The Deadliest Catch in Ketchikan

Ketchikan provided an opportunity to take the afternoon excursion on the Aleutian Ballad from the Bering Sea. We had a gorgeous day today, really a gorgeous week in Alaska, and off we sailed from our dock.

The boat is owned by Dave with Steve and Kiwi giving him a hand in the workings of the tour. The boat was originally a fishing boat in the Bering Sea and appeared on the TV show, “Deadliest Catch.” Today it is outfitted for tourists who sail to see how the fishing/crabbing is done.

We caught king crab, snowy crab and stone crab. Additional seafood included escargot, shrimp and a 70-pound octopus. Had we not had to throw them back we could have had calamari for the entire crew. We were on a crew excursion so I was with friends today and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Joanne, left, and Crew Purser Hanna.

Joanne, left, and Crew Purser Hanna.

They explained how things worked when catching in the pots and added personal stories from the years of fishing they all had. These guys are not tour guides but the real thing — experienced fishermen. That made it all the more interesting to us. The crew provided a snack box and hot chocolate and coffee, and of course we all bought the t-shirts.

Along with the crabs and sea life, we saw dozens of bald eagles. We threw herring out on to the water and watched them fly in and literally grab dinner. They are quite a sight to see enmass like that, very impressive. We did spot some seals as well as we sailed by some small islands where they were sunning.

A good day all around and I recommend the trip for those on a ship as something educational and fun.

Joanne and Michael are the future cruise consultants aboard Zuiderdam.

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  1. Maritime Monday 164 June 27, 2009 at 1:07 am - Reply

    […] HollandAmericaBlog has where cruise ship personnel go when they take a cruise in “The Deadliest Catch in Ketchikan“. […]

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