As a new vessel, the F/V Investor had its share of annoyances. A failing hatch cover sent her back to Seattle for repairs. An engine problem drove one of Mark Coulthurst’s veteran employees off the boat. But during her long journey that summer of 1982, the Investor had, for the most part, performed as expected. Once the kinks were worked out, there was no boat could beat her.
On the long haul of that 1982 fishing season, the Investor travelled over 6000 nautical miles. And caught tons and tons of fish.
The first leg of that journey was from their home port of Blaine to Sitka, Alaska, with a gillnetter in tow. It was there that Mark’s father-in-law tendered roe herring while Mark left for Prince William Sound, where he gillnetted spring salmon. Already he was over a 1000 nautical miles into his journey. Not even at the midpoint.
With the spring salmon run ended, and the roe herring done for the season, the Investor made its way to Prince William Sound and then the 1300 nautical miles to Togiak, for the herring fishery. 1300 miles and change got them back to Southeast Alaska. Got them to Chichagof Island and the village of Pelican, population 180, for the dungeness crab season.
Already, the Investor was proving her flexibility, dipping her toes into multiple fisheries. The payoff came in July when Mark’s wife and two kids hopped on the Investor in Blaine — its hatch finally fixed — and headed for the summer salmon fishery out of Petersburg. The Investor was designed as a family boat, and she lived up to it.
Well, for the most part she did.
Crew member Leroy Flammang left in early August, tired of working around small children. Crewman Roy Tussing left soon thereafter, tired of fighting with Mark over how to accomplish much-needed engine repairs. Indeed, it was Roy who tried to warn Mark away from Craig. Their first trip to that village, earlier that summer, had confirmed Roy’s bad feelings about the place.
Roy Tussing wouldn’t be there for the Investor’s final chapter. He didn’t make that second trip to Craig. It saved his life.
Copyright Leland E. Hale (2018). All rights reserved.
Order “What Happened In Craig,” HERE and HERE. True crime from Epicenter Press about Alaska’s Worst Unsolved Mass Murder.