Sophia ‘Bob’ Nielsen Shares Major Update on F/V Victory Repairs — The Comeback Begins!
Discovery’s crab fishing reality series “Deadliest Catch” is no stranger to life-threatening accidents, taking its name from the incredibly high mortality rate of commercial fishing throughout the Bering Sea. Over the years, fans have witnessed plenty of close calls and catastrophic malfunctions that can put an entire crew in danger — including a shocking collision between the F/V Victory and another ship in the Season 19 episode “Victory at Sea.”
While the raw, chaotic footage of this crash was incredibly well-received by fans, the crash was a devastating blow for up-and-coming Captain Sophia “Bob” Nielsen, possibly ending her fishing season early and costing her a considerable amount of time and money. Although this crash was a heartbreaking loss for Nielsen, she recently shared a video of the ship on her personal Instagram page, showing that the repairs for the F/V Victory are moving along very quickly.
The video itself shows a wide assortment of ongoing construction aboard the Victory and is accompanied by the hopeful caption: “Repairs are coming along great. Some new planks, new deck, and refastening all the forward cleats along with the anchor [winch]. Crunch time.”
The episode seems to imply that the Victory crash is also the subject of a legal battle
Due to the primary damage to the boat was a massive gash in its side (which broke several planks and beams and put the bulwarks on the F/V Victory in jeopardy as a result), it’s somewhat surprising to see that Bob Nielsen chose to replace the entire deck.
Because the forward cleats and anchor winch weren’t mentioned during the initial crash, one could assume that Nielsen is trying to fit as much work in as possible while she’s sidelined. Perhaps even more interesting than Victory’s speedy repair is the alleged legal battle concerning this collision, referenced at the start of the episode.
The episode starts with an unusual title card: “Due to ongoing claims and pending judgments, an incident portrayed in the following program is presented without any assignment or admission of fault or liability.” This explains why there is no signature Mike Rowe commentary augmenting Bob’s collision and implies that at least one of the parties involved with this crash is seeking legal damages. We currently have no report about the status of these “ongoing claims and pending judgments.” Because it’s still unclear when all of these repairs will be finished, there’s no telling when the F/V Victory will finally hit the open ocean again.
