Homer Alaska - Arts -

Written with former Newsweek writer Malcolm MacPherson, publisher Random House released "Time Bandit" last month, just in time for the F/V Time Bandit crabbers to promote their book at the start of the fourth season of "The Deadliest Catch," The Discovery Channel's top-rated series. The Hillstrands have done book signings in New York, Pennsylvania and will do signings this month in Seattle, Portland, Denver, North Carolina and Evansville, Ind. They also have been promoting the cable TV show, as well as a companion book to the series, "Deadliest Catch: Desperate Hours," edited by Larry Erickson.

Andy Hillstrand said the signings have gone great, with up to 650 people showing up. Reaction from readers has been positive, Andy said in a phone interview this week from his horse ranch in Indiana.

"They say it's a great read. They say they can't put it down," he said. "Our mom was kind of sad because we cussed in it," he added.

Co-captains on the Time Bandit, one of the six crabbing boats featured on "Deadliest Catch," the Hillstrands have become as popular as NASCAR drivers. Some of their biggest fans are race car drivers, in fact, along with soldiers, firefighters and cops. Fishermen have hailed them as bringing respect back to the profession and showing the world the hard work of fishing.

While "Time Bandit" tells a lot of the white-knuckle, teeth-gnashing adventures seen on "Deadliest Catch," the real story is one familiar to many a Homer fishing family: growing up wild, loose and free at the end of the Homer Spit in the 1960s.

"The Spit's a good baby sitter," is how Johnathan put it.

The sons of the legendary fisherman John Hillstrand and grandsons of Earl Hillstrand the founder of Land's End Resort and a former owner of the Salty Dawg the Hillstrand boys fished, played, caught crab and raised heck back in the days when Homer didn't have many paved streets and everyone knew everyone else, sometimes too well. The guys don't hold back there is a lot of cussing in the book and write frankly about alcoholism, divorce and the challenges of growing to adulthood in a family that wasn't exactly "Leave it to Beaver."

What stands out, though, is the love Andy and Johnathan show each other, as well as for their brothers Neal and Michael. Though they might fight and play pranks on each other one time, Johnathan chopped down a tree Andy stood in while bear hunting the brothers take care of each other.

There's the time Andy hauled Johnathan to the hospital after Johnathan jumped off a boat onto the beach, breaking both ankle and his wrist and that was days after Andy had injured his back and broken ribs in a motorcycle accident.

The doctors looked at them and said, "You two just used up eight of your lives," they write in "Time Bandit."

Fans of "Deadliest Catch" will find plenty of crabbing stories. The saddest is of the Hillstrands trying to save the captain of the F/V Troika. The Time Bandit and several other vessels ran to a report of the Troika taking on water. They got the captain out of the sea, but he'd already swallowed water and become severely hypothermic. Despite hours of CPR, the captain died in the Time Bandit's stateroom.

"We noticed a dried salt stain on the carpet in the outline of the dead man's body," Johnathan said in the book. "The sight made me quake."

Balancing out that story is the tale of rescuing Josh White, a crewman on the F/V Trail Blazer who fell into the sea while working a stack of pots six high. Andy said it's his favorite part of the book.

"That was the coolest thing in the world," he said. "That was the most awesome thing."

The Time Bandit was right by and the crew jumped into action at the man overboard alarm. Homer crewman Russell Newberry got into a survival suit and into the sea. Johnathan maneuvered the Bandit close to White. Younger Hillstrand brother Neal also the ship's engineer threw a life ring to White. Newberry got close to White and put the ring around him, and with Andy at the crane controls, they pulled him to safety.

"'My Mom thanks you; my Grandma thanks you; my girlfriend thanks you. You saved my life,'" White said in the book.

"I was puffing hard with adrenaline," Johnathan writes. "'Last time that happened, we pulled a dead guy out of the water.'

"Andy said, 'Not this time, huh, John?'

"No, this time we got him.'"

As for the Fishing Fever and how Johnathan gets rescued, well, read the book to find out how that turns out.

Andy said MacPherson wrote the book by interviewing them, interviewing friends and hanging out with the Hillstrands.

Not every story winds up in the book, Andy said.

"We have way more stories to tell that aren't in there," he said.

"Time Bandit" is available at the Homer Bookstore and through the Time Bandit's Web site at www.timebandits.tv.

Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.