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Discovery: Welcome this week's Deadliest Catch chat. Our guest is Keith Colburn, captain of the Wizard, one of the newest boats to join Deadliest Catch. Ask Keith all about his career as a captain and life aboard the Wizard.
Keith Colburn: Thank you for joining me tonight. I look forward to answering your questions. I'm Keith Colburn, captain of the Wizard.
Moonlighter: Good Evening Captain, when does crab season start and end?
Keith Colburn: Officially, the king crab and snow crab fisheries start October 15 of every year. King crab ends January 15, snow crab ends May 15. The market demand is what has us fish at this time of the year, king crab in the fall and snow crab in the winter months.
Toothy1: Hi Captain Keith. It looks like you have the biggest one in the fleet. Is that right?
Keith Colburn: It's large, but it's not the largest. There are crab vessels that are 165 feet, but what is unique to the Wizard is her capacity. She holds over 400,000 pounds of crab in her tank. There are larger boats that hold more pots, but I believe the Wizard holds the most crab in the fleet.
Toothy1: Snr. Nocho Keith. Where did you learn first aid? Did you save his finger?
Keith Colburn: I'm a licensed captain, and some of the requirements in your licensing are first aid training. I've been through numerous first aid and CPR classes. As far as the finger, Lenny is okay and still working on the boat. You'll have to follow the show to see what happens.
Toothy1: Are you the only captain that doesn't chain smoke?
Keith Colburn: To the best of my knowledge, but I do have a bad habit: I chew tobacco.
AlexMeghXan: What is the hardest thing about being a Captain?
Keith Colburn: I would say staying focused. Trying to remain focused on the crabs, the crew, the weather, your offload dates, and a multitude of other things at the same time can create confusion. Being focused at all times is probably the most important thing and the most difficult thing about being a captain.
Sohmakun: How many days/weeks are you out at sea?
Keith Colburn: However long it takes to put 400,000 pounds of crab in the boat. Sometimes that can be five days on great fishing. It can take as long as three weeks. Many times our offloads are to floating processors so we never touch land. Sometimes we may go one to two months without actually touching land.
