Gathering Storm (2020) s01e06 Episode Script

1
ISABEL: We are currently
in a gale force wind.
WOMAN (over radio): Coast guard
radio what is your position?
Over.
ISABEL (off-screen):
44 East 14.68 North.
ISABEL: We found out
that another vessel has sunk
with all crew lost
ISABEL (off-screen): The National Marine
Weather Service doesn't always get it right.
Hold on!
(thunder and lightning).
SHIELDS: We're on our
way out try to go fishing,
wind's blowing pretty good
out of the north about 20.
Inlet is not very pretty,
but we're gonna try to make it through.
NARRATOR: It's the
start of winter.
Dave Shields is going tuna
fishing on his boat Hardway.
A sudden squall has whipped up
the ocean, making it heavy going.
Dave's heading for a spot 100
miles off the Outer Banks.
This is a breeding ground for Nor'easters,
the killer storms that
stalk America's Atlantic
coast all winter long.
SHIELDS (off-screen): Where we are
right here is no place to mess around in.
This is the worst and most
dangerous spot right here.
We got sets coming in.
You can't see 'em coming,
that's the bad part.
Coming down hard.
NARRATOR: He is one of
1,000 people working at sea,
given a camera by National Geographic
to film in storms
wherever they might strike.
Now as they head into
America's deadliest fishing season,
a killer storm is coming.
THOMAS: First one
of the evening, 181.
NARRATOR: 500 miles
north of the Outer Banks,
in the port of New Bedford,
scallop fisherman Russell
Isabel is landing his catch.
ISABEL (off-screen):
It's a closed area trip,
so we're regulated by
fisheries how much we can
catch out of a certain area.
Just the weather dictates how
long it's gonna take you to catch it.
They said it was going to be a
mild winter, I highly, highly doubt it.
(laughs).
MAN: Watch your head.
NARRATOR: This is the most
lucrative fishing port in America.
Shellfish brought into New Bedford
makes over $420 Million a year.
MAN: 92.
NARRATOR: But the rich
rewards come with high risk.
Boats fishing these waters face
the constant threat of Nor'easters.
These cold water cousins of
hurricanes form when warm air from the
Gulf Stream collides
with bitter winter winds from the north.
Vast swirling air currents are
stirred by the clash of temperatures.
It's an unrelenting
succession of storms that can sweep
North America's
east coast from North Carolina
to Canada all winter long.
In the giant waves,
boats have been lost and never seen again.
This was the fate of the
fishing boat Andrea Gale.
The Massachusetts long-liner and its six
crewmen vanished in a giant nor'easter that has
gone down in legend as
"the perfect storm."
For New England's fishing industry,
the risks are part of the job.
THOMAS: Our first scalloper went down
in a storm off New Jersey and the guys
had to get rescued
by helicopter and then our
captain previous to
Russell was a partner on the
boat actually was lost at
sea February probably about,
was it four years ago now?
NARRATOR: After
landing its catch,
Hear No Evil will head back to sea.
It's now November, the
worst month for sinkings.
Further south, the next storm is already
building and this one will be a killer.
THOMAS: The worry is inherent.
You know, we always,
always pray for good weather.
SHIELDS: Alright about 11:45pm.
Getting ready to haul our gear.
It's blowing about 20 outta north east.
NARRATOR: Off
North Carolina's Outer Banks,
Hardway is fishing
through the rough weather.
SHIELDS: Guys guys guys
Get over here, get over here
get that!
NARRATOR: For them, the
conditions have started to ease.
SHIELDS (off-screen):
Look at that right there.
That's what we're looking for.
It's a big-eyed tuna right there.
NARRATOR: As the system heads
north towards New Bedford.
ISABEL (off-screen): The storms
we encounter during the winter,
it's part of the job.
Some of the better fishing just
happens to land in the worst weather.
NARRATOR: A gap in the weather
is a cue for Russell and
the scallop fleet to head to sea.
ISABEL (off-screen): Every
time you leave the dock,
I don't care what boat it is,
there's always a roll
of the dice that you might not come home.
NARRATOR: Every year on average,
one scallop boat is lost at sea.
This year's weather has
already shown its wilder side.
Before the season started,
a freak tornado ripped through Cape Cod.
MAN (off-screen): Line snapping.
Sails pulling out.
This is insane!
NARRATOR: And the first
storm of the season was a
nor'easter of extraordinary power.
Dozens of boats were destroyed in
what became the strongest October storm
the Boston coast has ever known.
With the worst months yet to come,
it's an ominous start.
DELLICARPINI: We're monitoring
the potential for a nor'easter,
off the coast of Boston.
We're watching our latest
computer model guidance,
which shows a low
pressure system developing
off the coast.
So we'll be monitoring that over the next
few days to see what potential impacts it
could bring to our area.
NARRATOR: The Outer Banks
storm is now on the watch list
for the National Weather Service, Boston.
As the new storm develops,
the previous nor'easter has travelled
1,000 miles to the north.
It's now causing problems
for the fishermen
of Newfoundland on Canada's East coast.
HUSSEY: Every time you get the forecast
it's changing, not overly dependable.
Only fishin' a small boat,
so can't go in very much wind.
This time of year the
water's heavy and dangerous.
NARRATOR: Fisherman
Gerry Hussey is trying
to snatch one last haul of cod
before the incoming storm hits.
HUSSEY: The weather
is generally terrible here,
as bad I guess as anywhere
in the world probably,
and we're basically trying to
sneak out between the storms.
NARRATOR: Gerry's heading
for The Grand Banks,
an undersea plateau at the meeting point
of two giant ocean currents.
The fishing can be good,
but this is one
of the most dangerous places in the world
to take a small boat.
HUSSEY: Gales coming through
You get a little window in between
That's how you try and
get a bit of fish so
There we are. Within the next hour
we'll have to make a move I expect
There's a lot of times the
weather's sneaking up on you
The wind comes out of nowhere
and sometimes you make an error in
judgement you push it too far and you
stay a bit longer than you should
I've lost many friends to the ocean
and it's quite possible I'll go myself
NARRATOR: Along America's
North East Coast,
fishermen watch for brief
spells between storms
for a chance to go to sea.
THOMAS: I'd say this is
about 30-35 knot winds from the south west
The system itself would
be to the north of us
THOMAS (off-screen): Time to go!
NARRATOR: In Yarmouth Nova
Scotia, the lobster season is underway,
but the fleet has been trapped in
port by back to back Nor'easters.
THOMAS: This wind is to persist
I think for another 18 hours
NARRATOR: Derek Thomas
had hoped to be going to sea,
but there's little sign
of a let up in the storms.
THOMAS (off-screen): You can see
the weekend's a write off, even Monday.
These systems are coming
one right after another.
Not good for fishing.
NARRATOR:
The lobster season is short.
Fishermen have a few months to make
enough profit to last through the year.
The pressure to go to sea
whatever the weather is rising.
(inaudible radio chatter).
ARUNDEV: I'm Captain Arundev
I just took over this
vessel in the last port
We are on a passage from
Pembroke UK to Boston
NARRATOR: Oil tanker BW Raven left
the UK nine days ago bound for Boston USA.
ARUNDEV: We are almost in
the middle of North Atlantic
As of now if you see
this is like good weather, very calm
NARRATOR: American's Atlantic
coast has some of the
busiest shipping lanes on earth.
Thousands of ships a day pass through
the danger zone for winter cyclones.
In winter, the regularity of the storms
can make them impossible to avoid.
As she approaches Newfoundland,
BW Raven is heading into the path of the
latest nor'easter.
ARUNDEV: Definitely the
wind is going to pick up
We have to wait and see what
the weather will be
NARRATOR: Throughout the
eastern seaboard,
National Geographic
cameras are riding with
vessels now running the
gauntlet of winter cyclones.
MAN: We check the containers
Make sure everything not move at sea
NARRATOR: Canadian cargo
vessel Oceanex Connaigra
has just departed Newfoundland headed for
Montreal and it's carrying
one of our cameras.
MAN: All the containers are
locked with this at the floor.
Plus the lashing bar.
We don't take any chance for the storm.
BELLEY (off-screen): This is the third worst
place in the world for the bad weather.
So there is a lot of bad
storms transiting to the
grand banks of Newfoundland.
NARRATOR: In the
vast North Atlantic,
the potential for high winds to generate
gigantic waves is legendary.
The largest wave ever
recorded anywhere on earth was
detected by a buoy in the North Atlantic.
It's height was 62 feet.
In huge swells formed over
thousands of miles of ocean,
waves can combine to rise up
as a towering wall of water.
BELLEY (off-screen): The
average wave is 5.46,
but I'm more worried
about the maximum one because
nine meters is pretty much
a limit for this size of ship.
Otherwise you're gonna get beat up.
Nobody wanna be beat up.
Life is too short, you know.
NARRATOR: Staying
close to the coast,
the Connaigra uses the
land as a barrier to offer
some protection from
the worst of the waves,
but soon they must
turn into the open ocean.
HOULE-CHARRON (off-screen):
Right now,
we're sheltered from the
westerly wind because we only
have distance of about
3.2 miles from the shore
so when we reach over here
the wind's gonna be the same,
but the wave's gonna be higher.
So we need to follow
the coast if it's very bad weather.
NARRATOR: The danger of
giant waves is too great.
The captain must act
now to keep his ship safe.
BELLEY (off-screen): The next
point we turn is gonna be Cape Race.
We are proceeding at slow speed right now.
We wait for the sea condition
to improve on the South coast.
Right now it's still seven meters.
ARUNDEV: We are having
a bit of bad weather
NARRATOR: The oil tanker BW Raven
has continued on a direct route to the
port of Boston and it's taking
her right into the latest nor'easter.
ARUNDEV: Because of this bad
weather we have to be very careful
NARRATOR: The storms wind field
spans 1,000 miles of ocean,
generating waves of more than 20 feet.
ARUNDEV: On the bridge everything
is secured, you see this is our printer.
Everything is screwed down.
Nothing is loose.
There is a bar, always keep the bar on,
otherwise all these books will come off.
NARRATOR: The captain must
be alert to the swells effect
on the ship's stability.
ARUNDEV: Sometimes the rolling
is too much it is synchronized
with the waves and that time
the rolling is maximum
and then you can see a
huge amount of spray coming on the deck
NARRATOR: Waves striking
the side of the vessel are
causing it to roll from side to side,
but now the rolling has begun to
synchronize with the pattern of the waves,
so that each wave makes the
angle of tilt even bigger.
If it carries on unchecked,
it can end in disaster.
ARUNDEV: This is
very dangerous now
NARRATOR: When the roll
goes beyond a critical point,
even the largest tanker can capsize.
On the BW Raven's bridge,
the situation is critical.
NARRATOR: The oil tanker
BW Raven is in a nor'easter
off the USA's eastern seaboard.
An increase in the roll of the
ship has forced Captain Arundev
to take urgent action.
ARUNDEV: I altered
ten degrees to starboard
so I brought the waves
from the beam to the bow
NARRATOR: The change of course
alters the angle of the ship to the waves
so they strike from the
front instead of the side.
The hope is this will
stop BW Raven rolling from side to side.
ARUNDEV: Today is
the worst day so far
NARRATOR: The tanker must now
punch through the waves head on increasing
the cost in fuel.
ARUNDEV: You can see
how the track has changed
We were supposed to go like
this, but now we are going like this
I can already feel the
vessel rolling is reduced now
MAN (off-screen): The winter
is the roughest period.
It's always very tricky so we got to
keep a constant eye on the weather.
NARRATOR: Cargo vessel
Oleander is loading freight in New Jersey,
bound for Bermuda.
MAN (off-screen): You wanna stay as
far away from storms as you possibly can.
It's always all hands on deck,
you never know what the
weather's gonna give you.
NARRATOR: The ship makes weekly runs
to supply Bermuda with food and goods.
It's a year round lifeline for the island.
Polish Captain Jacek Yursho
has made around 300 trips.
YURSHO: I know what I should
expect from the weather mostly, then I'm,
I would say I am prepared
for the worst always.
NARRATOR: The 800 miles
of ocean to Bermuda is
fraught with danger all year.
In summer tropical storms and
hurricanes are a constant threat,
but the winter brings bigger risks.
A hurricane can be forecast and avoided,
but the size and frequency of
nor'easters makes encounters inevitable.
YURSHO (off-screen): In the winter
we had very often up to ten meter swells.
Okay let go everything on the
aft and let go the headlines.
And let go forward swing.
The winter is much, much
more dangerous for us.
You have the continuously
very strong winds,
very high waves.
From December until end of March,
you have the bad weather,
sometimes hurricane force.
You don't have a choice,
you go into this, yes.
NARRATOR: The winter storm that
brewed off the Outer Banks four days ago
has started its inevitable
march to the north and east.
That means it's heading across the path of
Captain Jasek on the Oleander
and it's growing bigger by the day.
MAN (off-screen): Thanks very
much. See you in a month.
Or two.
(radio chatter).
NARRATOR: For Canada's Navy,
winter cyclones are a familiar adversary.
Warships operating in these waters
include a meteorologist on the crew,
known as the Met Tech.
He provides the ship's command
with regular forecasts three times a day.
TECH: We do have a low-pressure
system which is super-fast developing.
That is the main weather
concern obviously for the trip down.
NARRATOR: HMCS Ville de Quebec
is on its way to the Port of Norfolk,
Virginia to join the US Navy
on a multi-nation exercise.
And Ville de Quebec's
Met Tech has spotted trouble ahead.
TECH: It will become
quite a large system as it
pushes towards the east coast of Canada.
It is deepening super rapidly,
a weather phenomenon called
bombogenesis or explosive cyclogenesis.
NARRATOR: Low or deepening
pressure is the source of a storm's power.
This storm is rapidly intensifying
and is directly in their path.
MAN: Now proceeding west
to St. George's Island.
MAN 2: Wow, there
is swell out there.
NARRATOR: Naval Frigates
are among the best prepared
vessels on the ocean for storms,
but with advanced warning of
the nor'easters growing power,
the Ville de Quebec opts to change course.
It will steer closer to land,
staying to the west of the
storm's path as it heads north east.
TECH (off-screen): The pressure
has dropped nearly six hectopascals
in the past three hours,
which is a very, very rapid
drop due to the incoming storm system.
I would say that'll be close to the
fastest drop in pressure I've seen
out to sea in a three hour time frame.
NARRATOR: The Canadian warship
Ville de Quebec has diverted to avoid
a rapidly intensifying storm.
Nor'easters can grow to four times
the size of a hurricane with a wind field
thousands of miles across.
(alarm sounding).
(radio chatter).
WOMAN: Emergency flying
stations. Emergency flying stations.
NOONAN: Right now we have to bring
the ship to emergency flying stations,
basically closing up the damage control
organization for the helicopter to land on,
in case they have an accident,
a crash on deck.
Everybody here on
the bridge is putting on their flash gear,
the white hoods and gloves
are there to prevent
from getting flash burns from a fireball.
NARRATOR: The sudden
change in conditions has
made embarkation of a
Canadian Air Force helicopter
into a high risk operation.
The chance of a crash makes
fire proof anti-flash gear mandatory.
WOMAN (off-screen): Relative
winds, red 1-0 tac 3-0.
NARRATOR:
Conditions are worsening.
To land an 11 ton
helicopter on a moving deck
in high cross winds is
a precision maneuver.
MAN (over radio): They have a probe that's
stuck out on the belly of the helicopter.
The ideas is to put that in the trap.
Hover tension is on.
Landing.
In the trap-trap.
So now it's safe there.
TECH: The weather for today mainly sunny
becoming mainly cloudy with periods of rain
beginning in the evening.
Once you've been on big seas,
you don't really want
to be in big seas again.
Anything past really five meters is when
we really start to see a lot of damage
happening to the
crew as well as the equipment on the ship.
We're trying to get to the west of
the storm before it gets large enough
to cause real damage.
So right now, I'm doing my observations.
Wind has picked up
to 80 kilometers an hour, or 40 knots.
It is really blowing out here.
Good storm so far.
YURSHO: We are right
now halfway to Bermuda,
so approximately 300 miles more to go.
NARRATOR: As it moves
steadily north east,
the Outer Banks storm is growing,
and the Oleander is now in its path.
YURSHO (off-screen): In the bad
weather the cargo is starting to move.
It will be very dangerous.
We have to be sure that all
the lashing is properly tightened.
MAN: When we have big waves,
it is very dangerous for our ship.
NARRATOR: The motion of the ship in
heavy seas puts severe pressure on the
lashings that secure the containers.
A shift in one container
can cause an entire stack
to become unstable.
Starting a chain reaction
that can end in disaster.
(seagulls cawing).
ISABEL: Okay, while we have a
little break in the weather,
I decided to come up
to the crow's nest and
give you guys a little view
from the top of the world.
One thing about the job,
it can be very dangerous,
but at times the scenery can
be absolutely beautiful as well.
NARRATOR: Scalloping vessel Hear
No Evil has been at sea for six days.
More than 10,000 pounds
of scallops have been prepared for market.
It's a good catch.
The trip has been well timed,
hitting a rare window of calm,
but the arrival of the Outer
Banks storm is now inevitable.
NARRATOR: The nor'easter that
formed off the Outer Banks five days ago
is growing into a giant.
Its rapid intensification
is being monitored by the
National Weather Service in Boston.
Urgent warnings are issued to all craft.
DELLICARPINI (off-screen):
We're expecting right now 45 knot winds,
so really dangerous
conditions for anyone who's
venturing out on the waters,
again recommending
that mariners remain in port
until the storm passes.
NARRATOR: National Geographic
has cameras aboard some of
the vessels in the approaching
storm's line of fire.
Their next move is now critical.
MAN: We're on the
Justice which is a
scallop and crab fish vessel
out of New Bedford, Massachusetts
We've been doing this research since 2013
NARRATOR: Among the crew is a
team of scientists checking fish stocks,
part of an ongoing study to
inform future quotas for fishermen.
MAN: Male
Right now, we're just
finishing up the survey
And we were going to stay a little longer
to cover more of the bank
but the weather seems to be picking up
to 30-40 knots tonight
NARRATOR: All along the coast, the
weather is drawing in and vessels are
feeling its effects.
As evening approaches,
the scallopers face the
prospect of a big storm hitting at
night in the dark.
MAN: Alright, here we
are aboard the Liberty.
Take a walk outside
and see what's going on.
MAN: Blowing about
50 out here.
NARRATOR: For fishermen,
nor'easters summon the specter
of a phenomenon they dread:
rogue waves.
Caused when waves combine to
form into a single steep sided giant,
they come at ships from
unpredictable directions.
Only recently acknowledged by scientists,
rogue waves are a
likely cause of unexplained
vanishings in storms.
♪
ISABEL: We are currently
in a gale force wind
40 plus knots
It's night time which means
almost zero visibility
NARRATOR: The Outer Banks storm
has arrived off the coast of New England.
Much of the scallop fleet
has headed into port,
but Captain Russell's Hear No Evil is one
of a small number of boats
to have stayed out at sea.
They face a long night ahead.
ISABEL: You cannot
tell which direction
the seas are actually
going to strike the boat
You know which way they're coming but
you always have the chance of rogue waves
NARRATOR: With waves
in excess of 20 feet,
Russell has stopped fishing.
He's hauled up the boat's dredges fearing
that towing its heavy gear along the ocean
floor makes them more
vulnerable to being overwhelmed by a wave.
ISABEL (off-screen): The National Marine
Weather Service doesn't always get it right.
They were giving 30 to 45 knots
was supposed to be the worst of it.
(seagulls cawing).
All the birds have decided to
take a rest after that storm having to
fly around in the wind.
They're pretty beat up and worn out.
We don't bother them;
they don't bother us.
NARRATOR: The storm has passed,
but the morning has brought sobering news.
ISABEL: Last night, we were
caught in a pretty bad storm.
About 45 knot winds
consistent 20 to 22 foot seas.
This morning, we found
out that another vessel,
the Leonardo,
which left the same day as us,
has sunk with all crew lost.
This is a sad day to lose another boat.
And they all had families and children.
NARRATOR: One of Hear No
Evil's fellow scallopers,
the Leonardo, has been lost in the storm.
For the East Coast fleet,
it's their darkest
fear for a boat to vanish without a trace.
O'BRIEN: This is the dock
where that missing vessel,
the Leonardo took off from Thursday.
Now the Coast Guard tells us they
will continue searching for the three
missing crew members until
all leads are exhausted.
NARRATOR: Captain Russell won't
discover the full truth until
he returns to New Bedford
at the end of his trip.
THOMAS: See ya.
WIFE: Bye. Love you.
THOMAS: Love you too.
WIFE: Be careful.
THOMAS: I always am.
Join me as I make my way to my little car.
NARRATOR: In Yarmouth,
Nova Scotia,
lobsterman Derek Thomas is
finally able to head to sea,
taking with him one of our cameras.
THOMAS: Good morning!
MAN: Morning.
THOMAS: How are you
doing this morning?
MAN: I'm grand.
What you got there?
THOMAS: Huh?
MAN: Oh!
(laughs).
NARRATOR: Continual storms have
put the new season on hold.
THOMAS: Have a nice day!
NARRATOR: But today fishing is being
allowed to restart in hope of calmer seas.
THOMAS: Just
departing the harbor
They have a narrow
opening here about 30 feet
makes it interesting when you're
coming in through 40-50 knot winds
NARRATOR: This is a vital
week in the lobster season.
THOMAS: The start
of the third week
A lot of times half the money that
we're gonna make in a six month season
we make in the first three weeks
NARRATOR: Yarmouth has
the largest lobster fleet in the country.
THOMAS: I anticipate most of
the fleet will be out today
I think there's nine
hundred and something of us
fishing these areas
NARRATOR: Among the boats
competing to be in the best position when
fishing can start is Four H.
Its captain is Robert Harris.
HARRIS (off-screen):
It's 3:30 in the morning.
We're on the way out.
We got two hours and 45 minutes to go.
You can see by the
lights in the back there.
Quite a bit of the fleet's on the way out.
Weather hasn't slowed out yet,
it's still a bit rough.
NARRATOR: Lobster fishing
operates a system known as a derby.
With no individual quota,
boats race to catch as many of
the best lobsters as they can.
HARRIS (off-screen): Everybody wants to
beat the weather or get the best part of the
weather so they can stay out the longest
to close as many traps as you can and
try to get in before
the worst of the storm.
It's all part of the game.
NARRATOR: The winter season is
opened when the mature lobsters leave
their in shore spawning grounds.
The longer it goes on,
the harder they are to find.
HARRIS (off-screen): In the first
three weeks, we're gonna kill it.
We're just gonna go out every day we can.
After the first three weeks,
the traps don't fish as quickly.
You're gonna take more risks
because the reward's much higher.
It's not like we're
gonna catch them later.
When it's gone, it's gone.
NARRATOR: Each catch of live lobster
must be landed in harbor within 24 hours.
For the boats, it's an unrelenting
schedule under constant threat that the
weather will turn.
MAN (off-screen): Our forecast are
very important for the marine community,
particularly at this time of year
because we have gale force warnings,
almost every day.
NARRATOR:
In Dartmouth Nova Scotia,
forecasters at Environment
and Climate Change Canada
have identified a new threat.
MAN: That's one bulletin
that I'm going to send,
so I'll send that one right now.
NARRATOR: An inland
runner is a nor'easter
that arrives from over
land instead of offshore.
This one is headed for the lobster fleet.
MAN: We convey all the messages of the
potential impacts of what a storm can do,
but ultimately it's up to those
people to make their own choices.
NARRATOR: Off Yarmouth,
Captain Robert and the rest of the lobster
fleet are in the path of the storm,
but they're not ready to head for home.
HARRIS: It's three
o'clock in the afternoon
we've got
seven more strings to haul
We've got 21 to pull
Hope to get them pulled
before the storms come
NARRATOR: Once pulled in,
every trap must be
re-baited and sent back out
ready to haul on the next trip.
Every extra minute they can stay
out means greater returns in the future,
but with every minute they
stay, the storm gets closer.
TIMMONS: Robert Timmons here.
Captain on board the Au Cobra.
It's was flat and calm when
we came out here this morning.
Left around 1:00am.
The wind is probably up
to 20 knots here now.
It's getting up to around
45 later on this afternoon.
NARRATOR: The entire fleet of up to 1,000
boats is now in the path of the storm.
Fishermen have a death rate 23
times greater than any other profession.
The small size of lobster boats makes them
especially vulnerable in poor weather.
TIMMONS: Got some weather moving
in now a little bit ahead of schedule.
Most weather agencies had it
moving in a few hours from now
but it's starting to pick up a little bit.
NARRATOR: Heavy seas and
dangerous conditions haven't put an end to
competition for the best spots.
THOMAS: Lots of boats around,
lot of people fishing today.
Working in fishery,
it is dangerous because you know,
there's a lot of variables out
there that will never change.
It's an inherently dangerous job.
It's not that you're
just battling the elements,
you're also battling
fatigue and you're pushing
a lot of limits.
When you start fishing 30, 40 knot winds,
it's the equivalent of being
in a car accident all day.
THOMAS: Just another
day in the office
OFFICER (over radio):
Coast guard radio.
What is your position, over?
MAN (over radio):
44 degrees, 14.68 North,
66 degrees, 10.95 West.
THOMAS: What you
just witness there was
a vessel looking for marine assistance
NARRATOR:
As conditions worsen,
several boats call
in emergency help from the coast guard.
The longer Captain Derek stays out,
the closer the storm is getting.
THOMAS: As you see
We now have a gale warning
THOMAS (off-screen):
Son of a (bleep)!
NARRATOR: Lobster fisherman
Derek has been at sea for 12 hours.
THOMAS (off-screen): Where
you're fishing around storms,
you are fishing the limits.
You're pushing that weather
window as far as you can push it,
so you're coming back
right at the edge of what,
you know, are safe conditions.
NARRATOR: The storm is taking
its toll on the lobster fleet.
Engine failure and a broken propeller are
among the causes of stricken vessels needing to
be towed back to safety.
THOMAS: It seems to be quite
a day for marine assistance.
I think we've had six or seven calls now.
NARRATOR: With
his traps fishing well,
Derek plans to stick it out,
fishing into the night.
THOMAS: It's a little after 7pm
Finished hauling the gear, on our way in
Try to get in before the next gale hits
THOMAS (off-screen):
Being captain of a boat,
you do have to manage your
emotions and manage the situation,
so you're gonna save being
scared for when you get home.
NARRATOR: When the
last trap is dropped,
the boats are still three hours from the
safety of harbor.
HARRIS: Getting ready
to pull the last one.
A little snowy out, making it hard to see.
We're back, everybody's ready to go home.
THOMAS (off-screen):
Just unloading our lobsters right now.
The extras are put in that crate here.
That will be totaled
up at the very end there.
NARRATOR: The Nova
Scotia lobstermen's gamble has paid off.
In New England the
scallopers were not so lucky.
REPORTER (over TV): Coast Guard just
announcing they have suspended the search
to find three missing fishermen.
Their scalloper capsized
and sank yesterday off Martha's Vineyard.
REPORTER (over TV): Deckhands at the New
Bedford docks are familiar with the Leonardo
and say this hits close to home.
PEREIRA: It's the
name of the game,
but it's tragic every time it happens.
You know, every time we leave this dock,
we know there's a
chance we don't come home.
NARRATOR: In New Bedford the search
for the Leonardo has been called off.
ISABEL (off-screen): The
weather's been pretty brutal.
I put a brand new flag
on the back of the boat,
it didn't even last one trip, shredded.
Shredded.
NARRATOR: Captain Russell
has come back to shore
well aware that he's
lucky to have survived.
ISABEL (off-screen): One thing
for the public to think about,
when the Leonardo
capsized it's night time,
it's pitch black, you are blind.
So, you have to try
to find the life raft in total darkness.
The numbers are stacked against
you in an accident like that.
NARRATOR:
Yet against the odds,
the search found one of the crew alive,
after over two hours in the icy water,
one man survived to tell
the Leonardo's story.
NOEL: He was in a life raft and they
were able to drop the rescue swimmer
in the water and retrieve him.
ISABEL: The initial information
we got is that all hands were lost.
We didn't find out till later,
we got confirmation
there was one survivor.
He is probably going to
go through the worst of it,
even though he lived.
NARRATOR: The lone survivor reported that
the Leonardo was flipped by a rogue wave.
ISABEL (off-screen):
So it makes you think.
Did it make me want to quit fishing?
No it did not.
It's what I do.
I've been doing it my whole life.
We go through storms and we survive,
and we come home and we do
it again and we do it again so,
we're very proud of who we are.
NARRATOR: The sinking of the Leonardo
was the worst fishing vessel disaster
of the winter storm season
on the USA's east coast.
Fueled by climate change,
nor'easters are expected to become
more frequent and more violent.
For the men earning
a living from the seas of the north east,
the stakes are getting higher.