- 6 weeks ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:01The third crane has been out for a little over a month now.
00:04She's an 80-foot fishing vessel.
00:05He's paying off to the banks to the tune of millions.
00:08They've been waiting a while for that.
00:10Man, it's Newfoundland weather. It's four seasons in one day.
00:25It's a magical morning on the Newfoundland coast.
00:28The sun is shining.
00:30The waves are crashing.
00:32The wind is whistling.
00:41Which is great news over in St. John's Harbour.
00:44Where OceanX's largest ship, the Canagra, has arrived from Montreal.
00:49And it's loaded with more than 8,000 tons of goods bound for the island.
00:53We got the Canagra import today and there's roughly around 310 boxes on the ship to come off.
01:02Assistant Peer Superintendent Clinton Munden knows that the clock is ticking.
01:07Everyone wants their freight right away.
01:09So it's crucial that we can get the ships in and get the cans off as soon as possible.
01:13It takes a village to offload a ship this large.
01:16And Peer Supers like Clinton and Johnny Coombs are a big part of getting the job done.
01:21Offload days for us are very stressful.
01:24You're just trying to keep things going until it's time to load back.
01:27It's our responsibility to keep everyone on point and on task and keep the wheel turning.
01:32And if anything goes wrong, you know, where the finger gets pointed at.
01:36Adding to their already stressful day, only two of OceanX's three mobile cranes are working.
01:42The third crane has been down for a little over a month now.
01:45Being down a crane, I mean, it just slows down our delivery process.
01:49Puts quite a bit of stress on everyone.
01:51Well, everyone's working longer hours. Everyone's more tired.
01:55The loss of the third machine directly impacts the team's crane ops.
01:59It's like playing a full game of hockey, shorthanded.
02:07Meet Mike Yetman, one of OceanX's longest-serving crane operators.
02:11We have to get these containers out of the vessel for customers,
02:14and they're waiting on their merchandise, they're free.
02:17Mike is under the gun to get the job done.
02:20But so is Clinton.
02:23You know, with ship schedules, it's very challenging with your family life.
02:27It's a little hard, because it could be night shift, it could be 24 hours round o'clock.
02:32Luckily for Clinton, there's a special piece of cargo coming off the ship's lower deck
02:37that should shorten those long days moving forward.
02:40Oh, they've been waiting a while for that.
02:45It's the repaired cylinder for OceanX's third crane.
02:49We just had to replace the cylinder and send the cylinder to Montreal to have new seals and the piston re-chrome.
02:56We can't wait to get out there.
02:58The piston finally showed up today, so hopefully we can get our crane back up and running.
03:02Adding that third machine on the pier will boost productivity and lessen the load on individual operators like Mike.
03:11It's crucial that they get it fixed as soon as possible.
03:14Oh, they're happy now.
03:15That's the most important piece of the day, boss.
03:24On the other side of the Avalon Peninsula, in Harbor Grace, a 222-ton fishing vessel is on dry dock, getting a facelift.
03:35This is the OSC Mariner, an 80-foot trawler that belongs to Quinlan Brothers, one of Newfoundland's top fishing enterprises.
03:47No, just put them in, just put them in the door frame.
03:51Go right this way a bit, look.
03:53The Mariner's new skipper is Ron Curtis, and he's excited about leasing this boat from Quinlan's for the upcoming redfish season.
04:00With a boat this size, I mean, you're always changing your fishing gear, right?
04:04It's not big enough to carry everything that you need for all the different fisheries that you're involved in.
04:09Slack on our Dino?
04:12On a range.
04:14We're going to change over, get some of the gear changed over from the crab fishery to redfish.
04:20Different chutes, different materials that we had to take off and put on the boat, right?
04:24So it's a process, every fishery is a process.
04:27Keeping Newfoundland fishing boats in working order is also a process.
04:31The North Atlantic punishes these vessels, and they constantly need repairs and upgrades.
04:37All right, looking pretty good, bud.
04:39This season, the OSC Mariner needs a lot of work, including engine repair, replacing fuel lines, and updating the life vessels.
04:49All that work, which isn't close to being finished, has already pushed Ron weeks behind schedule.
04:54Watch your head.
04:56I'm going to move that one out of the way, yeah?
05:00Before they discover I took their forklift.
05:03Helping out on the ground is Quinlan's fleet manager, Chris Blunden.
05:07We're trying to get in with the last trip of stuff so we can get it off, clean off the boat right away, change over fisheries, and get back out.
05:14Oh!
05:16Take your washer, Tom.
05:18Previously, Ron had captained another one of Quinlan's vessels.
05:22Prior to this year, I ran the Atlantic Monarch, it was a 65 footer, and we did the same fisheries.
05:30But this year, now we're jumping on board of the OSC Mariner, which is a bigger vessel.
05:35She's an 80 foot fishing vessel.
05:37She's geared up for dragon fishery, like for shrimp and for redfish, and for codfish and turbot like that.
05:43So she's a multi-species vessel.
05:46All right.
05:47Yep.
05:48Watch out now.
05:49We've got two reps left.
05:50So we're hoping at the end of the year, at the end of the season, that everything will work out well and it'll be a good move.
05:57While Ron leases this boat from Quinlan Brothers, he's the one who owns the fishing licenses.
06:04And they don't run cheap.
06:06He's paying off to the banks and God knows who, to the tune of millions.
06:11He's life savings.
06:12He's probably got everything.
06:13He's got everything Gamble on this, right?
06:15Everything is riding on.
06:17You know, can you get the boat away from the wharf today?
06:20In a good year, Ron catches about a million pounds of redfish.
06:26The proceeds from that help him pay Quinlan his fishing licenses, gear, the cost of fuel, and his crew.
06:35For this season to be a success, Ron needs this boat on the water soon, so he can get out fishing.
06:43With no time to waste, he and the crew get started on the biggest upgrade they have planned for the OSC Mariner.
06:49She had originally long arms.
06:51They put them out to try to slow the row of the boat down.
06:55Back in the 80s, the Cat's Whiskers, everyone, you know, they were great rigs.
06:59You know, everyone said how well they work.
07:01What were you planning on cutting there?
07:03Because it's definitely going to have to be cut.
07:05So we're taking those off and we're putting the latest and greatest on now, the stabilizer fins.
07:12Most medium and large commercial fishing vessels in Newfoundland are being outfitted with this new fin technology.
07:19The fins feature articulating steel flaps that unfold into the water alongside the hull.
07:28When deployed, the fins help lower a vessel's center of gravity, which steadies it and makes it easier for fishermen to work on.
07:37They've been working out well with other boats.
07:40I had them on the Atlantic Monarch.
07:42We were probably one of the first boats on the East Coast to get them.
07:46And we've tried them out in rough weather, like when we were fishing in the wintertime at Redfish.
07:51Winter fisheries take skippers and their crews into some of the roughest sea conditions on the planet.
08:00But when we put the stabilizer fins on, it was like night and day.
08:03We couldn't believe it.
08:04We were out in 50 knots of winds and we were drinking coffee up in the wheelhouse saying,
08:07what's going on here?
08:09Putting those stabilizers arm is definitely a win-win for us guys fishing in the winter.
08:14I need something to go in between the ear and the pipe.
08:18Back on dry land, the OSC Mariner's old stabilizer arm still need to come off
08:23before it can be fitted with a fancy new set of fins.
08:27You're not going to balance the same?
08:29No, he wants to lay this one down straight.
08:31Yeah, be careful there now.
08:33All right, get him to take the weight.
08:34Removing them is no joke.
08:36They're over 30 feet long and weigh in at nearly 5,000 pounds each.
08:40All right.
08:41Dead weight that has to be lifted off the deck.
08:44Dino to give us a bit of slack there now.
08:46Slack on her, Dino?
08:48Oh.
08:49She got a mind of her own, this one.
08:53And once hoisted in the air, anything can happen.
08:56I think she's going to pivot out this way.
08:59Slack on her, Dino?
09:00Watch it, watch it, watch it.
09:01Dino to give us a bit of slack there now.
09:03Oh.
09:04Oh.
09:05Ah.
09:06At Harbor Grace, Captain Ron Curtis and his crew are working hard to get the OSC Mariner seaworthy for redfish season.
09:23They're already a month behind schedule and there's still a lot to do.
09:27Dino to give us a bit of slack there now.
09:29Slack on her, Dino?
09:30Yeah.
09:31But while removing an old set of stabilizer arms.
09:34Oh.
09:35She got a mind of her own, this one.
09:37One of them got away from Ron.
09:39Slack on her, Dino?
09:40Watch it, watch it.
09:41Dino to give us a bit of slack there now.
09:43Nearly taking him with it.
09:45Oh.
09:46Thankfully, nothing and no one was harmed in the swinging of that arm.
09:51I'm only 150 pounds, so I'm not going to hold 5,000 pounds when it wants to swing.
09:55Now that the old arms are off, new fins will be installed.
09:59You want everything in good working order before you leave, right?
10:02Make sure the boat is ready to go and then untie and get going.
10:08Aside from the fins, Ron still has his fishing gear to get ready, which is where he's off to next.
10:17In St. John's, on Pier 3, OceanX crews are working double time to offload thousands of tons of goods from the largest ship in their fleet.
10:26Get the ships in, get them out.
10:28That's our ultimate goal.
10:29Keep the freight moving.
10:31All the freight that comes to the island, majority of it comes through OceanX.
10:35Problem is, one of OceanX's cranes is down.
10:39But good news came off the ship this morning.
10:42It's a repaired cylinder that'll finally fix the broken crane.
10:47Jeff's going to follow you, try to help you, go on over the trail.
10:52When the cylinder was taken off a month ago, the operation was led by outside contractors, using their lifts, boom trucks and cranes.
11:03This time around, they'll be using OceanX's equipment for the job.
11:07You have big cranes on site, so why not utilize them?
11:10Our mechanics and our maintenance team are pretty self-sufficient.
11:13You know, they know what they're doing.
11:14These guys are red seals and, you know, eat, sleep and breathe wrenches, so.
11:18Just go and try to lift and see what it looks like.
11:20Just take her up slow.
11:21Sitting pretty level there, Kev.
11:23It's looking good.
11:25But just as everything seems to be falling into place, Mother Nature steps in.
11:30Man, it's Newfoundland weather.
11:32This is it.
11:33It's four seasons in one day.
11:35It's probably going to be 16 and sun after a three o'clock break.
11:39But for now, it's snow and flurries.
11:43While Clinton and Johnny wait for a break in the weather, skipper Ron Curtis has moved to the next item on his to-do list.
11:52He's looking for his fishing trawls, which are stored here, somewhere.
11:57He wants to find that redfish trawl.
12:00That's a shrimp trawl.
12:01That's a shrimp trawl.
12:02We're here now in the yard where we keep all of our fishing gear.
12:05This is all shrimp gear here.
12:07This is redfish gear.
12:08The OAC's fishing gear has been put back here now for the last couple of years.
12:13She hasn't been dragging.
12:14But it's turning into a hunt for a needle in a haystack.
12:17Holy smokes.
12:19I'm going to go back here and have a look.
12:21A lot of gear here.
12:23This is shrimp.
12:24That's shrimp.
12:26Caught in.
12:27Caught in.
12:28Caught in.
12:29What did you say?
12:30It was over on the other side.
12:31Is there any more around the tide?
12:33Right from the get-go, I mean, we've been delayed.
12:35And the boat was delayed.
12:37And now trying to find our gear.
12:39But it seems like there's some here and some elsewhere.
12:43And just when it looks like it's hopeless.
12:45OAC?
12:46OAC have a lot of food.
12:47That's the one.
12:48Yeah, that's the one.
12:50That's the one there about this.
12:53Ron's got his trawl.
12:55He's one step closer to fishing.
12:58Yeah.
13:03Back at OceanX in St. John's, the snow has blown over.
13:07They're getting back into position for the crane repair.
13:10This is one of the pins for the cylinder.
13:13So the guys are just getting ready to prep it.
13:16The cylinder will be hoisted 50 feet in the air,
13:19then maneuvered into position where a pin will be inserted
13:22to keep it in place.
13:24For the pin to fit snugly in the bushing,
13:27it needs to shrink ever so slightly.
13:30And the best way to shrink solid steel quickly?
13:34Liquid nitrogen.
13:36Rather than having to beat the pin in,
13:38the pin will shrink.
13:40And it should pop right in the bushing with ease.
13:44Almost time to lift the cylinder.
13:47At the controls in the hoisting crane is Bill Yetman.
13:50I'm going to have to thread the needle there now
13:52and go down between the lines there.
13:54Bill knows the outcome of this repair
13:56depends partly on factors he can't control.
13:59The wind is fairly from the northwest there today,
14:01so I'll be watching the wind.
14:03Where are you going to feel a lot of wind there?
14:06Wind is our nature here.
14:08Right now it's kind of touch and go.
14:10If it stays this way, we should be okay.
14:12If the winds get any higher, any gustier,
14:14it's probably going to be just a dry run.
14:23At the shipyard in Harbour Grace,
14:25skipper Ron Curtis is back from the equipment depot
14:27to check on his boat, the OSC Mariner.
14:30It's going to move like that.
14:33And then the next thing you're going to have cracks in the welding
14:35and then you're going to get in the gale of wind.
14:38That's going to go overboard.
14:39One life raft gone.
14:40One life raft gone, yeah.
14:42There are lots of last minute fixes to check up on,
14:45but there's one big item on the list
14:47that Ron's hoping he can cross off.
14:49This is the track for this arm runs up in this track
14:53as the fin is coming up.
14:55So this is all done now, completed, completed job.
14:57I'm pleased with it.
14:58Can't wait to see it working now.
15:00The stabilizer fins are the last major piece
15:03to go on the boat before Ron and his team can set sail.
15:07Dino.
15:08Dino, fire up the hydraulic engine.
15:10Dino, let those fins down.
15:12There's no time to take these fins out for a trial.
15:15Slow it down a bit.
15:17So they'll have to be tested on the high seas.
15:20Like them safeties now, I'm not liking that either.
15:23If anything happens to that now where we got to get that,
15:26worst case scenario, what happened on the Monarch?
15:29The point cracked off.
15:31With the repairs complete on the OSC Mariner,
15:34it's go time for Ron.
15:36But like any good skipper,
15:38he still has plenty left to worry about.
15:41We got a lot on the line.
15:43I mean, in the back of your head, you're thinking,
15:45OK, I got five crew members.
15:46They got families they got to take care of.
15:48So they're trusting in to me to catch the redfish
15:51and land the redfish.
15:52We're going to get the best return.
15:54At the end of the day,
15:55everyone's going to have a good Christmas.
15:58In St. John's Harbor,
16:00the wind has finally settled enough for the OceanX crew
16:03to lift the repaired cylinder and fix their downed crane.
16:09Everything all good? Ready to go?
16:11OK, roger that.
16:12I guess we'll put the cylinder in place.
16:15To get the cylinder in place,
16:17crane operator Bill Yetman needs to guide it through a narrow space
16:20between two sets of boom cables.
16:24If those cables are damaged,
16:26the crane will be out of commission for more than the month
16:29it's already been down.
16:31Boom down a little touch now, Bill.
16:33Boom down a little touch.
16:34Once our crane operator, Billy, lifts the cylinder,
16:37you know, it's up to Billy and it's up to the signal man
16:40who's working with Billy to ensure that that cylinder
16:43gets into place.
16:45Yeah, it's doing pretty good here now.
16:47Hopefully it holds up.
16:48There's the possibility of damaging cables, wires.
16:51It's pretty precision work.
16:53Yeah, you're pretty good here now, Bill.
16:56Keep going the way you're going, buddy.
16:57Same thing as threading the needle.
16:59Oh, hey, Gabe.
17:00Bill.
17:05Boom her down some more now,
17:06and we get her in the center of those ropes.
17:10While Ocean X threads the needle.
17:16There's no hammerlock up there?
17:17No.
17:18Well, you know what?
17:19That goes over there.
17:20Yeah, it don't matter.
17:21Skipper Ron Curtis is trying to rally his troops.
17:24Well, you got to take the hammerlock and put it over there.
17:26Yeah.
17:27In terms of time and patience,
17:29his crew needs to get their gear onto the OSC Mariner
17:32so they can get out fishing.
17:34He's going to haul it out first,
17:35see what that looks like, Ron.
17:36Watch yourself there, boys.
17:38Bottom line is the captain,
17:41and then it's the crew.
17:43Grab that and bring it over around
17:44so he can back out there.
17:46All right.
17:48They're looking to you like, what are we going to do?
17:50They're looking for some leadership, right?
17:51Ron's determined to leave port as soon as possible.
17:54No, I got to get this trawl together and on the boat.
17:56I can't wait any longer.
17:58Even if he has to ruffle some feathers.
18:01This looks like your port side here.
18:03Is this trawl put together color-coded or what?
18:06You haven't got your salvages orange and red.
18:08It's all green.
18:09So how do you know what's top and what's bottom there now?
18:11How do you know what's top and bottom there now?
18:13Oh, .
18:14On the wharf at Harbour Grace.
18:23Just got to hold out first, see what that looks like, Ron.
18:26Watch yourself there, boys.
18:27Captain Ron Curtis needs his boat loaded ASAP.
18:31No, I got to get this trawl together and on the boat.
18:33I can't wait any longer.
18:35You get antsy, right?
18:36You're anxious.
18:37You're anxious to go.
18:38It can't happen fast enough.
18:40And your mind's like, oh, is this taking so long?
18:42Is that done?
18:43Is that done?
18:44Come on, guys.
18:45We got to go.
18:46We got to go.
18:47That's what's happening in your mind, right?
18:48Are you straightening ropes on the outside?
18:49Yeah.
18:50Yeah, okay.
18:51Well, this is the top of your trawl.
18:52Everything is out.
18:53This is the top of your trawl.
18:54This one's got to go up there.
18:56This one here got to go up there and there.
18:59If this is the top of your trawl,
19:01that's your starboard side there.
19:03Everyone's doing everything they can,
19:05but like you wanted it done yesterday.
19:11The last big job before they can leave
19:13is to get the main trawl onto the vessel.
19:16Today's work mending point.
19:18We haven't got a day.
19:19So if we can get the trawl on the boat,
19:21get our ice and get on the way later this evening.
19:27After months of delays.
19:28Gee, where am I tying up to?
19:301,001 tasks and fixes, big and small,
19:34to both the boat itself and the fishing gear
19:37that goes on it.
19:38I like the way you're thinking.
19:40Ron and his crew are finally on the cusp
19:43of leaving for redfish season.
19:48You got air balloon for air?
19:50Josh, are you going to strike?
19:51Put it down.
19:52Back her in here now.
19:53We'll get our trawl put on,
19:54and then we're out of here.
19:57I told Natalie last night the only chance
19:59I'm going to get for some rest and peace
20:01is when we're getting on the water.
20:03Tighten her up there, Luke.
20:05All right, now Luke.
20:07Back in St. John's, in the yard at OceanX,
20:17crews are hard at work fixing a broken crane
20:20that's been out of commission for far too long.
20:23The crane has been sitting here for a month or more.
20:26Nobody wants to see a piece of equipment sitting that long,
20:28that new, so it'll be great to get it up and going,
20:30be able to push our boats out on time.
20:32Yeah, buddy's going to be there in the man basket there now.
20:35To do so, a 16,000 pound cylinder needs to get through
20:39a narrow passage between two sets of cables.
20:42Just hang on tight there now, Bill.
20:45Just boom her down another bit there now, Bill.
20:47Boom her down.
20:48All right, she's doing pretty good here now.
20:50Hopefully it holds up.
20:51Boom her down some more now.
20:53Let me get her in the center of those ropes.
20:55The equipment that we're using is, it's massive,
20:58so you're talking 400-ton cranes.
21:00Come up on your load a bit, Bill.
21:01Come up on your load.
21:02But when it comes down to it,
21:04it comes down to the finest little details.
21:05You're talking millimeters.
21:12The cylinder is safely through the cables.
21:15Hey, you should be able to guard him from there, can you?
21:18Yeah.
21:21The next challenge is to slide the cylinder head
21:24into the slot and line it up with the bushing.
21:30Okay, slow, swing her in.
21:32Obviously the size of the cranes and, you know,
21:34the numerous wheels and the lifting capacity
21:36is all, you know, big moving parts,
21:38but it all comes down to that one little piece.
21:40Okay, all are there.
21:42Can we come up a little bit on your cable?
21:45Yeah, you got a little bit of clearance there, Bill.
21:48All there, awesome.
21:49Pretty good.
21:50Okay, we're just about ready for the pin.
21:52Hey, we'll send it up.
21:53Roger that.
21:56When the broken cylinder was taken
21:58off the crane a month ago,
22:00they used heat to melt the core of the pin
22:02before pulling it out.
22:04This time around, hot has turned to cold.
22:08We just took the pin out of the liquid nitrogen.
22:11Hopefully we should just be able to slide it in.
22:13The pin will allow the cylinder to pivot
22:16with the movements of the crane's boom arm.
22:22Yeah, it's going.
22:24Going nice.
22:26Okay, that looks pretty good there, Trevor.
22:28So tight.
22:29Even after being shrunk by liquid nitrogen,
22:31the pin has to be hammered into place.
22:38So we've got it all done here now.
22:40We're just finished tightening up the last bolts here now.
22:44And that's about it for up here then.
22:48Overall, for the conditions we endured today
22:51with the weather and the wind, the guys did amazing.
22:54They did a fabulous job.
22:56Thanks to the crew's hard work,
22:58OceanX will have their third crane up and running
23:00in time for the next ship that rolls in.
23:03On the other side of the Avalon Peninsula, in Harbour Grace,
23:16the crew of the OSC Mariner are one step away
23:19from departing for redfish season.
23:24It's all bunched on the trawlers.
23:26We're going to have more holes than in tomorrow,
23:28I can guarantee you that.
23:29Hang on, hang on.
23:31Hang on, hang on.
23:32All of that stuff is on under that.
23:34All right, down.
23:35So we'll have to go on in with it, that's all.
23:37No, go on in with it.
23:39There's a process, you know.
23:40Okay, okay, okay, that's out.
23:42We start reeling our trawl out.
23:45That's our time to check those nets out real good.
23:48Enough of this dragging around.
23:50A full day putting the trawl on.
23:53A lot of things change in fishing over time.
23:56The boats, the radar, the sounders, the fins.
23:59But not the nets.
24:02Bay has been in the same shape for, like, centuries.
24:05Go on.
24:06Go on with it.
24:07She's not going to haul that.
24:08She's not going to haul up 20,000 pounds.
24:10We stretch our trawl out.
24:12As it's getting closer to the boat, we're looking.
24:14We're scanning over, looking for holes,
24:15looking for something that's just not right.
24:17The trawl is over 200 feet long
24:19and weighs over 7,000 pounds.
24:22We don't want to overlook anything
24:23and then get out to sea or get fishing
24:25and something break and everything goes haywire
24:27and, like, we missed something.
24:28We should have fixed that when it was on the wharf.
24:31Oh!
24:32All right, Dino.
24:33All right.
24:34All right, Dino.
24:35All right.
24:36All right, Dino.
24:37Unhooking here, Nella.
24:38Oh, my.
24:39Oh, my.
24:40Oh, my.
24:41They've ripped a five-foot gash in the trawl.
24:43Hooked up in the edge of the wharf and ripped the big old hole
24:46and caught in.
24:47I've never ripped them holes in that.
24:49You're going to be a full day tomorrow.
24:51You don't even know if it's going to fish right.
24:57In Harbor Grace, Newfoundland.
24:59Oh!
25:00Oh, my.
25:01Skipper Ron Curtis and his crew have ripped a five-foot gash
25:05in their main trawl, and it will have to be repaired
25:08before they can fish.
25:09Hooked up in the edge of the wharf and ripped the big old hole
25:12and cut in.
25:14Stuff like that is self-inflicted.
25:18They'll have to mend that hole before they start fishing.
25:21But all their gear is now loaded, so they can finally cast off.
25:26I'm telling you, when you're on the wharf, like,
25:28trying to get everything ready to go, you know?
25:30So many jobs on the go, right?
25:32But once you get going and the boat unties,
25:35it's a little bit of peace, you know?
25:38They'll be steaming overnight clear around the Avalon Peninsula
25:44to the harbour at Fortune, where they'll load up on ice
25:47to keep their eventual catch fresh.
25:54Conception Bay, Newfoundland.
25:56Yes, sir, just leaving the dock here now.
25:58We've got five lifts to go up, and we've got a couple of
26:00technicians.
26:01They're going to go on with the gangway, too.
26:02Roger that.
26:03Before you come in, just check with the bridge to make sure
26:05they've got the leave finished.
26:06Yeah, I'll do that.
26:08Skipper Paul Dalton is behind the wheel of the Predator,
26:11a 40-foot supply vessel from his 28-boat fleet.
26:15We're just starting to come out to the breakwater here now,
26:17and, like, northeast is probably one of the worst winds here
26:20in CVS.
26:21Paul's on a service run to a massive oil tanker
26:24called the Dorset Spirit, idling a few kilometres offshore.
26:28The wind looks like it's around 20 knots.
26:31We're watching that.
26:33Just making sure everything is good.
26:36He's loaded with food and other supplies
26:38that are critical to the tanker's operation.
26:40We're going to start to take it here on the starboard bow now.
26:44The humidity today, the sea conditions,
26:46you can see we're steaming up a bit.
26:48The wind is after coming back a bit,
26:51but there's still a bit of a swell there, as we know,
26:54with the northeast wind.
26:56The Dalton Predator is the Dorset's supply vessel,
26:59its link to land.
27:01Whatever the Dorset needs, the Predator brings.
27:04We're at it now since quarter,
27:05a little bit of delay, but we're good.
27:08There we go.
27:10Whether clearing debris from St. John's Harbour
27:12after a storm...
27:13That gets up around your prop, you know.
27:15...or assisting a foreign trawler
27:17into port with his tugboat...
27:19Watch your step.
27:20Morning, men, women, and everyone.
27:23...or shuttling workers to an offshore oil rig.
27:26Paul does it all, at all hours, in any conditions,
27:30all across the Avalon Peninsula.
27:33Come on with the luggage, what's up?
27:35...always with a smile and a little bit of spice.
27:38Fuck's sake, you could have put it on the deck.
27:40Put the other one in the middle too, Jamie.
27:44Earlier in the day, Paul and his first mate, Jamie Duggan,
27:47are loading pallets of food for the Dorset spirit,
27:50which is too large to come into port.
27:52For fuck's sake.
27:53We might have to get it out and just put it down on the ground
27:55and change it.
27:56Yeah.
27:57See?
27:58Always somethings.
27:59What are you going to do, haul it out?
28:00I'm going to haul it out of food.
28:01You're not packed right tight in there.
28:03Why the ****.
28:04I always...
28:05Not much, Paul.
28:06They get food every three weeks or whatever,
28:08so that depends on the ship and on her schedule
28:11when she gets in.
28:12She could be gone for...
28:13Well, depending on the weather,
28:14she could be gone for a week,
28:15she could be gone for ten days before she gets back.
28:17We won't go without you.
28:18All right.
28:19While Paul buttons up the food delivery in Conception Bay,
28:22Skipper Ron Curtis and the OSC Mariner have arrived in Fortune
28:29to pick up their last supplies before finally going fishing.
28:33Just about to go into Fortune Harbor here now.
28:36They're waiting for us there now at the wharf,
28:38so when we get in and get tied up,
28:41then we'll start putting our ice aboard.
28:44How's your own troops?
28:46How's that?
28:47Good, how are you?
28:48Good, good.
28:49Okay.
28:50We'll probably bring her back to the corner.
28:52Or is that all right there?
28:58Ron and his crew are at the harbor to fill 40 tubs with ice.
29:04Whoa.
29:06We'll get it.
29:07The ice they'll use to keep their catch fresh
29:10when they're out fishing.
29:12Try to get everything to work like clockwork, right?
29:14We can get everything set up and make it easy as possible
29:17and get everything working right the way it should be working.
29:19Everything should run nice and smooth.
29:21Try as they may to get everything set and ready.
29:24Fishing, especially in winter, also calls for patience.
29:28I would say fishing in the wintertime is harder
29:32because of the weather, basically.
29:34And so many different variables too.
29:36You're thinking, okay, should we go in right now
29:39or can we beat it out?
29:41Coming down.
29:42The forecast is calling for a winter storm in fortune tomorrow.
29:46Oh.
29:47Down.
29:48It's another small setback on the way to potential success.
29:52Down.
29:53Oh.
29:54Down.
29:55Down.
29:56All right, down, down.
29:58Last season, Ron and his crew pulled in over a million
30:01pounds of redfish.
30:02Down.
30:03That effort brought in over two million dollars.
30:07It's the fishing version of gold fever.
30:09We got our ice aboard.
30:11Everything's situated down in the fish hole now.
30:14We got a little bit of weather tonight.
30:16Tomorrow morning to wait out and then we're on our way.
30:18In Conception Bay, Paul Dalton is fighting three-meter swells
30:31to bring food and other supplies to a massive Canadian oil tanker,
30:35the Dorset Spirit.
30:36The captain's going to turn the right side on and he should
30:39knock down the wind for sure.
30:40The ships are 280 meters and they're just like an island, really.
30:45At nearly 1,000 feet long and over 150 feet wide, the Dorset is
30:52basically a moveable island.
30:55It's so big that it's designated Suez Max, a naval term for
31:00the largest ships allowed into the Suez Canal.
31:03When she's full, the Dorset shuttles over a million barrels
31:06of crude oil at a time.
31:09Now that the Predator's up close, it feels the force of the
31:13tanker.
31:14Our thruster in DP sometimes networks against us at the gangway
31:17as well.
31:18The thruster's thrown us off.
31:20The tanker is in DP, or dynamic positioning, which uses the ship's
31:25thrusters to idle in place.
31:27She's thrown forces all around each side of the ship,
31:30stern to bow, whatever, to hold her in place.
31:32And you know, our boat is so small, it just affects us.
31:36On top of the food he's delivering to the tanker, Paul is also
31:40shuttling four technicians who have work to do on the Dorset.
31:43All right, we're going to get this messenger now.
31:47You throw the messenger to us.
31:49Hold it up.
31:50I can't get in to get it.
31:52Throw it down.
31:53A messenger line is sent down to keep the two vessels connected.
31:57Jamie, his thruster's throwing us away.
32:00He's going to have to turn the thruster.
32:03But the ship's thrusters are throwing Paul's boat out of range.
32:07It's no good.
32:08It's frustrating, you know, at times trying to get the job done,
32:11and sometimes you'll ask him just to shut down the engine,
32:14and even then, that takes time.
32:16Dorset, Predator.
32:18Yeah, we've got too much force nearby.
32:22He's driving us up around.
32:24Unless the tanker can maintain position
32:26without putting so much force into the water,
32:29Paul and Jamie won't be able to get the food up.
32:32Try that, Paul.
32:33You got to go under the .
32:34I know.
32:35You got to kick her over.
32:36Not going to work.
32:37Got to go back.
32:38In Conception Bay, skipper Paul Dalton is delivering supplies
32:50to the Dorset Spirit, a 915-foot oil tanker idling offshore.
32:57Dorset, Predator.
32:59Yeah, we've got too much force nearby.
33:01He's driving us up around.
33:03Not going to work.
33:04Got to go back.
33:05The ship's engine is giving him fits.
33:07He makes a bit of a lee for us, but we always got wind.
33:10The wind keeps us down in place here,
33:12and we're just usually just going in and out of gear.
33:15If you get a little bit of lee off for there
33:17and let a bit of wind come down, it'll drive us back.
33:19The Dorset dials down its thrusters.
33:22Paul and Jamie take advantage of the lull to hoist the food up.
33:30Two away.
33:32Three more to go, and then backload.
33:34After the food is offloaded,
33:36the Dorset starts to send down its garbage.
33:39We don't know what they're backloading really.
33:41They're telling us to have some garbage and it's in some crates.
33:44And in these conditions, landing that on the Predator
33:46is a lot harder than taking supplies off.
33:49Sometimes you're bringing stuff out.
33:51It could be 3,000, 4,000 pounds.
33:53So whenever you're lifting that off,
33:55there's always the risk of someone getting hurt,
33:58something breaking, something damage to the boat.
34:00You always got to be aware and watching and, you know,
34:04just play it safe.
34:06Drop her down, drop her down.
34:07Let her come.
34:08Hold her in, Jamie.
34:09Hold her in.
34:10There we go.
34:11Hold in.
34:12Hold in.
34:13Come on down.
34:14After several trips to and from the oil tanker,
34:17evening falls and Paul is still at it.
34:20Now let's get in before it gets real dark.
34:23We're last run here for the evening now.
34:25We just got the passengers off the tanker
34:26and we're heading back to the dock.
34:28He's almost done for the day.
34:30So as you can see, we're nearly back to dock now.
34:32We're finished up here with the door set.
34:34Or so he thinks.
34:35When now?
34:36Yeah.
34:37He just said it.
34:38Why didn't the ship call me?
34:39Who's meter?
34:40No.
34:41No.
34:42No.
34:43No.
34:44No.
34:46No.
34:47No.
34:48No.
34:49No.
34:50No.
34:51No.
34:52No.
34:53No.
34:54No.
34:55No.
34:56Go back from.
34:57Dorset, Predator.
34:58Oh.
35:02And just like that things change.
35:03Predator, Dorset, go ahead.
35:04Yeah, the guys are telling me there's a meter left on board
35:05or something.
35:06We have to come back and get it.
35:07Is that correct?
35:08So we're never in until we're in.
35:23fortune Newfoundland winter has closed in on Ron and his crew and they're stuck
35:29in the harbor I always say having a boat and having a fishing enterprise is
35:34almost like having a baby you always got to be candid to it you know but it
35:37gives them time to mend the torn trawl or mending the trawl father used to say
35:43when I was younger fishing with he if he was at the twine in the shed and you
35:50come in the shed he say fix a few of them holes while you're taking a break the
35:56techniques they use go back generations and each fisherman learns them in his
36:01own way when I started fishing an old-timer Edwin Noonan he taught us how to basically
36:14make a trawl showed us the design showed us how it was put together showed us how
36:19to mend twine showed us how to sew in bellies I took everything to heart
36:25right you know just soaked it all in when you're fishing you try to mend them
36:29quick so you'll just put what we call a scum you'll just take it together in your
36:34hand like that and just you know sew it together and it worked out well because
36:38now I can you know the some new guys come aboard my boat I can tell them like
36:44this is the way you got to do with grab a needle sew in a hole you'll learn if you
36:48did have a little hole in it if you like you lost like that's a big enough hole for a lot
36:54of fish to start falling out through right yep after weeks of preparations and countless delays
37:00Ron and the boys are so close to fishing they can almost taste it yeah when we got
37:06into fortune yesterday we knew that the weather was gonna come up and so when the
37:10wind starts to drop down and we'll we'll head around then
37:15now we're talking now we're talking
37:25it's early morning in the North Atlantic a winter storm calmed down enough for skipper Ron Curtis to run
37:33his boat the OSC mariner out of the harbour last night to the fishing grounds the spot Ron wants to
37:42fish is out on the Burgio Bank about 10 hours from fortune off the southern shore of Newfoundland
37:48our first area we're gonna fish in now is gonna be the Burgio Bank we've had good return there good
37:55catch rates there in the past few years usually around this time of the year the fish start showing up
38:00and in in good numbers just hooking on the rope just tell you it takes the strain oh there's a
38:07feeling of anticipation you can't wait you're wishing away those few hours so you can take it
38:12back and just see what what's going on there if it's a good fishing ground you know you're looking
38:16on your your sounder all the time and as soon as you see a mark you're thinking in your mind okay
38:21this is good I see some marks on the sounder yeah there's that sense of anticipation for sure
38:29it had adrenaline rush right meanwhile on the harbour in St. John's as usual a large container ship is in
38:49port and there's a push on to get it offloaded but what's different today is that OceanX's third crane
38:55is back up and running and on the job the third crane running is is huge things run smoothly here
39:03three cranes are swinging it speeds up production our vessels are in and out that much quicker it's a
39:08shorter day so you're getting to go home to your family it's a big relief to be back to normal and
39:13while having the third arm in the air is a relief to peer supers like Clinton it's a godsend for
39:19operators like Mike Yetman so there's a lot more productivity because obviously we're getting the
39:26freight moving fast and on trucks and out the gate but with the three cranes going the only factor he
39:34has to take into the equation in is the weather right even a dozen cranes flying around the wharf
39:42can't change the weather these hard hats have to work in we got some high winds in the forecast I think it's
39:48supposed to be pretty measurable winds up around 100 kilometers an hour plus rain so fog as well it
39:56caused a little bit of havoc on the pair with the cranes no matter the forecast or the havoc it might
40:02cause these heroes have a job to do and they do it well out on the Bergio Bank
40:10the crew of the OSC mariner is set to reel in their first load of redfish this is what the blood and
40:25sweat they've sunk into this journey is all about watch your head hey hey hey 2023 baby first bag of
40:36fish try to keep your way door up a little bit run skipper Ron Curtis has been anticipating this
40:43moment for months hold right there now down on your tackle that's what keeps you coming back yeah yeah
40:51yeah it's a thrill of the hunt you know I mean when you're hauling in that big catcher when you're
40:57coming back to port with a full boatload of fish I mean you got that feeling like of success
41:02okay all the crews happy they're getting a paycheck out of it you know everyone's big smile on their
41:21face and you got that sense of accomplishment right we just did it we just did it and then
41:27you're unloading let's go do it again you're unloading let's go do it again
Comments