Safe passage Captain Phil

image courtesy of photobucket.com

I’ve been a fan of the show Deadliest Catch since it debuted in 2005. I’ve seen just about every episode and I have looked forward to each season with anticipation. But this year I have been watching each week with a sense of trepidation and sadness, knowing that Captain Phill Harris of the Cornelia Marie would not survive the season. It’s been a difficult season to watch. I realize it’s just a tv show, but these are real people with really hard lives. They drink. They smoke. They cuss. They yell and scream at each other. But I cheer them on every year, because they’re real. And maybe their brokenness is what I identify with so much.

My favorite captain has always been Captain Phil Harris. Of all the crab boat captains, he seemed to have the biggest heart and the smallest ego. It seems as if he took care of everyone else except himself, and I think I identify with him most of all. His hard living caught up to him this season. He passed away after suffering a stroke in his quarters aboard the Cornelia Marie. As sad as it was to watch, it seems almost fitting that the boat he gave so much of his life to would be the place his life ended. (He didn’t actually die on the boat, but the stroke ultimately resulted in his death.) I don’t have any deep, spiritual truths about the passing of Captain Phil. I suppose I could draw some analogies if I wanted to. But I don’t want to. Just wanted to say, Goodbye, Captain Phil. You will be missed.