227 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor — Under bright skies but with an 800-meter-wide cyclone closing in from the northeast, Captain “Wild” Bill Wichrowski and his crew aboard the Summer Bay prepared to face one of the toughest openings of crab season yet.
The waters teemed with life as dolphins and porpoises surrounded the vessel, a rare and almost spiritual sight for the crew. “I’ve never seen this many porpoises follow a boat before,” Bill said. “I kind of think that Min has something to do with it.”
Just seven weeks earlier, deckhand Mahlon Reyes, 38, had passed away unexpectedly, leaving a hole in the tight-knit crew. Before setting sail, Bill and his team scattered Mahlon’s ashes at sea — a moment that still lingered with everyone aboard. “Everybody’s really feeling his presence,” Bill reflected. “It might be the little bit of positive these guys need right now.”
New Blood and Rough Seas
As the crew began setting their 118 pots ahead of the approaching storm, rookie deckhand Blake Smither struggled to find his rhythm. “He’s like a young child learning how to walk,” one crewmate joked. But the learning curve aboard the Summer Bay is steep — and dangerous.
Moments later, Smither suffered a painful accident when a bait snap recoiled, striking him in the eye. “He poked himself right in the eye,” Bill explained grimly. “I had six broken bones in my foot and pushed pots for six weeks on a boat. Happens out here.”
Despite the injury, the young greenhorn fought to recover and rejoin the team as the weather worsened. “Most dangerous job in the world,” Bill said. “A hundred percent injury rate.”
Hope from the Depths
The crew’s morale lifted when the first string of pots — dubbed the Mahlon set — came up full of crab. “Wow, look at this pile!” shouted deck boss Landon. “That’s what we’re looking for!”
“Men’s coming through,” Bill added with a smile, referring to his late deckhand. “Make my day if this stuff gets better as we go.”
As the pots kept delivering “big, beautiful” keepers, the Summer Bay was back in business. Against the odds — and with a storm looming — the crew had found both crab and comfort on the open sea.
A Tribute at Sea
In a season marked by loss, danger, and relentless work, the Summer Bay crew found a measure of peace. Surrounded by dolphins and heavy seas, they carried Mahlon’s memory with them, believing he was watching from above.
“Hopefully he sticks with us,” Bill said quietly as another pot surfaced heavy with crab. “Yeah, it’s getting better. That’s the stuff we want.”
As the storm rolled closer, the men pressed on — weary, weathered, but united. Out here, every catch is a victory, and every survivor, a testament to the sea’s respect for those who dare to face it.
