Bering Sea Gold

Narrator: NOW ON "BERING SEA GOLD"...

A VIOLENT SUMMER STORM FORCES THE FLEETS INTO SAFE HARBOR...

WITH THE SUMMER SEASON BEING SO SHORT,

IT'S NOT TIME WE CAN LOSE.

Narrator: ...BUT IN MINING, THERE ARE NO DAYS OFF...

EVERYDAY WE HAVE IS SO IMPORTANT.

IT'S JUST AN ENDLESS CIRCLE OF WORKING.

Narrator: ...AND AS THE CAPTAINS TOIL ON THEIR DREDGES,

THEY REFLECT BACK ON THEIR MOST DANGEROUS SETBACKS...

MOTHER NATURE HAS KICKED MY ASS IN THE PAST,

SO I'VE LEARNED NOT TO MESS WITH HER.

WE NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE.

THE DREDGE IS FALLING APART.

EROICA. IT MEANS HERO IN ITALIAN.

Narrator: ...PERSONAL MOMENTS...

I FINALLY MADE IT, AND IT ONLY TOOK ME FIVE YEARS.

THAT IS THE BEST GOLD CLEANUP

THAT WE'VE EVER HAD IN OUR LIVES.

Narrator: ...AND TRIUMPHANT ACHIEVEMENTS ON THE BERING SEA.

LET'S GO.

-WHOA. -AH.

WHOA! STOP!

WHAT THE ?

TURNING DIRT INTO GOLD.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: THE SUMMER MINING SEASON ON THE BERING SEA

IS A 120 DAY WINDOW BETWEEN THE SPRING MELT

AND THE DESCENT OF WINTER,

BUT NEARLY HALF OF THOSE DAYS ARE LOST AS THE MINING GROUNDS

ARE BESIEGED BY STORMS STRONG ENOUGH

TO FORCE THE DREDGES OFF THE WATER.

ON THESE DAYS, THE FLEET SEIZES THE OPPORTUNITY TO REPAIR

AND UPGRADE THEIR DREDGES

BECAUSE WHEN THE WEATHER CLEARS,

THE MINING GROUNDS REOPEN FOR BUSINESS,

AND IT'S GAME ON.

IN NOME HARBOR...

Shawn: IT'S BLOWING LIKE HELL RIGHT NOW FROM THE WEST.

GOING TO TAKE AWHILE FOR IT TO LAY DOWN AFTER THIS BLOW.

BUT I NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON

WITH THIS GENERATOR RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: ...CAPTAIN SHAWN POMRENKE IS WEATHERING THE STORM

BY REPAIRING A BUSTED GENERATOR ON THE HAVILAH.

Shawn: HELPS PROVIDE HOT WATER TO THE DIVERS.

WE GOT TO GET THIS THING UP AND RUNNING.

Narrator: HE'LL NEED IT FUNCTIONAL TO HELP REEL IN

HIS 1,200-OUNCE SEASON GOAL

AND FUND CONSTRUCTION ON HIS MEGA DREDGE THROUGH THE WINTER.

WITH THE SUMMER SEASON BEING SO SHORT,

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A DAY OFF.

Narrator: ALONG WITH THE REPAIR...

Shawn: I'M GOING TO GET IT FIXED AND WE GOT

TO GET BACK FOR A CLEANUP.

Narrator: ...THE CAPTAIN HAS A 2-DAY RUN OF BLUFF CONCENTRATES TO CLEAN.

OH, COME ON.

ONCE THIS WEATHER BREAKS, I WANT TO BE READY TO HEAD BACK OUT.

Narrator: MR. GOLD IS NO STRANGER TO BROKEN EQUIPMENT,

CONSTANTLY PUSHING HIS DREDGE TO THE LIMIT.

Shawn: I LOVE PUSHING THINGS RIGHT TO THE LIMIT.

IF YOU DIDN'T, LIFE WOULD BE BORING.

WE NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE.

THE DREDGE IS FALLING APART.

Narrator: FIVE YEARS AGO, SHAWN WENT HEAD-TO-HEAD

WITH THE BERING SEA ON THE CHRISTINE ROSE...

IT'S REALLY FRICKING BAD OUT.

Narrator: ...AND NEARLY LOST EVERYTHING.

Shawn: THIS SUCKS.

YEAH, WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE LEFT A COUPLE HOURS AGO, MAN.

MOTHER NATURE IS PROBABLY THE ONLY THING THAT I'M SCARED OF.

YOU GO OUT AND YOU THINK YOU GOT HER LICKED,

AND IF YOU DON'T RESPECT HER, SHE'S GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS.

I'M GETTING PUSHED OUT RIGHT NOW INTO THE DEEPER WATER.

STRAIGHT TO THE EDGE.

Narrator: AFTER MORE THAN SIX HOURS

TO TRAVEL JUST 8 MILES...

WHOO!

...THE CR FINALLY REACHED SAFE HARBOR.

THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT FUN.

Shawn: WE PUSHED IT AND WAITED WAY LONGER THAN WE SHOULD HAVE,

GETTING GREEDY, BRINGING IN GOOD GOLD

AND NOT WANTING TO LEAVE, AND, YOU KNOW, LIKE,

"WELL, WE MIGHT GET ANOTHER 10 OUNCES.

WE MIGHT GET ANOTHER 20 IF WE STAY A COUPLE MORE HOURS,"

AND THEN YOU REGRET IT.

OH, COME ON.

IT'S SUCKING AIR.

SUCKING AIR SOMEWHERE.

WELL, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT.

Narrator: 90 MILES EAST AT THE BLUFF...

Kris: IT'S CAUGHT ON THIS.

Narrator: ...CAPTAIN KRIS KELLY IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE STORM

BY REINFORCING THE PONTOONS

ON HIS REVOLUTIONARY AMPHIBIOUS DREDGE, THE REAPER.

Kris: I GOT TO GET THIS IN THE BACK,

AND I GOT TO DO IT WITHOUT WRECKING IT, TOO.

Narrator: IN THE CAPTAIN'S SIGHTS, 1,000 OUNCES OF GOLD

TO ESTABLISH THE IRISH AS KNOWN GOLD KINGPINS.

Kris: HALFWAY POINT OF THE SEASON, WE COULD HAVE DONE BETTER.

I MEAN, I KNOW THINGS ARE GOING GREAT

AND THE BOAT IS WORKING GREAT,

BUT I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY I'M NOT OVER 100 OUNCES.

I SHOULD BE OVER 100 OUNCES RIGHT NOW.

THESE PONTOONS ARE A SEPARATE PIECE.

THESE WHITE PONTOONS RIGHT HERE, SO I HAVE TO KEEP THEM IN PLACE

SO THEY'RE NOT MOVING AROUND BECAUSE I LIKE THESE PONTOONS.

I WANT TO KEEP THEM, SO I GOT TO MAKE SURE

I STRAP THEM TO THE BOAT AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE SECURE

SO THEY DON'T RUB AROUND TOO MUCH AND PUNCTURE THEMSELVES.

Narrator: THE KEY PART OF THE PLAN TO MAKE THE MARK

IS TO KEEP THE REAPERSHIPSHAPE.

Kris: TAKING CARE OF ALL THE LAST-MINUTE PROBLEMS.

Narrator: NO EASY TASK WHEN YOU'RE 80 MILES OFF THE GRID.

RIGHT NOW, MY DAD IS TAKING A FUEL RUN,

AND MY BROTHER IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN.

TO BE A MINER, YOU NEED TO BE A BOAT CAPTAIN,

A WELDER, A SMALL-ENGINES MECHANIC.

I CAN PRETTY MUCH DO ANYTHING,

AND IT'S MADE ME A LITTLE COCKY BECAUSE OF IT.

Narrator: FOR KRIS...

Kris: SEE WHAT I'M GOING TO DO.

Narrator: ...THE ROAD FROM GREENHORN CABIN BOY

TO COCKY CAPTAIN HAS BEEN A JOURNEY

OF OPTIMISTIC SELF DISCOVERY.

YEAH, YEAH.

Steve: WHO THE HELL IS THE CAPTAIN?

WHO IN THE IS THE CAPTAIN?

Narrator: KRIS' FIRST SEASON IN NOME FOUND HIM

UNDER THE MENTORSHIP OF MINNOWOWNER AND CAPTAIN,

STEVE RIEDEL...

GET OUT OF HERE.

...AN ASPIRATIONAL FIGURE AND A DEMANDING TASKMASTER...

MAKE US PROUD.

...WHO GAVE HIM THE OPPORTUNITY TO MINE THE BERING SEA...

CRACK DIVERS THAT WE ARE, THE A TEAM IS GOING OUT.

IT'S ANDREW .

...WITH NO INSTRUCTION WHATSOEVER...

OH, MAN, THERE'S NOT EVEN A SNORKEL ON HIS COMPRESSOR.

ARE YOU OKAY?

I'VE BEEN SUCKING DOWN GAS.

I JUST GOT A BIG-ASS WHIFF OF IT.

I GAVE MY BROTHER A LITTLE BIT OF BRAIN DAMAGE,

BUT HE'LL BE OKAY, RIGHT, EH?

HERE IS YOUR GOLD, ANDY.

Narrator: ...BUT AFTER A SINGLE SEASON UNDER THE GREAT CAPTAIN...

WELCOME TO STEVE'S WORLD.

THAT'S PITIFUL.

Narrator: ...THE PAYOUTS JUST WASN'T THERE.

KRIS, LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE PACKING UP.

I'M GOING TO GO WORK ON ANOTHER BOAT.

YOU QUIT THE MINNOW?

YEAH, THAT'S CORRECT.

YOU KNOW, I JUST, I CAN'T AFFORD TO FEED MYSELF ANYMORE.

STEVE IS KIND OF A IDIOT.

I KNEW I WASN'T MAKING ENOUGH MONEY THAT DAY,

BUT I LOOK BACK ON IT NOW,

AND I KNOW THAT MINING TEACHES YOU TO WORK FOR FREE AN LIKE IT.

YOU'LL GO A WEEK OR TWO WITH NOT MAKING ANY MONEY AT ALL,

AND THEN IN TWO DAYS, YOU'LL PAY FOR EVERYTHING.

A LITTLE ADJUSTMENT.

Narrator: KRIS HAS ALWAYS FACED ADVERSITY WITH A SMILE...

Kris: MINING, EVERYDAY IS A GAMBLE.

THERE'S 100 WAYS TO FAIL AND ONLY ONE WAY TO SUCCEED,

AND THAT'S GET GOLD.

BOOM, ALMOST ONE SIDE.

Narrator: ...AND AFTER THEIR INAUGURAL SEASON AS CREW...

Andy: AFTER OUR FAILING SEASON WITH STEVE, WE GOT TO DO SOMETHING.

Narrator: ...THE FAMILY MADE THE JUMP TO DREDGE OWNERS.

WE'RE LIKE THIS CLOSE TO MAKING SOME MONEY,

AND I AM SUPER EXCITED.

GO.

GO AGAIN.

WOW.

GO.

WHOA.

Narrator: WITH THE CHEAPEST WINTER OPERATION

IN NOME'S HISTORY...

...UNDER THE CHEAPEST CAPTAIN IN NOME'S HISTORY...

WHAT THE ?

Kris: IT'S FROZEN.

...FAMILY PATRIARCH BRAD KELLY...

THEY SAY, "LUCK OF THE IRISH?"

PSH. WE AIN'T GOT NO LUCK.

BAD LUCK.

Narrator: ...THE PROCESS WAS A WEE BIT HARDER THAN EXPECTED...

IT'S COLD.

I THINK IT'S ALL GOING TO WORK OUT REALLY GOOD.

HERE WE GO.

Narrator: ...BUT THEY FOUGHT THROUGH...

9.94 OUNCES.

...GRABBING A TASTE OF GOLDEN POSSIBILITY.

THAT'LL BE $10,698.

Brad: WHOA. FINALLY A PAYDAY.

THANKS, STEVE.

HEY, THIS IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO GET.

Narrator: ...LEADING TO SEASONS OF ON-THE-JOB LEARNING...

TAKE HER AWAY.

AH!

...IN WHICH THE SWEET HOOLIGANS CLIMB THE STEEP CURVE...

...THAT IS GOLD MINING IN THE BERING SEA...

THESE CLAIMS RIGHT HERE ARE THE NEW REAPER CLAIMS