's not much you can do.
00:16I don't know if he's trying to call me or what.
00:25It's a sunny, windy, busy day in St. John's Harbour.
00:29We have two cruise ships coming in.
00:31One is already in.
00:32There's one coming in now just ahead of the boat
00:34that we're supposed to assist.
00:36When there's excitement in these waters,
00:38there's action for skipper Paul Dalton.
00:41Defender.
00:42Yes, sir, go ahead.
00:43Why don't you pass up your line?
00:45Are you able to do that?
00:46Yeah, roger.
00:47Today, Paul's at the wheel of the Dalton Defender.
00:54We have 20 plus boats in our fleet.
00:56I mean, some are big, some are small.
00:58Some are just positioned in different harbours.
01:01Whatever help the harbours need, Paul supplies.
01:05Sometimes he pushes.
01:07Other times he pulls.
01:09Sometimes he's a taxi.
01:11Okay, Mike, one at a time.
01:12Keep going, guys.
01:13And other times he takes away.
01:15So my favourite part with this is...
01:18Go down!
01:19Every day is something different.
01:21Different jobs.
01:22Different ships.
01:23Very amusing.
01:26But it's also hard work.
01:28And Paul's first job of the morning just came in.
01:32He's going into Pair 23.
01:34Our boat will try to get right here midships to push him in.
01:37He's been asked to help a foreign trawler into dock.
01:40In a busy harbour like the one in St. John's, that means escorting the vessel to the right pier, then gently pushing it up to the wharf.
01:48Once we get up a beam to you there, buddy, we can get you connected.
01:52Yeah, copy that, sir.
01:53Standing by.
01:54But for the moment, it means standing by.
01:59Meanwhile, on the other side of the Avalon Peninsula, in Harbour Grace.
02:03Do we need a new one or what?
02:05No, no.
02:06The tarp is not going in.
02:07The motor and the boat, right?
02:09Yep.
02:10Skipper Ron Curtis is itching to get out fishing.
02:12But his boat, the OSC Mariner, is on blocks.
02:17Our boat is up on dry dock getting some refit done to it.
02:21We'll hook the two of them on the big hook.
02:24Alright?
02:25So we're a little bit delayed.
02:27But we're hoping within the next couple of weeks we'll be ready to take her off dry dock and set sail for redfish.
02:38Fishing has been essential to the lives of Newfoundlanders for centuries.
02:42Okay!
02:44And Ron is one of the hard working fishermen who carry on this tradition.
02:49I guess you could say that fishing is in my blood now.
02:52Both my parents, their families were involved in fishing before even Newfoundland was part of Canada.
02:58It's a life that makes big demands.
03:01When you look at the fishery, you think like years passed.
03:04It wasn't so much as to make money, but just to survive, right?
03:08But it can also bring big rewards.
03:11It's only later years now that it's grown into this million, billion dollar enterprises.
03:17It is a huge economic boost to Newfoundland and Labrador.
03:21Ron's hoping to get a bigger piece of that pie.
03:24That's why he's switching to a bigger boat as he preps for the next fishery, redfish.
03:30This year I'm going to be moving from the Atlantic Monarch to the OSC Mariner.
03:36The boat that I had before was classed as a small fishing vessel.
03:39So this OSC Mariner now, she's classed as a large fishing vessel.
03:43While the 80 foot Mariner has a bigger upside than the Monarch.
03:47As gently as he can now, and hopefully no damage.
03:52All the repairs and upgrades they're doing have put Ron behind schedule.
03:57And that has a ripple effect.
03:59You're not going to give yourself much room.
04:02Now I got to contact the processors that I was going to catch the redfish for and let them know that I won't be starting on the date that we had planned.
04:10Last year, Ron brought in more than a million pounds of redfish at around $3 a pound.
04:15Every day lost in dry dock cuts into his bottom line.
04:19In the back of your mile, you were sort of counting on those trips to help out with our income.
04:25All right, I'm sending down the life raft there.
04:28Ron's on the hook for his gear, a commercial redfish license worth millions, his crew's wages, and the boat's fuel.
04:37It definitely throws a wrench into the plan, for sure.
04:42Over in St. Johns Harbor, the OceanX team is gearing up.
04:47St. Johns traffic, OceanX Avalon.
04:49It's all fast now, Pier 3.
04:51Over.
04:52The Avalon is pulling into port.
04:55It's loaded with nearly 6,000 tons of goods to help keep this island going.
05:00Over 50% of Newfoundland's freight comes through OceanX.
05:06This morning, the Avalon arrived with 140 containers.
05:10We have about a dozen machines.
05:12It's an operation, about 40 workers on the dock.
05:15Yeah, it's a busy morning.
05:17Assistant Pier Superintendent Johnny Coombs is tasked with keeping OceanX's ships on schedule.
05:22The Avalon needs to leave port tomorrow morning.
05:25The fact that it sailed in four hours late today isn't making Johnny's job any easier.
05:31Whenever we have any delays in operations or something that severely impacts us, this game here is hour by hour.
05:38Porter!
05:39Mike is almost out there now.
05:40We're going to go two high in bay four.
05:41Put the walls up.
05:42And two high in bay one as well.
05:43The 20s.
05:44One down, one up.
05:45I take pride in our work here.
05:46I take pride in the vessels.
05:47I've been in charge of leading vessel operations and the cranes.
05:48We'll keep the DG in bay one as well.
05:49Keep the DG in bay one as well.
05:50Because you know that issue is there with the red paint and the yellow paint and stuff.
06:05I like to take control of it.
06:07I do it well.
06:08I take pride in it.
06:09No matter how well he does it, with less than a day to get 140 containers off this ship,
06:15Johnny knows it won't be easy.
06:18Go ahead, Mike.
06:19What are we doing in bay one or four?
06:23Fortunately, veteran operator Mike Yetman's at the controls on one of OceanX's 400 tonne harbour cranes.
06:30Too high, Jim, and 40s and 20s there.
06:34One down, one up.
06:35Mike's job is to get the containers off the Avalon and onto the pier fast.
06:41No one slings a can like Mike Yetman.
06:44Mike can move 25 to 30 per hour, no problem, on a good day.
06:49And maybe a little faster if he wants to go home.
06:52After a while, it's no different than taking all the marbles out of one bucket and putting them in another bucket.
06:59It gives you a vote of confidence and you don't have to really worry about the crane and his numbers and where we are.
07:04But even with Mike and Johnny tag teaming on this job, today's offload is a tall order.
07:11One of OceanX's cranes is broken down at the worst possible time.
07:17Typically, the Avalon is a 12-hour vessel.
07:20We're down a crane today, so that's going to bring us to 16 to 24 hours without questions.
07:26Being down a crane sucks.
07:28Back in Harbor Grace, Ron Curtis is facing setbacks of his own.
07:37We'll level her up in two.
07:39You don't want to have to pay for new life rafts.
07:41No, no, no we don't.
07:43Ron is sending his life rafts in for servicing.
07:46It's one of many fixes, big and small, that need doing before his boat.
07:51The OSC Mariner can set off for redfish season.
07:55We had a progress report Friday past and everything is a little bit delayed, so our launch date is pushed back for another couple of weeks.
08:04On my part of it, I'm looking to where can I find more income? Where can I find more work?
08:10You're thinking about the next trip or thinking about the next season or thinking about the next species that you've got to catch, right?
08:17With his boat still weeks away from being seaworthy, Ron turns to the only other fishery open to him, tuna.
08:25There's different licenses when it comes to tuna.
08:29You got your part-time license, you got your full-time license, and then you got your rotational license.
08:36Ron is one of 51 fishermen selected by lottery through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for a rotational license this year.
08:44That license permits him to catch a certain number of bluefin tuna using a tagging system.
08:50In Ron's case, that number is 18.
08:54And with the tags, you buy them, you purchase them, and then you go out and try to fill that tag.
08:59But like all the fisheries in these waters, nothing is guaranteed.
09:03You might purchase a tuna tag or several tuna tags, and in the run of a season, you mightn't get any tuna.
09:09While Ron preps for a tuna hunt, the team at OceanX is busy offloading the Avalon.
09:18As is often the case in St. John's, weather is a factor.
09:24Mike is almost out there now.
09:26They're calling for lightning again this afternoon.
09:28Well, if we get a lot of thunder and lightning, we'll probably have to stop the cranes for a bit.
09:31Yeah.
09:32Winds are kicking up, but crane operator Mike Yetman keeps peeling the containers off.
09:37Sometimes she just won't go in the hole.
09:40He has stubborn ones.
09:43The single biggest challenge I have here and most stressful is winds.
09:47They're so unpredictable here.
09:49Your gusts 70, 80, 100 kilometres an hour can come on you pretty quick.
09:53It can cause some issues with the cranes, spinning containers, and time delays.
09:59It's the scariest and most stressful part for me is wind for sure.
10:03You don't want to go down in the hole or this one, though.
10:06Question is, can Mike keep it going with all this wind gusting?
10:11I just missed that again.
10:12In St. John's Harbor, the OceanX crew is hard at it, offloading the Avalon, a 485 foot cargo ship loaded with supplies for the island.
10:3640 foot reefers, full ones, two to 20s you want, it doesn't matter.
10:42140 containers need to come off today.
10:46But high winds are making it hard.
10:51And so is the fact that one of OceanX's cranes is down.
10:55Thankfully, assistant peer super Johnny Coombs has the right team in place to get the job done.
11:02We lean on our senior operators and especially Mike Yetman.
11:05We'll let them know, Mike, we got to get the boat out by this amount of time.
11:09With Mike in the crane, along with Steve Doors and reach stackers on the pier supporting him,
11:14Johnny and the team push through and get the ship cleared.
11:18OceanX Avalon, St. John's traffic, roger.
11:21And the OceanX Avalon is cleared to depart St. John's, over.
11:25The Avalon is heading back to sea on schedule.
11:28Sunrise on the Narrows.
11:37It might be calm in St. John's Harbour at this hour, but it's about to rock a little farther out.
11:43Good to go.
11:45Skipper Ron Curtis is heading out to sea on a bluefin quest.
11:49So at the tuna, it's me and my buddy Chris Daley.
11:52Tyson is on board with us as well.
11:54That's Chris's young boy.
11:56Ron purchased 18 tuna tags this season.
11:59Today, he's going after his last one.
12:03We've hooked 17 so far.
12:05Cross our fingers today.
12:06He's going to be number 18.
12:11You're going to see today how excited we get.
12:13We're just like kids sometimes when we hook a tuna.
12:16Let's go get him, baby!
12:18It's exciting, I must say.
12:19The adrenaline's pumping all the time.
12:21I'm feeling pretty confident.
12:22With delay after delay to repairs and refurbs on his main fishing boat, the OSC Mariner,
12:28Ron's out here to clear his head.
12:30We don't take any stress with it.
12:32And this is something that we can do together.
12:35And if we get the weather like today, I mean, we'd have a real good time.
12:38Let's see what happens.
12:39Chum it up there.
12:40Tyson, baby, chum it up.
12:41All right.
12:42Chum is our bait we're using.
12:44Bit of cod's head, some mackerel, some squid.
12:47Anything that we think the tuna would be interesting in eating.
12:51Ron's hoping to draw the tuna up from the deep with the chum.
12:55We'll just hook up some of the mackerel we got there
13:00and see if he'll take that.
13:03Ron uses a light rod and reel to hook some fresh bait.
13:06A lot of times jigging action will bring them around as well, right?
13:09Any kind of movement in the water.
13:11They're, they're nosy fish.
13:15He knows this can also attract the attention of giant bluefin swimming below.
13:26We might have a fish.
13:28We might have a fish.
13:29That's a fish.
13:30We might have some action there.
13:33Could be a tuna.
13:35Look, he's right there.
13:39Meanwhile in St. John's Harbour, tugboat captain Paul Dalton has been called in to assist a Portuguese fishing trawler.
13:47He's going into Para 23.
13:49Our boat will try to get right here in midships to push him in.
13:53Foreign ships require a local pilot to get into port.
13:58Paul's job is to help them dock safely.
14:01Any foreign dragger that comes in, we are requested to assist.
14:05Because in the past, these ships, they don't handle well for the pilots, they don't turn good.
14:10Docking big boats without a tug can mean damage to both the vessels and the wharf.
14:16Most accidents occur while the ships docking at the pier.
14:19And we're there to help out to assist the pilots just easy and never so slightly.
14:24For a delicate job like this, Paul turns to the nimble but brawny Dalton defender.
14:30A 13-metre tug with 720 horsepower, she has the might and maneuverability to help less agile boats get to where they need to go.
14:40Gently.
14:41All right, Paul, you're all faster.
14:43And mostly, I'm just going to get her up off the dock here and just give me a little note to push her along.
14:48Copy that.
14:49Paul tethers to the trawler, then starts to push.
14:53There's a lot of variables that could go wrong.
14:55We don't want to get pulled around by the boat because that boat, she's a lot more horsepower and heavier than us.
15:00They could twist us around.
15:02Fully loaded, the trawler is 32 times the weight of the tug.
15:06A collision or sudden yank on the connecting line could quickly capsize Paul's boat.
15:12They could do damage to him if he hits him in the running spot.
15:15On the other side of the harbor at OceanX, focus has turned from offloading cargo ships to servicing a broken crane.
15:27We had to pull the trigger on taking the damaged crane apart.
15:30A leak was discovered in the crane's hydraulic cylinder.
15:34We have to get that fixed as soon as possible.
15:36Every day the crane is down means the OceanX team has to work long hours to keep their system running.
15:42And when repairs need to get done, OceanX calls on DF Barnes, a crack local team of welders and mechanics.
15:52Put the slings on first.
15:57Foreman Mike Skiffington is in charge of this job.
16:00The sooner we get it off, the quicker they could get it on the truck and start assessing their damage.
16:05So it's going to be a complex operation to get this down safely.
16:09Mike and his team have a tight window of time to work with.
16:13The next vessel OceanX has to offload rolls into port in 16 hours.
16:19First step, the DF Barnes team has to remove two 300-pound pins that are holding the 16,000-pound cylinder in place.
16:31I did it all day yesterday. I'm feeling it today.
16:34Welder Jeff Stanley doesn't waste any time going after the first 300-pound pin.
16:39We're going to turn this pin right here to liquid.
16:42Basically liquid will have a blow hole right through it.
16:45It releases the tension and everything around this pin.
16:48That way they're easier to pull out.
16:50I'm from here in St. John's, Newfoundland.
16:52So I just got back from Spain there.
16:54You could be anywhere in the world with this company.
16:56Every day is different there. It's the best thing.
16:59Jeff has to heat the steel to 2500 degrees Fahrenheit in order to free up the pin.
17:05Until you get a hole blue straight through, all the molten steel will be coming back directly in your face and burns.
17:11While the guys blast through the first crane pin.
17:16We might have a fish.
17:18That's a fish.
17:19We might have a fish.
17:20Ron Curtis is scanning the choppy waters outside the Narrows, hoping to land a giant bluefin tuna.
17:26We'll throw over some more chum.
17:28Tyson, see if he comes back around.
17:31Fishing Atlantic bluefin tuna is nothing new for Eastern Canadians.
17:36Maritimers have been wrestling these behemoths for generations.
17:41One thing that has changed is the technology fishermen like Ron use to track their prey.
17:47So we got a strong mark at 30 feet, which is telling me 99% chance that that's a tuna.
17:56It's right there.
17:5750.
17:58Strong mark.
17:59But even the best sounder can't hook the fish for you.
18:03He's there about 40 feet.
18:05Oh, come on.
18:06Rock and roll.
18:07That's up to Ron and Chris.
18:09He's right there.
18:10He's right on your line.
18:11Come on, Tissy.
18:12He's looking at him.
18:13Just when they wonder if he'll ever take the bait.
18:16Hook.
18:17Hook.
18:18Hook.
18:19Hook.
18:26Outside St. John's Harbor, skipper Ron Curtis is trying to land a big money tuna.
18:33Hook.
18:34Going back.
18:35Going back.
18:36And they have a bite.
18:37Hook.
18:38Well, when we hook tuna, it's a team effort, right?
18:41Let him go.
18:42Let him go, let him go, let him go.
18:43You got him, you got him.
18:44We're going to try to tire him out.
18:45Slack, slack.
18:46The bluefin they've hooked is making a break,
18:49fighting for its life.
18:5020 to 9, but you can see the tension.
18:53He's swimming about 40 kilometers an hour now.
19:00What I'm going to do is I'm going to try to give him
19:02a little bit of slack so he can reel in a little bit of line.
19:06Ron maneuvers the boat to give his buddy Chris
19:08a bit more leverage.
19:12You've got an 800-pound tuna on the line.
19:14You don't want to lose it.
19:15There's a lot of pressure on that reel.
19:17I think we're going to keep him up.
19:18What do you think?
19:18Yeah, keep him up if you can.
19:20You've got probably 15, 20 minutes that you're reeling.
19:24He's definitely coming to the surface.
19:26Then you've got to switch it out with your buddy.
19:28Careful now.
19:29Because your arm is tired, right?
19:31Take the wheel.
19:32Touching my toes in pain.
19:36Do you need a buddy?
19:38No, I do.
19:39With the swells rising, Ron tries to draw the giant fish
19:43closer to the boat.
19:46Hold it, hold it, hold it.
19:47Yeah.
19:48Watch him, touch him.
19:51But it's not easy.
19:52There he is.
19:52There he is.
19:54There he is, boss.
19:55He seems like he's worn out pretty good.
19:56Yeah, I'm going to grab that leader.
19:58On the pier at OceanX, mechanics and welders from DF Barnes are focused on a tricky job.
20:06They're here to remove a busted cylinder from a 400-ton harbour crane before the next container
20:12ship sails into port.
20:14Until you get a hole blew straight through, all the molten steel will be coming back directly
20:18in your face and burns.
20:21Welder Jeff Stanley has lanced both 300-pound pins holding the cylinder in place.
20:29The next step is to remove them.
20:32I'll tell you.
20:33Yeah, look.
20:33Tell me when she looks centered over there, Mike.
20:35What?
20:36When she looks half-centered here.
20:37A 10-ton hydraulic ram is rigged for the job.
20:40You get that tied off anyway.
20:41That's a knot.
20:42That can't come down through.
20:43The pin can't come out of that.
20:44So you're good.
20:44The ram sends a threaded rod through the core of the pin, which it then pulls to release
20:51it.
20:55Did she give you anything there, Dan?
20:57Give her a bit more love.
21:00Do you want to tighten that up, Wayne, for you?
21:03What's pressure on again?
21:04I have to.
21:05We'll center it off a bit better.
21:06Suddenly, the 10-ton ram loses pressure.
21:10The pin is stuck.
21:11I noticed that the pin was not out of the ear, so that means something had to move.
21:16So obviously, that was stretching the rod that we had through the puller.
21:19What is holding the ram here?
21:22Pull it out of here.
21:25It's jammed right now, and that thing is not going anywhere.
21:31Did you get another adjustable, will you?
21:33Holy f***.
21:34Hold on, bud.
21:35Patrolling the yard alongside the downed crane is OceanX assistant peer super, Johnny
21:40Coombs.
21:42It's stressful today for OceanX and DF Barnes to try and get this job done.
21:46Obviously, you don't want to rush it.
21:48The next cargo ship is docking in 14 hours, full of goods to be distributed across the
21:54island.
21:55The entire peer will be needed for the offload.
21:58We'll work together and give them what they need and help them in any way we can, but
22:02at the end of the day, it is a real-world problem.
22:05It's a problem that falls on the mechanics from DF Barnes, who are still struggling to
22:11release the first cylinder pin.
22:14Holy God, this is slippery.
22:16On the other side of the harbour, tugboat captain Paul Dalton is assisting a foreign
22:26trawler into dock.
22:28Paul, give me a back easy parallel, please.
22:31Back easy parallel.
22:33Boats like this are designed to move forward and back, not sideways.
22:37So the pilot is using us sort of like a bow thruster or a side thruster.
22:42We're here now, we're trying to shove the ship into the dock.
22:46Bow thrusters are propulsion devices that give ships the ability to move laterally, making
22:51them more manoeuvrable and eliminating the reliance on tugboats.
22:56When ships don't have that capability, pilots will request us to come in and just be that
23:02bow thruster for them, whether it's to push them in or pull them off when he's departing
23:06into the dock.
23:07For Paul, it's critical this move be done slowly.
23:10All the danger is beyond his field of vision.
23:14You'd be able to slide back a little bit there, buddy, wouldn't you?
23:16Just push her in.
23:20When we're on the outside of the ship, we can't see.
23:23We're just listening to the radio.
23:25We're effectively operating blind.
23:29That's good for you there now, Paul.
23:31You can come on up and get your line, the boys are there shortly.
23:33All right.
23:34Copy that, sir.
23:34With the Portuguese fishing trawler secured, Paul heads back to his home base to wait on
23:41his next assignment.
23:45Meanwhile, out on the North Atlantic...
23:48There he is.
23:48There he is.
23:50There he is, boss.
23:51Skipper Ron Curtis is trying to land a massive bluefin tuna.
23:58He seems like he's wore out pretty good.
24:00Yeah.
24:00I'm going to grab that later.
24:01We're just cranking him up.
24:03We're just lifting that 800-pound tuna.
24:05It's just slowly coming to the surface, right?
24:07Tyson, I'm going to want that hook.
24:09Yeah.
24:10Okay, I got him.
24:12Oh, he's a nice-looking fish, too.
24:14He starts to do it.
24:15We call it the death spin.
24:17And then your heart starts pumping.
24:18Gaff, gaff, gaff.
24:19Okay, I got him.
24:20I got him here.
24:20Watch it, watch it, watch it.
24:21Watch the hook.
24:22Come on.
24:23Oh, come on, baby.
24:26Come on.
24:26The fight's not over with this fish until Ron secures him with the gaff hook.
24:32You always get that fear, like, to keep him off the boat, keep him off the boat.
24:35I'm going to have to hook him under the chitlin.
24:37He goes in under the boat.
24:38If he goes out towards the props, I mean, and there's so much tension on it, you just got
24:42to nick that blade going around that.
24:44Just touch it, and then it could snap.
24:47Losing their catch now would be devastating.
24:50But, uh...
24:54Take your time, take your time.
24:55I'm going to have to hook him under the chitlin.
25:00There you go.
25:00Okay, now put it in here, Tyson.
25:06I got him.
25:08Christopher.
25:09Hey, hey.
25:09Number 18, baby.
25:1013, yeah, hey.
25:11Woo, what a season.
25:12Good job, Tyson, buddy.
25:13Here you go, Tyson.
25:14Ron's officially landed his last tuna of the season.
25:18He wouldn't open his friggin' mouth.
25:19Oh, man.
25:20Usually, the mouth will come open.
25:21You can put the gaff in and hook his bottom lip real quick.
25:24But he wasn't cooperating today.
25:26But we got him.
25:27We got him.
25:29Now, they'll tow their catch into port, get it weighed, and see what it's worth.
25:34Beautiful fish.
25:35A little bit extra work, but it's worth it.
25:37At OceanX, the crew from DF Barnes are struggling to remove a 300-pound pin from a busted cylinder.
25:50See if you can get another adjustable, will you?
25:54So we can break them nuts.
25:58The 10-ton electric ram that welder Jeff Stanley was using isn't strong enough to pull out the stuck pin.
26:05So at that point, I knew it wasn't going anywhere.
26:07So we had to shut it down, go get the bigger jack and bigger rod.
26:11A 100-ton jack is set up.
26:13Yes, sir, buddy.
26:14Give us the radio.
26:15We just let some...
26:16In hopes that 10 times more power will finally free the pin.
26:22Oi!
26:24Come the best kind!
26:26Come in!
26:26Perfect!
26:28The extra force does the trick.
26:31Now, boom off a little touch first.
26:32Stop.
26:34Boom off a touch.
26:36The pin dislodges, and they can finally remove it.
26:40But just as things are taking a turn for the better...
26:54A bit windier out here!
26:55Wind is a major hazard for work at heights like this.
26:59Working at heights is a big challenge.
27:02We've got to have a lot of gear, a lot of stuff.
27:03If we drop something from that height, it would be a very big deal.
27:06How windy is it out there?
27:08I'd say he's blowing about 60.
27:11All right.
27:12So I'd say give her a try.
27:13I'd say give her a try, yeah.
27:14Try to retract it.
27:16The pin holding one side of the cylinder is out.
27:19Carefully, they have to free that end from the slot.
27:25You got her there that time, yeah?
27:27You've got to tell Jeremy he got weight, no?
27:29You got all the weight.
27:30You can bring her up level and be late.
27:33One end of the cylinder is free.
27:35You can retract her all the way in now.
27:37Now the crew turns its focus to taking out the second 300-pound pin.
27:50I would say this one, if it all goes, is going to be about an hour, hour and a half.
27:54And the pin will be on the ground.
27:56That's what we're hoping for.
27:57With an OceanX container ship scheduled to arrive in roughly 12 hours, they've got to keep things moving.
28:04You never know until you get into it.
28:06They send up the 100-ton jack.
28:08All we have to do now is stroke out our jack, and then the pin should be free.
28:17The pin is halfway out.
28:19Another six inches or so to go.
28:22And it should be free-floating.
28:23Luckily, the second pin comes out without a hitch.
28:28A little bit of weight there, boys.
28:29How's it coming up there?
28:30Ah, she looks perfect.
28:32Now that the cylinder is free, now we've got to sort of thread the needle up through all these cables, trying to get this thing safely to the ground.
28:43Getting the massive cylinder through such a narrow passage is no easy task, especially with coastal winds that could kick up at any time.
28:54Very close to go time.
28:57While the crew at OceanX get ready to go, in the waters outside the harbor.
29:03A little bit of turbulence here.
29:05Ron, Chris, and Tyson are towing a huge bluefin tuna into port for what they hope will be a big payday.
29:12Whatever way the wind blows, good feeling.
29:15You got a fish tied to the side of her?
29:17Always.
29:20So a perfect end to the day, we'll be getting a good return for this fish.
29:25Got you, buddy.
29:31He's a big boy.
29:32He's a big boy.
29:34He's seven-something.
29:36770 pounds.
29:37Yeah, definitely pleased with that.
29:42Nice-looking fish.
29:44Good weight.
29:45Grab the knife there, Chris.
29:47The tail flesh will indicate the quality of the fish.
29:53Looks really good.
29:55Yeah.
29:55Cherry red color.
29:57Ron takes a picture for his broker.
29:58Nice.
29:59Who will sell the fish on the international market.
30:02It's the color of the flesh and the fat content.
30:06The white lines that set the price.
30:09Anywhere from $5 to $10 a pound.
30:12I'm hoping it's going to be a $10 a pound fish.
30:15Ron's broker gets back to him fast with good news.
30:18He has a buyer from Spain who's offering $7 a pound.
30:22At just over 700 pounds, that makes this a $5,000 fish.
30:28We knew the season was coming to an end for us, so we just wanted to catch that last tuna.
30:32Good enough water, you think, Chris?
30:34Yeah, I think so.
30:35We had a great day, and we still got a little bit of return back to the boat, so it was a win-win.
30:42Season's finished.
30:44Tuna season's over.
30:46Good day, good day.
30:48On the other side of the harbor, skipper Paul Dalton is still busy assisting ships into port.
31:01His next client is His Majesty's Canadian ship, the Margaret Brooke,
31:06a Navy offshore patrol vessel returning from a mission in the Arctic.
31:14Canadian Navy, they don't need a pilot unless the captain wants a pilot.
31:18But they're not required by law to take a pilot.
31:21The Margaret Brooke has asked Paul to stay close as it docks in the packed harbor.
31:28She's just coming in now.
31:29She's going to swing around and dock port side too.
31:33And she asks us to stand by on her stab or quarter, just in case she needs to push to get in alongside.
31:38For this job, Paul is aboard the Dalton Pioneer, a 36-foot, 800-horsepower support vessel from his fleet.
31:46Some of these Navy ships, they're pretty maneuverable.
31:50You can see the way she's pivoting right around now, so she's pretty good.
31:55Unlike the trawler Paul assisted earlier, the Navy ship has bow thrusters on its front,
32:00but it doesn't have lateral thrusters on the rear.
32:02This is probably why he wants us to assist on his outside starboard aft, to give him the push into the dock.
32:10We're just standing by on Channel 6, just waiting for a command.
32:14With a cruise ship docked in front, and another one behind it, the 100-meter Navy ship is facing a pretty tight parking job.
32:25As you can see, the cruise ship has taken up probably another 30 meters or 40 meters in front just for her line,
32:32so that's even decreasing the amount of dock space that the ship has.
32:37Suddenly, the ship stops dead in its tracks.
32:40Shut up, shut up!
32:43Good, good speed!
32:45Paul hears what sounds like a distress call over the radio.
32:49Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!
32:52Is that them or is that...
32:53I don't know, he's trying to call me or what, I don't think.
32:57I don't know, he's trying to call me or what, I don't know, he's trying to call me or what, I don't know.
33:27Maybe somebody's dropped something on the deck, and sometimes they may be training a new officer on the bridge for docking the ship, too.
33:35Getting a feel for that.
33:41Go for Pioneer.
33:46Yes, 4-3-1, do you mind just giving us a gentle push midships, please?
33:50Roger, Pioneer, uneasy.
33:52Roger.
33:52And just as suddenly, everything seems fine again.
33:57I guess she's blowing off the dock a little bit inside, and again, we can't see it, but obviously that's why he's asking us now, just to keep again until he secures all his lines.
34:06Paul brings the 10-ton Pioneer right up against the 6,615-ton Navy ship.
34:12Yeah, Pioneer, we're just going to see how we settle out, and then might bring you back in for another push in a minute.
34:17Roger that, Pioneer, I'll stop.
34:19Even with the weight discrepancy, David helps Goliath into place.
34:26Lines are tied to secure the ship along the pier.
34:28You're alongside Pier 9, over.
34:31Copy, thank you, have a good day.
34:34Well, he called the port to let him know now that the ship is secured alongside Pier 9.
34:38Pioneer, I'm 4-3-1.
34:40I think we're all filled out here, and your services are no longer required this morning, so thanks very much, and hope you have a great weekend, over.
34:46It's another notch on Paul's wheel, and a great way to cap off a busy day.
34:52Roger that, so you too.
34:53Stay safe.
34:57Meanwhile at OceanX, the team from DF Barnes is still hard at it, removing a broken cylinder from a 400-ton harbor crane.
35:09We started 8 o'clock this morning, and it's after 6 now, so we're 10 hours deep.
35:16So far today, welders have lanced two 300-pound pins holding the cylinder in place.
35:24Mechanics used a 100-ton ramp to free the stubborn pins.
35:29Coming.
35:30Perfect.
35:30And now, finally, they're approaching the moment of truth.
35:37Straps are secured to the cylinder before liftoff.
35:44This load is a cylinder coming out of the crane.
35:47It's 16,000 pounds.
35:50This maneuver isn't without its challenges for crane operator Jeremy Hefford.
35:55The trickiest thing about this here is we don't have a whole lot of headroom here.
36:00Jeremy's 128-foot hydraulic boom doesn't have the reach to lift the cylinder above the harbor crane's cables.
36:09Jeff's on his way out.
36:10He's tying a tagline out to the end of the eye.
36:13Instead, led by a tow line secured below, Jeremy will have to guide the cylinder out a narrow passage between the set of cables
36:22before lowering it down to the wharf.
36:24The sooner or the better, really, because the wind is not really cooperating as well as it could be.
36:30You know, the weather is not perfect.
36:32Hey, Jeremy, you got a copy?
36:34Shut this off there.
36:35She's coming off in the ears there now.
36:37Just slow on us out, buddy.
36:38Jeremy has to manage how hard he pulls on the cylinder.
36:41Got to find a sweet spot, and we don't want her to jump and come free and make a big swing.
36:45For those first few seconds when you see I was going to react, that's the nervous part.
36:52There's no room for air.
36:53One small nick on a cable, and, you know, the cable is essentially ruined.
36:58At OceanX, the team from DF Barnes is still hard at it, removing a broken cylinder from a 400-ton harbour crane.
37:11Can we come down a little bit and just see if she'll pop back out?
37:18The cylinder has broken free.
37:20You know, buddy.
37:21But they're not out of the woods yet.
37:23Hold up there, Jeremy.
37:24Jeremy, swing your left again as slow as you can.
37:28Jeff's going to follow you out and try to help you out going out through.
37:32We've got to guide her out between the set of cables that's there.
37:37Move her down, move her down, move her down.
37:39So we can't have her twist the sideways with the wind, or we'll get tangled up.
37:46Jeremy.
37:48Mike, when you're going to have to get that tag line, you'll see it down there.
37:51She's got to try it when he's swinging.
37:52And somebody might have to pull the front of that ram.
37:55A gust catches the cylinder, sending it into a slow but steady spin.
38:01Get down on your line a bit.
38:02If this is what I'm saying, boys, I've got to come up higher, all right, to get out.
38:06This is not a simple maneuver, made all the more difficult by wind, elevation, and poor visibility.
38:13Boys, bring your tag line back this way.
38:16Tag line this way, then she'll come out the way she doesn't go.
38:19You want to try to pull it that way a bit?
38:28Swing your left again, now.
38:30That tag line's going to come back this way now, boys.
38:32But slowly and surely...
38:41Hey, you're out now.
38:42You're good.
38:43You do whatever you want to do now, buddy.
38:45They get the 16,000-pound cylinder out.
38:49It puts everyone at a clear understanding that which way the cylinder had to go for me to pull it out of the lines.
38:56It went pretty good.
38:56After more than 12 hours on the job, a sense of relief comes over the crew.
39:03Will I bring you for hold, boys?
39:04Bring you for hold, bro.
39:06Take care.
39:07How's that for, chap, boy?
39:11It went pretty good.
39:12Now that the cylinder is down, the wind died out, of course.
39:15The damaged component will go out for repair on the next vessel bound for Montreal.
39:19Good job, team.
39:22Yeah, nail it.
39:26Over in Harbor Grace, skipper Ron Curtis, fresh off his Tuna Triumph, has arrived to an early blast of winter.
39:38His boat, the OSC Mariner, was finally lowered into water this morning.
39:43But the good news didn't last long.
39:46The guys got down and did their check around just to make sure there was no leaks,
39:51and they found a leak back in the stern of the boat.
39:54This is yet another setback for Ron on his quest for redfish.
39:58So we're looking at probably a six-week delay.
40:02So that's what they're telling me anyway, six weeks.
40:04That's a third of redfish season gone, leaving a few hundred thousand dollars worth of fish in the water.
40:11It happens sometimes, but another little delay in our fishing plan.
40:18Oh, my goodness.
40:19Yeah.
40:21While Ron deals with another delay, the beat goes on at OceanX.
40:26The Conagra is in port, which means the broken cylinder DF Barnes removed will soon be on its way to Montreal for repairs.
40:39And Johnny Coombs is back in the yard to lead the charge.
40:43Yeah, everyone's on their toes at work today.
40:44Hey, everyone's in a go-go mode.
40:48The radio's even quiet today, so.
40:51We're in this together.
40:53I know sometimes that can sound cheesy, but, you know, for good or for bad here,
40:57we have to just rely on ourselves to get the job done.
41:00And sometimes getting the job done comes with fringe benefits.
41:04After a tough week on the pier, Johnny trades his big red pickup for a little red Corvette, being shipped out for sale in Quebec.
41:14Some of the perks of the job sometimes, as per customer request,
41:19that one of the managers would load a vehicle with one of the workers, so it's always a nice treat.
41:24With the hard work they put in, these heroes deserve all the treats they can get.
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