Courtesy photo
Phil Harris, captain of the Cornelia Marie, will seek applicants Saturday at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for a crew to go out on his next Alaskan king crab fishing excursion in the Bering Sear. Harris and his sons have been featured in the Discovery Channel’s TV series, “The Deadliest Catch.”
Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009 | 10:21 a.m.
Call it the deadliest job fair.
If you’ve ever watched king crab fishing documentary TV series “The Deadliest Catch” and thought that you could handle the frigid temperatures, round-the-clock work and salty co-workers of life on the Bering Sea, now is your chance to apply.
Each season, the Discovery Channel follows Alaskan king crab fishing boats as they depart from Dutch Harbor in search of lucrative and often elusive quarry. As we munch away on our couches, the teams aboard the ships fight to stay safe and sane and above all to find their meal ticket: the crab. It all makes for very entertaining television. But a career path? Maybe.
The Cornelia Marie’s captain, 32-year fishing vet Phil Harris, knows a lot about finding the spiders of the sea and plenty about finding the right crew to catch them, too. Harris and his fisherman sons need a full crew to drop pots, count crab and make it back to harbor in one piece, and right now they’re down one grunt. That’s where you come in. Harris and his boys are heading to Las Vegas this weekend to meet fans, promote their new coffee line and interview “greenhorn” or rookie applicants willing to take the abuse of a few months at sea for the chance at a sometimes staggering payout.
Don’t have much heavy pot hauling experience on the resume? Not a problem.
“This is not a situation where expertise is key,” assures the Harris’ manager, Russ Herriott. But, he adds, “you gotta have heart.”
And an iron stomach. Ask yourself this question, Herriott suggests: “Can you take a 20-pound block of frozen fish and put it in the grinder and not throw up?” If the answer’s no, it’s dry land for you.
Interested applicants can meet the captain and his sons on Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino, where they’ll be signing autographs, holding question and answer sessions and accepting applications. If you’ve got what it takes, they just might send you a ticket to meet them in Dutch Harbor on Oct. 5.
There’s just one more job requirement for taking your maiden voyage.
“Skinny runts,” Herriott says, need not apply.
The Gold Coast, which features a 711-room hotel, a casino, a bowling center, a showroom and a variety of restaurants, has been a part of Las Vegas scene since 1986.
Its 86,700-square foot casino includes more than 2,100 slot and video poker machines and 48 gaming tables that feature craps, blackjack, Pai Gow poker, Super Fun 21, roulette and mini and midi baccarat. The casino also offers a high-limit gaming room, keno, a race and sports book and a 720-seat bingo room.
The bowling center contains 70 lane and features Frameworx bowling equipment and automatic state-of-the-art scoring. The Gold Coast offers a league program for everyone — competitive scratch leagues, mixed adult programs and one of the city's largest junior leagues. The Bowling Center also offers bumper bowling for kids.
The Gold Coast Showroom/Lounge provides live music, ballroom dancing and Monday night football parties.
Dining options include steaks and seafood at the Cortez Room, the Ports O' Call Buffet and Chinese dishes at Ping Pang Pong. Other restaurants include Noodle Exchange, T.G.I. Friday's and a Subway.
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