Opening Line: "I am a fisherman, an Alaskan fisherman, and a Bering Sea crab fisherman with thirty-seven years on commercial boats." As a long time fan of TV’s The Deadliest Catch and an avid biography reader it was a given that I’d read Time Bandit, I just didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did or be given such candour into Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand’s lives. By turns raucous and reflective, exhilarating and anguished, enthralling, suspenseful, and wise, Time Bandit chronicles a larger-than-life love affair as old as civilization itself–a love affair between striving, willful man and inscrutable, enduring nature.more Here is the Hillstrands’ own heartfelt hymn to the brutally hard, gloriously independent, and mysteriously soul-satisfying life that has earned them their daily bread and defined their existence. In pursuit of their daily catch, the brothers brave ice floes and heaving waves 60 feet high, the perils of 1000-lb steel traps thrown about by the punishing wind, and the constant menace of the open, hungry water.Įven the brothers’ downtime on land–where the deadly realities of the unforgiving sea are never far from their minds–is lived as if borrowed: fast and hard, haunted by the knowledge that the next season at sea could end asleep in the deep. Natives of tiny, fishing hamlet, Homer, Alaska sons of a hard-bitten, highly successful fisherman and born with brine in their blood, the Hillstrand boys couldn’t imagine a life without a swaying deck underfoot and a harvest of mighty Alaskan king crabs waiting to be pulled from the ocean floor. To read Time Bandit is to step into their skins, smell the sea air, feel the frigid wind, and know with all your senses the exhilarating, and terrifying life on the edge. If you’ve watched their exploits on TV’s Deadliest Catc h, you’ve only scratched the surface. And among the rapidly diminishing ranks of these die-hard salts, brothers Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand have forged a reputation as fierce masters of their treacherous, enthralling trade. Season after season, they bond and battle with its icy depths, determined to reap yet one more rewarding harvest while eluding the ever-present threat of sudden, certain death. And perhaps none take more chances than the men and women who brave the tempestuous, bountiful waters of the Bering Sea. But make no mistake–there truly is much to beware for those who are drawn to risk their lives and seek their fortunes upon the waves. And perhaps none take more chances than the men and women who brave the “Many brave hearts are asleep in the deep, so beware, beware,” goes the chorus of an old sailors’ sing-along that celebrates the allure and danger of the seafaring life. Andy, by the way, in addition to being a commercial fisherman, is also a four-time world qualifier for the National Barrel Horse Association and four-time Alaska State Champion barrel racer.“Many brave hearts are asleep in the deep, so beware, beware,” goes the chorus of an old sailors’ sing-along that celebrates the allure and danger of the seafaring life. Andy Hillstrand/the time bandit "I wouldn't trade my life for nobody else's life, I've pretty much got the best of both worlds I think."Īndy, and wife Sabrina, own hobby horse acres in Chandler and they specialize in natural horsemanship. You kind of miss it but I always know I'm going back so I get to have fun doing this, I just mellow out."Īndy turns 44 this year, and says he may retire to the farm when he reaches 50, then you might catch him riding horseback. For now he's content with his deadly job and his farm that takes him far away from it.Ĭapt. Andy Hillstrand, says, "It's just what's in your blood. Still, each year, on his birthday, September 25th, Andy answers the call from sea.Ĭapt. As captain of the Time Bandit, Andy can earn an income of over six figures in a few months, while deck hands average over $30,000 in just 90 days at sea., 20 hour work days onboard ship make life on the farm that much more special.
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