'Bering Sea Gold' Season 9 Episode 2 Preview: Can Ken Kerr hold the lead after running into spud issues?
It was a solid start for Captain Kerr of Myrtle Irene in the opening episode of 'Bering Sea Gold' Season 9. The new "Mr Gold" entered the season confident that he could rake in 4,000 ounces, a record-creating haul in Nome. And he lived up to the statement too. By the end of the episode, the Myrtle Irene scooped out major chunks of cobble and the opening day saw them extract 124 ounces of gold, which adds up to $186,600. The most by any team at the start.
However, it does seem there is a technical issue that threatens the stall of his mining. Episode 2 sees Ken run into a speed bump with the Irene having trouble with the spud and a broken bottom cable. The Irene doesn't use anchors, instead, it makes use of two heavy spuds that are dropped to serve as a solid holder each time they locate a place with lots of gold. However, the shifting ocean floor sees one of the spuds stuck in new layers of deep mud turning the Myrtle into a sitting duck.
This will cost valuable time and gold for Kerr as he knows the competition will be stiffer this season. Skippers Kris Kelly and Emily Riedel have already begun their season with the latter getting off to a decent start. Kerr will also be wary that Shawn Pomrenke is working double-time to get his vessel, Christine Rose, out of bankruptcy and into the sea to make some gold and reclaim his title of "Mr Gold." The question is how quickly can Kerr manage to resolve the issue.
Fans will also be hoping to see Vernon Adkison open his account. He may have had a good outing, but that wasn't to say he had problems aplenty. The skipper had a hard time with his daughter, Elaine, and this time they are optimistic. "This is going to be our year," remarked Adkison during the season special just ahead of the premiere. "If anybody can get it, it's going to be us," seconded Elaine. It also seems they have made some upgrades to the Wild Ranger.
Only time will tell how things will pan out for Kerr and Adkison this season.
'Bering Sea Gold' airs Fridays, 8 pm ET on Discovery Channel.