Flu Hits Time Bandit at the Worst Moment — How Jonathan Hillstrand Refused to Let the Season Slip Away
In the treacherous waters of the Bering Sea, where crab fishing is already a life-or-death gamble, Captain Johnathan Hillstrand of the Time Bandit is facing a new enemy: a highly contagious flu virus that’s sweeping through his crew like a rogue wave. With his wife Heather and brother Neil already sidelined, Hillstrand is resorting to unconventional tactics—including mandatory milk chugs—to keep his deckhands on their feet and haul the last 150 pots before symptoms force a shutdown.
The ordeal unfolded amid a grueling grind, as Hillstrand gathered his team for a pep talk laced with home remedies. “We got a big grind coming. I need everyone strong. So, we got to start drinking milk every 6 hours,” he instructed, passing out cartons and touting the beverage’s benefits. “Vitamin D and zinc. It’s proven. Just read, Google it if you have a chance. Did you know that milk is the only liquid you can actually live on?” The crew, including veterans like Freddy, Jared, Teddy Bear, and Steven, complied with a mix of skepticism and resolve, clinking cartons in a toast before returning to the rails.
But the virus proved relentless. As pots came aboard—some yielding rough hauls of crab—symptoms escalated. “All your muscles ache… I’m like worthless right now, man,” one deckhand lamented. Freddy was spotted vomiting over the rail, followed by Jared and Teddy Bear. “Oh god, that hurts me, dude,” Hillstrand reacted, watching his team falter. “The glass of milk is not going to cure this one. We’re really in trouble.”
With the boat’s momentum at stake, Hillstrand emphasized perseverance: “No rest for the wicked. We got no choice but to get through this.” He urged caution, reminding the crew to “be real careful” and “shout for everybody” to avoid further mishaps. When Steven’s condition worsened—”He ain’t doing good”—Hillstrand made the tough call to send him below deck, reducing the workforce to a skeleton crew.
In a display of family grit, Neil Hillstrand, at 62 years old, stepped up despite his own illness. “They need a fourth guy out there. We can’t do this,” Johnathan noted, deploying his brother to the deck. “I’ll just run out. I’ll finish this string off,” Neil agreed, throwing hooks and rallying the team. “Yeah, if you’re 62, you’re about half as good as you ever was. Whatever we got to do to get home,” he quipped, helping pull pots in a bid to secure the offload.
Hillstrand, who claims immunity from past outbreaks—”These guys get sick all the time. I don’t get sick. The last five or six flu we’ve had on here, I’ve been fine”—stressed the importance of natural defenses like vitamin D and sunshine. Yet, with the whole boat afflicted, the captain’s strategy blends optimism with urgency: “We just got to keep the target. We got to get this stop… If we could reset all these and get another pick, then I could get that offload.”
Industry experts warn that such outbreaks can cripple operations in the high-stakes king crab season, where delays mean lost quotas and revenue. “These guys are troopers. They’re not giving up,” Hillstrand praised his crew, embodying the unyielding spirit of Bering Sea fishermen. As the Time Bandit pushes through, the episode underscores a brutal truth: In crab fishing, you battle not just the sea, but whatever it throws at you—including the flu.
The incident highlights ongoing health challenges in remote maritime work, where medical help is hours away. “Drinking vitamin D, getting sunshine, that helps you out a lot,” Hillstrand advised, but as symptoms mount, questions linger about the efficacy of milk against a viral foe.
Fellow captains are monitoring the situation closely, with one noting, “This is not our finest hour.” For Hillstrand and his band of “troopers,” the goal remains clear: Haul the pots, beat the bug, and head home heroes.