You Will be Missed

This morning over coffee my husband deliverd the somber news of Captain Phil's death.  The Captain suffered a stroke during a crab off load in Alaska while filming.  Some of you may be familiar with Discovery's hit show Deadliest Catch.  We have been fans since day one.  It all started when on a vacation on a little island called Jost Van Dyke.  Here we came across two characters one evening, a captain and client of a sail boat charter.  There were funny stories passed along that evening over drink, but the captain also talked of his first, and only trip as a crab boat hand as a young man.  He said of his life at sea, that those were the scariest days he had ever had, and the pay he received was large enough to be the downpayment on his first house.

We had seen how hairy life on a crab boat could be thanks to reality television, one of those 'top ten deadliest jobs' shows or something of the like.  It was not long after that the Captains and crews of the Discovery Channel's show Deadliest Catch were regular guests in our family room.  We have been devoted fans, enjoying both the laughs and the frightening moments that come along with watching these characters fish.

We had a chance to hear captain Phil speak a few years back, he and another Captain from the show came to New Bedford for a Q and A at The Working Waterfront Festival.  Phil and Jonathan were every bit as colorful in real life as they are on TV, there is nothing "extra" put on for show.   I am grateful I was able to witness this man talk about his life's passion in person, and he will be remembered by those that welcomed his gritty voice, chain smoking, family fights, and constant antics into their homes over the years.   R.I.P. Captain Phil Harris, you will be missed.