Captain Phil Harris (29 page)

The F/V
Cornelia Marie
in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Phil and the crew are loading gear and stocking supplies for another crab fishing trip. Phil never left port on a Friday. He felt it was bad luck.

Phil on board the
Cornelia Marie
celebrating another successful day of being “on the crab.”

Phil petting Sammy and Precious, his Moluccan cockatoos.

Jake, age four, and Josh, age six, sitting on Santa’s lap.

The world-famous Phil Harris birdhouse. Phil loved building these miniatures and gave each a distinctively different style and theme.

Phil and his father, Grant Harris. The time-honored tradition of the father-son fishing trip was well preserved in the Harris family.

Phil and Jake on board the
Cornelia Marie
. If Phil were still with us he would say of this photo, “I don’t know if Jake is holding the crab or if the crab is holding Jake.”

Phil with Russ Herriott in February 2008, after a charity auction dinner in Seattle. Dinner with Captain Phil went for a few thousand dollars that night to help a good cause. Phil said afterward, “Who the fuck would pay to have dinner with me?”

Phil and Josh at an autograph session for some VIPs. Phil hated going to such sessions, but he always loved them once he was there.

Here Captain Phil is sitting in a different wheelhouse of sorts—behind a drum kit. He had been a drummer many years earlier, and one way or another he was destined to be a rock star.

Phil flashes his infectious smile.

Phil with legendary motorcycle designer and master builder Dave Perewitz.

Phil, with his truck, chopper, and Harley. Long rides were his time away from the commotion of his newfound fame, when he got to be just Phil.