Deadliest Catch: Jake Anderson's Biggest Piece Of Advice For Sophia 'Bob' Nielsen
Sophia "Bob" Nielsen may have only been 23 years old when she made her "Deadliest Catch" debut, but this third-generation fisher got a crash course in captaining thanks to series vet Jake Anderson, who helms the F/V Saga. "Deadliest Catch" Season 19 sees Anderson, who started as a greenhorn on Sig Hansen's F/V Northwestern, preparing Nielsen to captain her inherited F/V Victory, and ultimately continue her family's legacy.
Learning the technical ropes of how a vessel operates is vital, but he instilled an even more important lesson in Nielsen: don't give up. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Anderson said, "It just keeps one foot in front of the other, you know? That's the biggest piece of advice I've given her — never quit, no matter how tough it seems."
It appears that Nielsen has already implemented this advice. Years ago, she was informed by her brother Brett that she wouldn't succeed on a boat. Needless to say, it doesn't sound like that has stopped her: "I proved to myself and everybody else that I could do it."
Jake Anderson and Sophia 'Bob' Nielsen share similarities
For Sophia "Bob" Nielsen, it wasn't until her father passed away that she took a deeper interest in his line of work. She then began honing her skills on the water, which is how she was introduced to Jake Anderson. Quickly, he felt a sense of camaraderie with Nielsen.
He told Morning Blend St. Louis, "What attracted me to Bob was that she had a similar experience with her — we both lost a parent. She's lost both of her parents, and I always felt connected to that and understood how hard it was for me, especially trying to learn in such a cutthroat industry."
Therefore, it was never a question that Anderson would take Nielsen under his wing. However, he's not going easy on her. Just as Anderson wasn't coddled by Sig Hansen when learning the ropes as a greenhorn on the Northwestern, he's doing the same with Nielsen as she prepares to helm her family's F/V Victory. Nielsen told Fox News Digital that she's grateful for the tough — but supportive — love: "I was thrown up into the wheelhouse and I didn't know what I was doing ... He told me to never quit. And he told me how to adapt and to just keep on trying."