“Like Father Like Son”—Is Story
Of Skipper Barney Corgatelli Jr.
By Karl Armstrong
“Like father—like son” is a
well-known old saying that to a
large extent holds true for many
in the fishing industry. And in
sofar as it concerns being a fisher
man and sailor, it aptly applies
to 25-year old Barney Corgatelii,
Jr., son of the well-known veter
an Alaskan fisherman and expert
boat handler, Barney Corgatelii,
Sr., master of the vessel Richard
D.
Like his father, Barney Jr. is a
fisherman, a sailor and a skipper.
He began fishing when he was
only 13 years old. And for five
years he fished for salmon in
Prince William Sound. In later
years he became a commercial
razor clam digger (for four years)
and has been engaged in shrimp
fishing as well as salmon fishing
in both Cordova and Kodiak
waters.
Now, at 25, Barney Jr. is Skip
per-Owner of the 34-foot Michelle
M, which, with its 12-foot beam
can pack 1200 King Crab in her
hold.
Skipper Corgatelli, having fished
for half of his life, is quite prop
Skipper Barney Corgatelli Jr.
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erly proud of his Michelle M and
of the loads of salmon and crab
he has hauled in her during his
successful fishing career. How
ever, he is “looking forward to
a bigger boat.”
One of the advantages of having
a smaller boat is that of being able
to use it for salmon fishing as well
as King Crab fishing, and Skipper
Corgatelli, who obviously relishes
the annual summer salmon quest,
is already planning to ready his
craft for salmon fishing in Prince
William Sound this year.
One of the disadvantages of a
smaller boat, especially in the
ofttimes turbulent and stormy
seas surrounding Kodiak and the
attendant unpredictable and ca
pricious winter weather, is the
fact that the fishing area, insofar
as king crabbing goes, is limited,
Skpper Corgatelli pointed out.
“With the smaller boats, like the
Michelle M, you can’t go out as
far from shore as the larger ves
sels. While they might be able
to weather a storm at sea, it is
almost impossible for them to
make any headway,” he added.
You might say that young Skip
per Corgatelli had his “oceanic
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baptism” at sea this past winter
when a severe blow caught them
in the Bumble Bay area. “The
Michelle M made it through 130
m.p.h. winds that all but capsized
her,” he said. “But not entirely
without damage,” he added as he
pointed out some broken timbers
he is repairing on the upper part
of the ship’s hull.
Skipper Corgatelli’s long-time
friend since schoolhood days here
in Kodiak is 26-year old Alfred
Torgramson, who is his crewman
aboard the Michelle M. Like Cor
gatelli, Torgramson is also the son
of a local pioneer family and be
gan fishing at an early age with
his father and uncles both here
and also in Bristol Bay. Torgram -
son’s younger brother, Jim, is
also a fisherman here.
Skipper Corgatelli has been suc
cessful in another important en
deavor also. He and his wife Vina
now have three potential crew
men in their three sons, Johnny,
4; Darrel, 2%; and Kevin, 10
months.
SAILING FROM SEATTLE
May 9, 1962 ✓
MS TANANA
Womens Bay, Kodiak,
Port Williams, Seldovia, Homer
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