Phil Harris (fisherman)

Phillip Charles Harris (December 19, 1956 – February 9, 2010) was an American captain and part owner of the crab fishing vessel F/V Cornelia Marie, which is featured on Discovery Channel's documentary reality TV series Deadliest Catch. He suffered a stroke while offloading C. opilio crab in port at Saint Paul Island, Alaska, on January 29, 2010. Despite improvements in his condition, Harris died on February 9, 2010, at the age of 53, while suffering an intracranial hemorrhage in the hospital.[1][3][4]

Phil Harris
Harris and long time crewman Murray Gamrath in the early 90s.
Born
Phillip Charles Harris

(1956-12-19)December 19, 1956[1]
Bothell, Washington, U.S.[2]
DiedFebruary 9, 2010(2010-02-09) (aged 53)
Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.
Other namesSkipper, Captain
Occupation(s)Captain of the F/V Cornelia Marie, Co-creator of Captain's Reserve Coffee
Spouse(s)Mary Harris (m. 1982; div. 1991)
Teresa Harris (divorced)
Children3

The episode of Deadliest Catch featuring the Captain's death aired on July 20, 2010, followed by a special tribute episode.

Career
F/V Cornelia Marie

Harris started fishing with his father at age eight and after high school began crab fishing. He initially worked on a crab boat as an unpaid deckhand until he proved his worth. By the time he was 21 he was one of the youngest crab fishing boat captains on the Bering Sea. He had been captain of the F/V Cornelia Marie for more than 20 years at the time of his death.

From 2004 and until his death, Harris and his boat were followed by an embedded film crew for the series Deadliest Catch. The F/V Cornelia Marie was first shown during the opilio crab portion of Season 1, as partner ship of the F/V Maverick. The F/V Cornelia Marie was heavily involved in search efforts for the F/V Big Valley after it sank. It became a regular fixture of the show from the second season on.

Harris was thrown from his bunk during a storm in the 2008 season, and thought he had broken his ribs. He spent several hours coughing up blood until his sons and crew finally convinced him to seek medical attention and enlisted the film crew to watch his condition. Doctors later determined that he had suffered a pulmonary embolism. Medical treatment for this condition prevented him from fishing for almost a year. He returned for the opilio crab fishing season in January 2009.

Some of Harris's sea stories were included in the book Deadliest Catch: Desperate Hours. In 2008, Harris developed a line of coffees, "Captain's Reserve", with blends named after fishing themes such as "Harris Family Blend" and "Midnight Sunrise".[5]

Harris's chain-smoking, which was frequently seen on the show,[6] added to his health woes.

Death

Harris suffered a stroke during the sixth televised opilio crab season of Deadliest Catch. He was offloading crab on January 29, 2010, at Saint Paul Island, Alaska. He was flown to Anchorage for surgery, and was placed in an induced coma to reduce intracranial pressure and swelling. He awoke from the coma after his condition improved. He was squeezing hands, talking, and showing other signs of improvement.[7] Harris's doctors were amazed by his rapid improvement, saying that he was making gains in a few days that usually take months for stroke victims. However, Harris died from an intracranial hemorrhage on February 9, 2010.

He was cremated, and half of his ashes were buried in an ornately painted Harley Davidson motorcycle gas tank with the remains of his mother; his family spread the remainder of the ashes at sea from aboard the F/V Cornelia Marie.[8]

His sons Jacob and Joshua issued a statement from the Harris family, saying, "It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad – Captain Phil Harris. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end. For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down. We will remember and celebrate that strength. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers."[9] Joshua would eventually become the Cornelia Marie's new captain.

The sixth season of Deadliest Catch featured footage of Harris at work for the last time. A memorial service to Harris was hosted by the Discovery Channel along Seattle's waterfront on Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91 on Friday evening, April 30, 2010. This was the night before the Puget Sound's annual Opening Day for boating season. His sons spoke at this service. A boat gave a final salute from the location where his vessel is based in Elliott Bay.[10][11][12][13][14][15]

Personal life

Harris was single at the time of his death, but had been married and divorced twice. His first marriage, from 1982 to 1991 was to Mary Harris, mother of his two sons, Joshua and Jacob. Joshua and Jacob worked on board his fishing vessel during the taping of Discovery's Deadliest Catch on the F/V Cornelia Marie, as deckhands. His second marriage began January 22, 1992, and ended in divorce in 2006 to Teresa Harris. His hometown was Bothell, Washington. He enjoyed driving fast and owned both a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a Chevrolet Corvette.[16] Besides driving fast and fishing, he also enjoyed building bird feeders.[17]

Before his death, Harris set up a coffee company called Captain's Reserve. His sons are now in the process of promoting the brand and expanding the family business. National retail expansion began January 2011, and went global the same year.[18]

References
  1. "Capt. Phil, A Celebration Of Life". October 21, 2010. Archived from the original on February 24, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  2. "Celebrity Drive: Phil, Josh, and Jake Harris of Discovery's "Deadliest Catch"".
  3. Hevesi, Dennis (February 10, 2010). "Phil Harris, Crusty Captain on 'Deadliest Catch,' Dies at 53". New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  4. Teresa Blackman. "Capt. in reality TV's 'Deadliest Catch' dies after stroke". KGW. Archived from the original on February 14, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
  5. Captain's Brew Archived July 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine company website
  6. Stanley, T. L. (July 13, 2010). "Phil Harris' final moments on 'Deadliest Catch'" – via LA Times.
  7. Burgess, Kelly (February 3, 2010). "Capt. Phil Harris, of 'Deadliest Catch,' shows improvement after suffering stroke". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  8. Stelter, Brian (June 21, 2010). "Reality TV Show Faces Ultimate Test". New York Times. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  9. "'Deadliest Catch' Captain Phil Harris dies". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
  10. "'Deadliest Catch' Captain Phil dead at 53". KING-TV. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  11. "Here are Opening Day boat parade and event details". Seattle Times. April 28, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  12. "Seattle memorial Friday for 'Deadliest' captain". KING-TV. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  13. "Public memorial in Seattle Friday for 'Deadliest Catch' captain". KING-TV. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  14. "Large crowd remembers Capt. Phil Harris". MSNBC. Archived from the original on May 9, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  15. "Large crowd remembers Capt. Phil Harris". KING-TV. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  16. "Phil, Josh, and Jake Harris of Discovery's "Deadliest Catch" Celebrity Drive". Motor Trend. February 26, 2007. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
  17. "Discovery Livechat with Phil and Josh Harris of the F/V Cornelia Marie « DEADLIEST REPORTS". Deadliestreports.wordpress.com. May 25, 2007. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
  18. "Captain's Reserve Coffee!!!". captainphilharris.com. June 25, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
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