What To Know
- Keith Colburn, captain of The Wizard, reached a breaking point due to dangerous conditions and exhaustion.
- Rick Shelford and Sig Hansen also faced severe weather and equipment challenges, with Sig needing to secure antibiotics for an injured crew member.
- The episode highlighted the extreme risks, teamwork, and quick decision-making.
The Deadliest Catch’s captains have felt the Bering Sea’s fury this season. These rough conditions have caused a world of problems for Keith Colburn and The Wizard as his crew look to fill their crab quota. Sig Hansen and Rick Shelford are also dealing with massive swells slamming into their respective vessels.
During the June 15 episode of the Discovery Channel reality series, things take a turn for the worse for Sig that causes him to act fast. Rick must also think on his feet to set his pots in spots that bring big returns.
Read on to see what unfolded for these three.
Keith Colburn
Monte Colburn/Discovery Channel
The Wizard captain has been struggling with rough waters doing a number on everyone on board. Not getting the results he wants only adds to the stress, burning through $5,000 of fuel per day and the rest of his 360,000 pounds, $2.2 million bairdi quota left to catch. A massive wave came up on deck, causing Keith to be especially concerned for his men. Following the encounter, he asked everyone to get inside and then he rushed to check on them. Freddy Maugatai, a longtime deckhand, got hit in the back from the crane. Another said, “I thought I was a goner.” The harrowing experience got Keith thinking back to a 2008 season where the vessel took on a wave and he couldn’t even see the crew.
Despite all that was weighing on him, he tried to pull it together and get back on the hunt. Keith took a moment to try to calm himself and think about his heartrate. It wasn’t that long ago that he had his own medical emergency. “I don’t think I can drive this boat…That’s all I got…Enough is enough,” Keith concluded. He set course for town, but not before he made a phone call to his brother, co-captain Monte “Mouse” Colburn. Keith told him he needed him up there. Mentally and physically exhausted, he got emotional when handing off the boat to Monte. “Take care of my girl.” Keith said. Monte was proud of him for seeing the signs and knowing when to take a step back. However, Monte discovered Keith set 50 baited pots in an out of bounds area. Knowing this might be a personal liability, he had to call Keith to lend his input.
Rick Shelford & Sig Hansen
Rick Shelford/Discovery Channel
Rick said a prayer on the Aleutian Lady on Day 4 of a devastating weather front. He was spot checking what he wanted to do next to catch the $1 million remaining Northern king crab quota. The empty pots coming in weren’t giving him confidence in the area. Adding to the problems was when one pot got hung up on another. At least there was some crab in one of the pots while the other was mangled. Rick’s strategy was to drag the pot at the bottom to clear the way. The junk pot would be rigged to ride along the path for others.
Elsewhere, Sig was under the clock on the Northwestern for 30,000 pounds before the weather continued to deteriorate more than it had. The waves were kicking up when Karl Rasmussen injured his toe on deck from a pot. Sig wanted to get him Augmentin, an antibiotic that contained amoxicillin. This would be high risk for anyone allergic to penicillin. Sig checked with a doctor on what could be safely distributed and was recommended azithromycin, which they didn’t have in their supplies. Without the medication, he’d have to go back to town. Sig decided to call up Rick, and he thankfully had some. Sig met up with Rick to pick it up. After hearing Rick’s challenges, Sig volunteered the Northwestern to help guide his vessel through the area for him to drop his pots in good spots. Rick appreciated the idea and went with it hoping the move would pay off. In the end, they both got some nice boosts in their crab numbers. Karl looked to be recovering, suited up and headed back on board as he didn’t want to let his crew down.
Deadliest Catch, Fridays, 8/7c, Discovery Channel
