{"id":4737,"date":"2018-12-27T14:55:55","date_gmt":"2018-12-27T14:55:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lelandhale.com\/wordpress\/?p=4737"},"modified":"2018-12-27T14:55:55","modified_gmt":"2018-12-27T14:55:55","slug":"fv-investor-final-journey-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lelandhale.com\/wordpress\/fv-investor-final-journey-video\/","title":{"rendered":"F\/V Investor: The Final Journey (video)"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a new vessel, the F\/V Investor<\/em> had its share of annoyances. A failing hatch cover\u00a0sent 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<\/em> had, for the most part, performed as expected. Once the kinks were worked out, there was no boat could beat her.<\/p>\n

On the long haul of that 1982 fishing season, the Investor<\/em>\u00a0travelled over 6000 nautical miles. And caught tons and tons of fish.<\/p>\n

The first leg of that journey was from their home port of Blaine to Sitka, Alaska, with a\u00a0gillnetter 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\u00a0was over a 1000 nautical miles into his\u00a0journey. Not even at the midpoint.<\/p>\n

With\u00a0the spring salmon run ended, and the roe herring done\u00a0for the season, the Investor<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n

\"journey\"<\/p>\n

Already, the Investor was proving her flexibility, dipping her toes into multiple fisheries. The payoff came in July when Mark’s wife and\u00a0two kids hopped on the Investor<\/em>\u00a0in Blaine — its hatch finally fixed — and headed for the summer\u00a0salmon fishery out of Petersburg. The Investor<\/em> was designed as a family boat, and she lived up to it.<\/p>\n

Well, for the most part she did.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Roy Tussing\u00a0wouldn’t be\u00a0there for the Investor’s<\/em> final chapter. He didn’t make that second trip to Craig.\u00a0It saved his life.<\/p>\n