Paul Richard Harder

I was feeling nostalgic and decided to google Paul's name. I was saddened to learn of his passing. I crewed for Paul on the Ocean Thunder in 1977. Fellow crew were Robert McClintock who died in a car accident in the fall of 1977. Fourth crew member was Gary McCormick. I am from Georgia and headed west in specific search for a job on a salmon fishing boat. I was 22 and after working in San Fran for a few months made my way up to Seattle and pounded the docks looking for work. I stayed at the old Savoy Hotel downtown for 25 bucks a week! Paul got in touch from reading one of my job seeking notices. The hotel gave me the message and I called. We met and he offered me a job helping build out the Ocean Thunder. A very talented carpenter named Garth built the cabin. Paul said if I worked out he'd take me on with a 10% crew share. We finished the boat, I got the crew job and Paul, Robert and myself sailed the OT up to Kodiak. It was one of the finest experiences of my life and I felt the whole crew grew pretty tight. Paul never quit and we did well that season. I do remember we made a set on an opener off the Red River on Kodiak and filled our boat up and most of Ole's boat (I also have fond memories of Ole and his crewmates Tom and Bill...who also had crabbed with Ole). After season in September Ole offered me a spot on his crab boat for the upcoming season. Paul had sold the Ocean Thunder to someone on the other side of the Alaskan peninsula...I forget what town...and had offered to fly the three of us to Anchorage if w helped him deliver the boat to the buyer. We all agreed and the three of us had plans to buy a clunker in Anchorage and drive down the Alcan to Seattle...and then maybe fly over to Hawaii for a bit. I was literally standing on the dock ready to jump down and shove off when a sudden thought hit me hard...you see I'd left a girl back home more than a year prior and we'd stayed in touch and it came over me that I should fly home and see her. So instead of shoving off we tied off until I got my gear and we said out farewells. After arriving back in Georgia I went to see Betsy..the girl...and everything sort of fell into place and I soon asked her to marry me. She said yes, but though I wanted us to head back to Alaska, she was a silky voiced southern girl and attache to family so it was a no go. Later on I wrote Robert in care of his parent's address and after a few weeks got a response from them telling me he had died in a car crash on the way back from Alaska. Guess it could have been me as well. I told Betsy if we ever had a son I'd like to name him after Robert...and I named my first son Robert Stone Kerr...Robert and Stone being Robert's first and middle name. Robert even wrote a humor column for the Kadiak Times...which was sort of a mimeographed little newspaper....I still have a crumbling copy of an article in which the art of plunging features prominently. I could go on forever about various experiences up there, but I've gone on enough and probably no one will see this anyway. I just have such good memories of Paul...how he liked to hot dog up to a docking space, jam in in reverse and ooze up to a four point landing. That failed once in Petersburg when the throttle cable malfunctioned and we ran over an old flat bottom skiff before hitting the dock. Paul ran down the dock and pulled the outboard off before it sunk! I also will forever think of him when Heart's song Dreamboat Annie is played....we wore that tape flat out! I do have a few pictures I could make copies of and send if a family member ever reads this and is interested. My condolences to all his family members...Paul was a great guy.....and a great fisherman!!!!...Sincerely, Greg Kerr