Photo by: Andrew Bourke
The birds soar overhead, the slap of the waves resonates inside your head, your muscles ache for days, and a long night of sleep consists of maybe four hours. This is no vacation, this is a summer job: fishing off the Alaskan coast. It is a job like none other which senior Andrew Bourke of the men’s lacrosse team has done for the past three summers.
“Money is a big thing,” explains Bourke. “They pay you really well, that is probably the biggest incentive.” But there are pay offs as well: “Being up there, there is a whole sense of freedom. They may say everything is bigger in Texas, but everything is truly bigger in Alaska.”
Bourke’s northern adventure had its origin when he was injured playing lacrosse for University of Maryland Baltimore County and decided to transfer to DU. Bourke was hanging around his house in Denver when his neighbor and best friend came to him with a summer job. Fishing wasn’t exactly what he had in mind, but when he learned that he could make up to $10,000 for just two months, Bourke was sold.
Just like the fish Bourke stalks, he was hooked.
“I typically leave at the end of June or beginning of July, then get back at the end of August just before school starts, looking like a complete grizzly man.”
A grizzly man that is in much need of sleep.
The boat, F/V Spirit, is based out of Juneau. It trawls for king crab for the first two weeks of the summer and salmon for the remainder. The boat is typically out at sea for three days at a time and is called a tender boat. This means that it is one of the larger boats in the fleet, and the smaller boats unload their fish and crabs onto it. When they do go back into port they are there for no more than four hours, just enough time to unload the fish and replenish food and fuel.
Bourke certainly has learned the trade. “I am actually the head deckhand, so I take care of everything, make dinner, head hydraulic man, and make sure everyone is safe around me. When our captain needs to go to bed I drive the boat,” said Bourke
When out at sea a typical day starts at four in the morning preparing the deck, unloading fishing nets or crab pots, and loading on fish from the other boats. On a good day, Bourke will get to bed around 11 p.m. Out on a bad day his head doesn’t hit the pillow until maybe 1 a.m.
A typical meal at sea consists of a baked potato, broccoli and lots of seafood. Bourke is lucky because his captain is an avid hunter, so there is plenty of fresh meat as well. Plus, given the work hours, lots of java.
“A lot of coffee and you have to eat constantly, that is the biggest fuel. What keeps you going the most is definitely the food and trying to stay hydrated,” said Bourke.
If you have watched the show “Deadliest Catch” on the Discovery Channel, you should know that this type of fishing is called deadliest for good reason.
“It is not as dangerous during the summer as most people think it is, but people die up there and that is pretty scary.”
He speaks from firsthand experience. Bourke helped save a few fishermen one summer when the captain of the boat fell asleep at the wheel, causing the boat to flip over and toss the fishermen into the frigid sea. The F/V Spirit was the closest boat to the accident and Bourke and his crew helped lift the nearly hypothermic fishermen aboard.
“I have to keep reassuring my parents that I won’t hurt myself, but they are glad when I come back because I bring back a lot of fish for them,” Bourke said.
The F/V Spirit caught 1,013,000 pounds of salmon last summer along with the state maximum of 50,000 pounds of king crab.
Along with the money, the job has opened Bourke’s eyes to differences between here and the 49th state. “The lifestyle up there is completely different. There are a lot of people that can make a very successful living like my captain, who is a multi-millionaire. It’s a very different lifestyle, not one that I would want for my whole life, that is for sure.”
A lifestyle that is dangerous, cold and where the most excitement comes from the local bars.
As far as lacrosse is concerned, the long hours and heavy lifting help prepare him for the season.
“I put on a lot of weight, which is good. A lot of it is muscle. Since I am working constantly, it puts me in great shape. Every time I come into dock I get a chance to run.”
Sure, there are the rough times throughout the summer when Bourke doubts his decision to be there. But at the end of the summer the paycheck is definitely worth it.
“Absolutely, there are times when I am up there when I don’t think it is worth it, but when I am coming back here and don’t have to rely on my parents to pay my rent and all that it is worth it. It makes me feel like I have accomplished something, absolutely.”
This past summer Bourke made close to $12,000 in just two months as head deckhand. Still, he urges his friends and teammates to think long and hard before following his example.
“I make them think about it really hard because I had a friend go up one year and he had to leave because he wasn’t cut out for it,” he said.
In Bourke’s case, there’s no doubt that he is cut out for the rigor and adventure of a summer at sea.
“It is not a vacation that is for sure. When I first went up, my best friend told me what to expect, but you can’t put it into words. You are not yourself when you are up there because you are working so hard. It is the most real life experience I have ever had for sure.”
