‘Deadliest Catch’ Exclusive: Wild Bill Worried As Summer Bay Has Leak in Hull
On tonight’s Deadliest Catch for Discovery, the tolls of the business and the lifespan of metal is an issue for F/V Summer Bay crew and captain Wild Bill Wichrowski as we see he is aware that there is a leak in his hull.
Years of hoisting up and banging 800 pound metal pots against the ship have left a mark. Specifically in one general area at the front right of the ship have created a problem that cannot be ignored.
Now in TV Shows Ace exclusive clip we see what he is dealing with. A vertical gash opening in the metal hull is letting the Bering Sea seep into the Summer Bay, and that is dangerous.
What happens with Wild Bill and the Summer Bay?
Mike Rowe narrates the action as Wild Bill is perched in his captain’s cabin, and is acutely aware there is trouble.
In the voice over, Rowe explains the situation: “Years of slamming pots into the starboard hull rips a fissure in the steel letting in the sea where it don’t belong, leaving a hole they can’t reach. The rising water could alter the Summer Bay’s stability.”
The ship is designed to be balanced in weight and has a maximum capacity to store crab, people and fuel. Any sea water in the bottom of the boat is going to cause a potential pitch and swamping of the vessel, creating a guaranteed sinking if they do not manage the flow of water and get the ship into the dock for repair.
In the preview, Will Bill explains: “Well, we got a little vertical crack on the hull where the pots come up and hit. Almost every pot hits it. [Now] it’s leaking through a void, [it’s] scary… downright scary.”
The action pivots to the deck and down below as the crew are scooping water up and pitching it out, with orders to work in shifts and not let it sit. The guys know what is at stake, their lives if the boat suddenly is off balance and pitches to the point that it is compromised fully. This is not good.
They all know that this kind of repair and issue is a trip ender, and that they need to head to the dock. But Bill has other ideas. He’s not quitting yet and if that means stationing men to bail out the engine room, so be it.
Bill is acutely aware they are nervous. He says: “This [COVID] virus is affecting all sorts of crab prices and I’m kind of on this plan to finish this. I mean, there’s no way in hell I’m going back to town. so yeah we’re gonna have to get up every few hours and pump [it out] we get rid of that sea water.”
Rowe comes in for the closer in the clip and says: “Weighing a costly trip to town against the danger of fishing through a deluge of seawater, Bill throttles down.”
Tune in tonight to see how far lady luck takes the Summer Bay and if Bill’s strategy is a sound one:
Deadliest Catch airs Tuesdays at 8p on Discovery Channel.
