Kris Salvages the Season | Bering Sea Gold | Discovery

Reaper Nation Pushes Forward Despite Challenges

November 2024

As the final days of the gold mining season approach, Captain Chris and his team are determined to finish strong, even with some challenges along the way.

“Okay, let’s get started, everybody,” Chris called out, rallying his crew. “I hate having to look in my Sluice Box and hope I’m catching gold. That makes me feel violent!” The team had been facing a tough season, and the frustration was mounting.

Reaper Nation had been struggling with equipment issues. “Reaper Nation’s been singing the ‘Loose Loose Blues’ this season,” Chris said with a sigh. “I need you guys to really take care of this girl.” The ‘girl’ in question was their Sluice Box—a critical piece of equipment for collecting gold—but it had been more of a problem than a solution.

But Captain Chris wasn’t ready to give up yet. “For the final days, I’m bringing out a new Sluice Box to maximize gold collection,” he announced, setting the tone for what was to come. However, the reality was not what they had hoped. “It’s not the new Sluice; it’s the old piece of equipment we had to bring back because the new one didn’t work.”

“Thank you, Chris, not a new Sluice Box after all,” one of the crew members remarked with a chuckle. “It’s just a new old Sluice, which they valiantly tried to fix up for the final few days.”

Despite the setbacks, Chris urged the team to handle the situation carefully. “Be careful with the 2×4, I already broke one,” he warned, emphasizing the importance of the repairs.

“We’ve been on great gold this season, but our Sluice Box situation has been a disaster,” Chris explained, shaking his head. “The first one leaked out the front, turned it up, turned it down. So, we replaced it with the coffin Sluice we used a couple of seasons ago.”

Unfortunately, even the coffin Sluice didn’t hold up. “We’re leaking gold out of the box. That’s kind of a big problem,” Chris admitted. In an attempt to salvage the situation, they brought back the original Sluice. “Today, we’re bringing back the one we started off with. We did the best job we could patching it up after working through the night. We’ve got a plan to get the best gold we’ve gotten all season.”

Despite the equipment challenges, Chris remained hopeful. “Now that we’re in the deeper water, we’re just going to keep finding better gold. The general rule is, the deeper you go, the better the gold is.” With renewed determination, he added, “So we’re going deeper, and if the Sluice isn’t 100%, I still think we’re going to crush it.”

[Music]

As the crew dived deeper into the water, the tension was palpable. “Okay, good luck, buddy,” Chris called as the team began their work.

“Check, check… yeah, I can hear you up,” came the response from one of the divers.

“Hey, are you on cobble? How deep is the overburden?” Chris asked, anxious for an update. “Some of the overburden is six inches. I’m just ripping through it now,” came the reply.

“Do you see any gold in the cobble?” Chris pressed.

“I just landed—come on, gold!” the diver said with excitement. “Yeah, baby, I knew to send you down there! How you doing?”

“That’s amazing!” Chris cheered. “Did I tell you gold is at an all-time high? Thank God—that is awesome. Good job, buddy. We’re going to make some money today.”

The crew was on a roll. “Come on, five! Come on, five! Five! Six! Seven! Eight!” the diver called out. “We packed eight—8.1 ounces! That’s not too bad.”

8.1 ounces of gold was worth a solid $19,000—a big win for Reaper Nation. “One of Reaper Nation’s best halls of the season, despite the less-than-ideal Sluice,” Chris noted, reflecting on the success.

Still, the challenges of the season weren’t forgotten. “I don’t want to talk about losing gold,” Chris said, frustration creeping back in. “All we can do right now is just get out there, push hard, and hope to God everything goes good for us.”

As the team looked to the future, the stakes were clear. “If we would have gotten numbers like this all season, we’d be on easy street,” Chris added. “But it’s really late now, so we need one last big number. It’s tough, but I think we still have a chance.”