Tag Archives: F/V Carrabassett

‘Codfather’ boat sunk, sleeps with the fishes in artificial reef off the Jersey Shore

The Axel Carlson Reef off the Jersey Shore has a new structure that was once part of the fleet of the infamous “Codfather” Carlos Rafael, a commercial fisherman who went to jail for mislabeling fish in 2016. When he went to jail, his entire fleet of boats worth millions of dollars was seized by the IRS and sold off. One of those boats was the Carrabassett, a 90-foot steel dragger. It was purchased by a New England commercial outfit that ran the boat aground, cracking the hull open. The boat then caught fire at drydock and was going to go on the scrap metal market when New Jersey’s artificial reef program coordinator Peter Clarke was able to secure it in order to add it to the Axel Carlson Reef, a man-made reef that sits 2.1 miles off the coast of Point Pleasant Beach. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:34

Welding accident sparks fishing boat fire on Fairhaven waterfront

A fishing vessel recently acquired by the owners of BASE Seafood Auction caught fire and burned on the Fairhaven side of the harbor early Thursday morning. The 78-foot groundfish trawler F/V Carrabassett was in the process of being decommissioned, according to Fairhaven Harbor Master Tim Cox, who was on scene the morning of the fire working with an environmental cleanup crew. He said the fire was sparked by welders using a cutting torch to carve out the boat’s piping. The welders called in the fire just before 7 a.m., Cox said. Thick clouds of black smoke could be seen rising over the harbor as firefighters from Fairhaven, New Bedford and Mattapoisett worked to knock down the flames using hoses and a foam fire suppressant. The fire, which at its peak had fully engulfed the cabin, was contained by about 8 a.m., Cox said. 6 photos, more, >>click to read<< 20:39

Fairhaven and New Bedford fire crews respond to commercial fishing boat fire in Fairhaven

New Bedford and Fairhaven fire crews are on the scene of a boat fire in a vessels docked at the bottom of Washington and Water streets in Fairhaven Thursday morning. According to a source on the scene, the boat, named the Carrabassett, was under repair when it caught fire. A 2021 report in the Provincetown Banner when the vessel was grounded in Cape Cod waters, states the Carrabassett was previously named Cowboy and was part of a fleet that belonged to “The Codfather,” Carlos Rafael until it was sold to Blue Harvest Fisheries in 2020. more, >>click to read<< 09:30

F/V Carrabassett: Free at Last! Five-day grounding on Truro beach ends Saturday morning

A 78-foot fishing boat out of New Bedford that grounded early Tuesday off Longnook Beach was pulled back into the water Saturday morning, ending a five-day ordeal for owner Blue Harvest Fisheries in New Bedford. At the moment the tug boat pulled the Carrabassett toward the water, and the vessel appeared to respond by floating along behind the tug, cheers from well-wishers at the beach went up. “You don’t see it every day,” Provincetown resident and commercial fisherman Joel Carreiro said Saturday morning,,, As the Carrabassett was pulled out into the water by the tug, two excavators stood by on the beach, and then began to move south once the vessel was fully floating. photos, >click to read< 14:27

New Bedford Vessel Runs Aground on Longnook Beach

Part-time Truro resident Lynda West went with her father-in-law, Jock West, to Longnook Beach on Tuesday to take photos of the calm waters with his drone at low tide. “When we got here, I turned to him and said, ‘You hit the jackpot,’ ” Lynda said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” At the bottom of the steep slope below the beach parking lot was a 78-foot blue-and-white groundfishing boat, the F/V Carrabassett, beached on the sand with one green light on and its radar dish spinning. “That’s not a good situation there,” said Provincetown fisherman Chris King, looking at the boat from the parking lot. >click to read< 09:48

Plan to move grounded trawler off Truro is in the works

A plan to salvage a 78-foot shrimp trawler that ran aground Tuesday near Highland Light was in the works Wednesday, according to U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Briana Carter. The Coast Guard and Truro police received a report of the grounding early Tuesday. Five people were aboard the boat, and there were no reported injuries, Carter said.  On Wednesday, Truro Harbormaster Tony Jackett described the trawler, the New Bedford-based F/V Carrabassett, the owner planned to attempt to dislodge the boat at high tide Wednesday evening, Jackett said. >click to read< 12:36

Commercial Fishing Vessel Runs Aground off Truro

A fishing vessel ran aground in Truro Tuesday. The 78 foot F/V Carrabassett, home ported in New Bedford, came ashore in the area of Long Nook Beach. No injuries were reported. The cause of the grounding was under investigation. >click to read<, and enlarge image. 17:42

Blue Harvest Refitted Codfather Trawlers going into service

Blue Harvest Fisheries this week launched the Carrabassett, the second of three refitted groundfish vessels the company is putting into service this year. The 78-foot trawler was once painted “Carlos Rafael green” and emblazoned with the “CR” logo. Now it’s refurbished, repaired, upgraded, painted deep blue, and decorated with Blue Harvest’s distinctive scallop logo. Blue Harvest purchased 12 vessels and 27 fishing permits from Rafael’s family in February. Rafael, who made millions by gaming the system before he was busted by federal agents, was ordered last year by a judge to get out of the fishing business forever and divest his holdings. >click to read< 19:08