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DCFAN424622: How does it feel to be trapped in an ice field that is supposed to be open water?
Russell Newberry: I'll tell you - it was NOT pretty. I never had any thoughts about actually dying because I knew we could deploy our life raft onto the ice floe. So I wasn't scared that way. What I was scared about was the vessel getting crushed under us and forcing us to do just that. Fortunately we broke through the ice and made it to open water, but it sure was scary for a while.
Kelly RN: How long does it typically take to work up the ladder from greenhorn to skipper?
Russell Newberry: Normally if you can get one full season, a king crab season and then an opilio season, the next year you would step up into a full share on deck. As far as becoming a skipper, that's pretty far fetched because there are so few boats and so many owner/operators.
LuckyBambu: Hey Russ. Thanks for taking the time to be here. If you could have *any* other job in the world, what would it be and why?
Russell Newberry: I don't know - I like being self employed. So I would continue to be self employed in something. I just happened to get into the fishing business, and it seems to support my kind of lifestyle as far as living here in Alaska, taking care of my child, and being able to come and go as I please during the off season.
Brown: Have you ever hoped of being a captain?
Russell Newberry: I have had opportunities over the past 15 years. When I was actually qualified after 5-6 years, I declined because I knew there would be changes in the industry. It was easier for me just to work on deck, take my money, and run, so to speak, and not have to worry about the paperwork and licenses, boat owners, and what not.
chasra: Hi. Do you have any traditions that you do each time before you go out?
Russell Newberry: No. I don't have any traditions or superstitions. We usually go out and have a few cocktails the night before we leave. That way, I'm not so grumpy in the morning :-)
T_B_Lover: What other boats have you worked on besides the Time Bandit?
Russell Newberry: I've worked on several other vessels, one called the Diamond Head, the Susitna, off and on on different cod boats. I Dungeness crab fished when I was a teenager. So I've worked on ten different vessels anyway over my career.
