When taking into consideration Mike Fourtner's time spent on the water, it's understandable why he wanted to take a step back from crab fishing. In an interview with Lewis Talk, he revealed that, from 1998 to 2013, 10 months out of each year were spent fishing. When his wife became pregnant with twin girls, it was no longer sustainable for Fourtner to be away for so long. However, he didn't stray too far from his passion.
The year after he left behind the F/V Time Bandit, Fourtner landed a job with Cummins Sales and Service, which sells marine equipment across the west coast and, much to his excitement, his old stomping grounds of Alaska. "I work with the same people, just on a different side of the fence," he said. "I love it."
Fourtner has since transitioned to general contracting, which allows him to use his experience on the Time Bandit as a ship engineer in a fresh capacity. In this role, he can also spend more time at home in Washington with his wife and daughters, who he said are into sports and being active.
