Chaos on the Wizard: Throttle Failure Leaves Captain Keith Fighting to Keep Control at Sea

Out on the brutal waters of the Bering Sea, Episode X delivered one of the most tense moments of the season as Wizard captain Keith Colburn suddenly lost throttle control while hauling for the final stretch of his red king crab quota. What began as an ordinary string haul quickly spiraled into a high-risk emergency that threatened the vessel, the crew, and a crucial delivery deadline only four days away.

Stuck in Forward Gear With No Control

The chaos began with a simple but chilling announcement from the wheelhouse:

“I’m stuck in forward gear right now… my throttle controls have just died on me.”

With the buoys disappearing under the bow, the tide pushing against the wind, and the Wizard unable to slow or stop, Keith was forced into a dangerous wide loop to port. His hope rested on engineer Joe, who scrambled below deck to manually pull the boat out of gear.

The crew worked frantically on deck, trying to get pots in the block while the uncontrolled vessel lunged forward.

“Watch out! Don’t go in the wheel!” Keith warned as the boat fought against the sea.

With 160 pots left to clear for the final 31,000 pounds of red king crab, the timing could not have been worse.

A Quota on the Line — and Nothing in the Pots

Despite the mechanical chaos, Keith could only press on. Time was draining away faster than the tide, and the offload clock was ticking.

But the pots weren’t cooperating.

“So far, we’re not doing so good.”
“Oh man… no winnow.”

The stress was visible as each crabless pot hit the table. Every empty haul pushed the Wizard closer to a dangerous deadline — one that could cost Keith dearly if missed.

A System Failure With No Quick Fix

Down below, Joe made a grim discovery: the Wizard’s throttle system, which runs on air pressure, had lost its ability to send commands to the engine.

“Always something,” Keith muttered as he wrestled to maintain control.

With the vessel effectively locked in forward gear, Keith could steer — but he couldn’t slow, stop, or adjust power from the wheelhouse.

Incoming waves slammed the hull.

“Some of these waves… they’re nasty. I can’t control the boat.”

A single bad one could roll over the rail at any moment.

A Desperate Workaround: Steering by Wheelhouse, Power by Hand Signals

With no time for repairs and their gear still in the water, the crew improvised a solution straight out of a survival manual.

Joe would manually operate the throttle and transmission down in the engine room, while Keith steered from above. The only way to communicate between them?

Hand signals.

• 👍 = Slow ahead

• 👎 = Slow astern

• ☝️ finger up = More throttle

• ✋ flat hand = All stop

It was crude, risky, and far from ideal — but it might keep them alive long enough to finish the string.

The Crew Fights to Recover Gear as the Wizard Lurches Forward

Working in perfect sync became crucial as Keith called out signals, the deckhands scrambled to stack pots, and Joe wrestled with the engine controls below.

“I need some blue — go over!”
“We gotta get this gear on board right now.”

Even with the boat half out of control, the crew managed to muscle through pot after pot. Each one brought them closer to the finish line — and kept disaster barely at bay.

A Fight for Survival on the Bering Sea

As the final pots came aboard, the tension remained razor sharp. Keith still couldn’t operate the boat properly. The seas hadn’t eased. And the Wizard was limping toward the end of a season already full of setbacks.

“I’m not enjoying this one bit,” Keith admitted, watching the deck sway under the unpredictable thrust of the crippled throttle.

Finding a safe place for the remaining pots — and making it to the docks with their quota — remained a race against failing equipment and a rising sea.

The Wizard would live to fight another day… but this breakdown was a stark reminder:

Out here, one mechanical failure can be the difference between survival and catastrophe.