Circa Fall 2010. My first job as Captain on an ocean going tug. What started as an easy voyage back to Seattle from the Arctic with a light boat (not towing a barge) turned into a North Bering Sea rescue of a drifting 200’ fishing vessel with 120 souls aboard. Hard to tell from the photo, but it was blowing near gale to gale force winds. I’ve just finished paying out some tow wire and I’m watching as I work the ship around before laying out more wire and we begin the voyage to Dutch Harbor.
Somewhere there is an oil painting of this rescue hanging on someone’s wall. I was outbid at auction for it.
30 years at sea and this simple photo is my favorite.
View attachment 267961