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Keith Colburn, Page 3
◄ Go home: Deadliest Catch
 Jump to a Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Redsox Jay: I know you get asked this all the time but as a long time fan of the show how do you apply for a position on a crab boat? I am coming from Boston Mass. and have spent some time on lobster boats. What can someone that has somewhat of time in the high water off the coast of Maine do to try to get a job in Alaska crab fishing? Thank you for what you do and for making “Deadliest Catch” the best show on T.V. Keith Colburn: If you're serious about whether or not you're capable of doing the job, if you're physically fit, if you're young, and if you have a sense of adventure, all I could say is fly to Dutch Harbor Oct. 1, pack a sea bag, and start pounding the docks. Lola147: Why is Monte called "Mouse"? Keith Colburn: There are 3 Colburn brothers. Monte is the youngest, and when he was young he was the quietest. So our next door neighbor coined the term Monte Mouse back in 1969, and it's stuck ever since. I usually just call him "The Rodent". BanditaTBWench-Lori: Does the way the Wizard sits in the water affect the stability of the boat in any way? You know, because it sits lower in the water?? Keith Colburn: Yes, being low in the water improves its stability. The Wizard's stability is phenomenal. Most vessels need to have set configurations - to haul 200 pots on deck they need to have some of their pots not filled with water so they have more reserve buoyancy. On the Wizard we can fill all four tanks and have a full complement of 250 pots on board at any time. Guitar Hero Master: Wondering what your opinion was about deckhands who call the boat owner and complain about the Captain. Saw that on the Early Dawn this episode, and thought it was nasty! Keith Colburn: I didn't see that episode, but if they want to call the boat owner on my boat, they can just come upstairs and tell me what the problem is. Generally they don’t' come up to the wheel house to tell me what's wrong. Sometimes the fishing just isn't good, and that's why it's called fishing. I've gone a month or more without catching crab, but I've also caught 100,000 pounds of crab in four days. You have to take the highs with the lows. If you can't, get out of the fishery. Furmdog6: Keith Have you ever come close to losing your boat? Keith Colburn: Yeah, my first boat I almost lost it because of poor fishing - in the first season it almost foreclosed. The closest my boat came to actually being lost (to the chagrin of the people watching “Deadliest Catch”) was this year. My brother hit a rock and put a large hole in the bottom of the boat. Luckily it was in a place where we had a double bottom, so we were able to get it back to Dutch Harbor to get it repaired. We're going to dry dock the boat this summer and do official repairs. I would say this is the closest in recent memory that the boat was in serious jeopardy. Bad new for “Deadliest Catch” fans - there were no cameras on the boat at the time. Pincher: Captain Keith thanks for chatting with us. When you talk about shots, about how many feet of line is in a shot? Keith Colburn: A shot is 33 fathoms, or roughly 200 feet. Woasisss: Hey Capt Keith! Awesome King season! When the Wizard sprung her leak earlier, were you onboard and if not, what was your first reaction at the news and what was the glue you used to patch her up? Keith Colburn: The news was as much about the leak as also about the wave. The wave did quite a bit of damage on deck, not only the 12-14 crab pots that got mutilated, but the coiler was damaged and was later repaired. My first feeling was is the boat secure, is everyone safe, and can we get back to town? The answer to all those was yes, so I knew we were OK. The glue we used is called Splash Zone - it's a 2-part epoxy silly putty that hardens like steel, and it's extremely good for a temporary fix like that. And it's still holding up well. Marijane: How long before you are out fishing again? Keith Colburn: The boat leaves the end of September, and we'll start king crab fishing on Oct. 15. ChadM: How many friends have you lost to accidents? Keith Colburn: The longer that you fish in Dutch Harbor, the longer the list is. I've had good friends, acquaintances, comrades, many lost over the years, many dear to me. I really don't have the running list, but more than I would like are on it. Shawn32: How many times a year does the Coast Guard inspect your vessel and what do they look for ? Keith Colburn: We have Coast Guard inspections every other year that is extremely thorough. Before every fishery - king crab, snow crab - we will have a five point inspection that includes all the safety gear, survival suits, life rafts, EPIRB, alarms, etc. and stability reports. The Coast Guard boards us periodically for a spot check. Cincin: How much time do you have between the different crab seasons? Keith Colburn: We used to have about a month off. We fish Oct-Nov for king crab and Jan-April for snow crab. The time off is as quick as we can get our gear configured from one fishery to the other. Feathers: Welcome Captain Keith, I would like to ask you how long have you been fishing and did your dad do this before? Keith Colburn: I've been fishing 23 years. I am the first fisherman that I know of in my family. My brother is the only other fisherman that I know of in my family, so we are first generation pioneer fishermen. Bgum: What is an "EPIRB"? Keith Colburn: It's an acronym for Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons. It's used to locate vessels that are in distress by satellite. RebeccaD111: I am confused about the IFC. Were they only handed out in 2005 and you can't get one now? Keith Colburn: It’s actually IFQ, individual fishing quotas. They were issued in 2005. I was issued a very small amount for being a captain. I can purchase them if I like, or lease them from other owners. Currenly I lease the majority of my quota. The IFQ program began in 2005 and it's continuing now. We are fishing under an IFQ fishery now. |
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