I suspect that it was very humilating for the poor greenhorn to back out of the job, but I think that the way that he handled himself when he arrived back on the dock and in the airport was very dignified. He said he did not expect pay, and he was apologic. I think that showed that he really did respect his shipmates, even if they had some hard feelings toward him.

I agree. I thought he handled himself well on camera and I thought it was cool that he didn't want to be paid.

what got me wondering....the narrator said that the state troopers were there to keep the peace as they offloaded their greenhorn during this "situation". But the interviews that they did with the AB's deckhands showed it a bit different. They just said yeah, he's a good kid, just not cut out...some guys can't handle it, etc., etc. They didn't seem mad or too upset.

My question to kingcrabporkchop and others on the board who are out there - was that talk just for the camera's? Were the deckhands more upset than the camera showed us? After all, it did cost them personally to run that kid back to Dutch.

My other comment got caught up in the PC censors...but...and I'm late on this topic

I used to live in Anchorage not long ago and did the Kenai runs. I can't ever recall seeing a person of 'dark' complexion anywhere near the runs during cold weather. I was pretty floored when they showed his visage.

I'd be willing to bet the crew was doing face-time for the camera. We had a useless guy who did less than the minimum and the owner moved him out during lowtide, when everyone else expected him to be slacking off somewhere.

Lysander Smith was a refugee from hurricane katrina. He got his trip paid to Alaska by the federal government, he even got a free crewmember fishing license from the state of Alaska. He was ostensibly here to look for work. The troopers in Dutch harbor told me he has a long criminal record in the southeastern US. There were allegations of criminal activity associated with him in Dutch Harbor while he was here.

yeah, my brother's wife's uncle's sister's boyfriend's sister told me that too.

must be true

I've got no problem with a criminal record--some of my best drivers in anchorage were repeat felons. But they were also accustomed to the northern climates.

Living in alaska breaks down a lot of barriers, like asking a black person how he feels about the cold, due to stereotypes. I never once had anyone get 'stirred' when I brought that up--helped a lot actually. Put people inside if it suited them better--it's all about making the employee comfortable...else, lose an employee.

But out in the chain, I can't recal seeing a single one. Not even on Adak, which I inventoried a few years.

I'm thinking this is a time where stereotpes are justified and someone should've noticed before sending this kid on a job where he was definately at a loss. Not just the lost-face of being on TV but also the lost time and wages. Now he's starting over from katrina-scratch---hopefully, someone helped him intigrate the experiance into his resume.

Raildump and what does his past criminal record have to do with anything? I am sure there are some people up there, right now with records too.

You would be surprised at the records a lot of fishermen have.....even the ones from the show.....look around and google some names see what you get you might be shocked at what kind of trouble and accidents we have caused.

Tell me your name Kingcrab, so I can google it and see if you have been a bad boy. Email it to me at Secsiem@yahoo.com. I'll be waiting...

quote:

Originally posted by kingcrabporkchop:
You would be surprised at the records a lot of fishermen have.....even the ones from the show.....look around and google some names see what you get you might be shocked at what kind of trouble and accidents we have caused.

By gones be gone. If he's out and able to work, so be it. My question is why an inexperienced fellow like that who admitted he had never been on the sea was hired to be a deckhand in such extreme conditions when we have heard that so many experienced crew are out of work due to new regulations. Was it financial?

quote:

The troopers in Dutch harbor told me he has a long criminal record in the southeastern US. There were allegations of criminal activity associated with him in Dutch Harbor while he was here.

It is pretty unprofessional of the Troopers to discuss someone's personal information with others. As long as he wasn't charged with anything, it is just hearsay and gossip.

I've lived in the south and I've lived in the north. I the south same as the north - if your a victim you let yourself be a victim. As for the Trooper talk - small town like that - your life is an open book - got to talk about something so everyone talks about everyone else - even the Troopers. Lysander was totally out of his element - not his fault - believe me the culture in the south is completely different. Alaskan's often move to the south then move back because it is a totally different world.

Hello All,

I have been a fan of this show for quite some time and have been out here checking out the forums during both seasons. Most of the comments I have seen have been good ones and funny ones. However after reading some earlier posts in this thread from Lightertack, I have to say I am very concerned and a bit puzzled.

The problem with Lysander Smith had nothing to do with his "darker complexion" or any stereotypes associated with black people. The bottom line was and still is that Smith did not have any experience crab fishing or fishing, period. He said himself he had never been on a boat. I think the Captain of the Aleutian Ballad felt bad for him because he was a Hurricane Katrina survivor and wanted to give him a chance. End of story. Smith could handle the job physically but not mentally and had to be brought back in to shore.

Not many people can do this job, because as we have seen, it's an extremely difficult job to do--one that requires not only physical strength but mental fortitude as well. It doesn't matter what color you are--if you can't hack it, you need to go home because you are of no use to your crew.

As for stereotypes---it is NEVER good to believe stereotypes of any kind. My workplace is a very diverse one and I have seen what happens when people make assumptions based on stereotypes--it's NEVER GOOD. You need to treat people as people and take them for who they are--not for the color of their skin/complexion or whatever sterotypes you have heard about the ethnic group they belong to. In this case, it was a question of whether or not Smith could handle the job--he couldn't and he went home.

quote:

Originally posted by kimbakat:
Hello All,

I think the Captain of the Aleutian Ballad felt bad for him because he was a Hurricane Katrina survivor and wanted to give him a chance. End of story. Smith could handle the job physically but not mentally and had to be brought back in to shore.

Not many people can do this job,

I give him credit for trying to do something and move forward with his life post Katrina. It probably wasn't the best experience of his life, but it will be an experience he will never forget. At least he got out there and tried to do something.

Why would Gr8ToBeATexasGirl think that it was "cool that he didn't want to be paid"? He did not finish the job and should not have been paid. I think that if the captain paid him anything, he should have deducted the cost of gas, time, food, etc. for himself and the crew for the unplanned trip into harbor. So, at the end it would be a nill!

quote:

Why would Gr8ToBeATexasGirl think that it was "cool that he didn't want to be paid"? He did not finish the job and should not have been paid. I think that if the captain paid him anything, he should have deducted the cost of gas, time, food, etc. for himself and the crew for the unplanned trip into harbor. So, at the end it would be a nill!

It took me a while to figure out that this was a TWO YEAR OLD thread. Someone's going way back on the thread list.