Crab boat crew is rescued after capsizing in Bering Sea

Thursday, October 16, 2003

By MIKE LEWIS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

ON A CRAB BOAT IN THE BERING SEA -- The F/V Raven, an Oregon-based crab boat, capsized in heavy seas yesterday, forcing a dramatic helicopter rescue of its five-person crew. All crew members were reported on their way to the seasonal Coast Guard base at Cold Bay, Alaska.

MORE FROM ALASKA

P-I reporter Mike Lewis and photographer Karen Ducey are aboard the Seattle-based boat Exito, covering the crab season in the Bering Sea. Read their daily reports.

The Raven capsized in 19-foot swells two hours before the start of king crab season, one of the nation's most lucrative and dangerous fishing seasons.

A Coast Guard safety officer in Dutch Harbor said it appeared the crewmen were rescued from the deck of the boat before going in the water.

The accident comes just as Congress and fisheries regulators are attempting to rewrite crab-fishing guidelines to make the season slower and safer. Currently, crab is fished in frenzied three- to five-day derbies, often held regardless of weather and conditions.

The 86-foot, red-and-black Raven put out the Mayday call at 2 p.m. Alaska time, with a frantic crew member reporting that the boat was rolling. The boat, one of the smaller boats in the 252-ship crab fleet, was heavily loaded with crab pots at the time of the accident.

The Coast Guard did not know the cause of the accident. The Raven was seen listing at a 45- to 50-degree angle.

The Coast Guard cutter Morgenthau, which had been dispatched to the area for the start of the season, launched a Dolphin helicopter rescue crew to pick up the men. A second helicopter crew in the area assisted. The rescued crewmen were identified as Shawn Wheeler and Bill Sager, both of King Cove, Alaska; Dennis Bell and Brent Kaschmitter, both of Riggins, Idaho; and Lawren Keeler of Reno, Nev.

Of the boats participating in this year's king crab season, more than half -- about 140 -- are based in Puget Sound, most of them in Seattle.

Quinn Ferguson, a Seattle native and captain of the F/V Exito, listened to the radio exchanges of the accident, about 40 miles south of where he planned to begin fishing. He said the accident is proof positive that derby-style fishing needs to end.

"We wouldn't be out in this weather if it was our choice," he said. "Those are lucky boys."

P-I reporter Carol Smith contributed to this report.

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