Sea Songs

A Brief History: Lista, Norway to Seattle, USA

My great grandfather was Tønnes Samuelsen Kaade and his son Adolph Samuelsen (b.1874), aka Strong Back Alec, left Lista in his teens to work on merchant ships. After several years, he landed in Seattle and, in the early 1900s, became a successful halibut fisherman. He named his first boat Lister, and in 1911, bought a schooner and named her Vansee, a picture of which is at the Lista Museum; she is still actively sailing today.   

 In the 60s & 70s, I fished on the family halibut, shrimp, and king crab boats (i.e. Deadliest Catch). I have many stories related to the dangers and close calls of fishing in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, including flying crab pots, climbing to the top of a 10 meter mast in a storm to replace a bolt, hitting a submerged rock and almost sinking, and many other adventures. My sea songs are written about my experiences from my years fishing Alaskan waters, and I interrelate stories of my adventures- including one about seasickness!