Speaking to People in a recent interview, the 60-year-old captain of the F/V Northwestern was asked whether retirement is coming sooner rather than later. “I keep hearing those rumors myself. The more I hear that, the more I kind of want to rebel and not do that,” Hansen said. “I don’t see retiring anytime soon.”
The Discovery Channel star said he wants to see his daughter, Captain Mandy Hansen, take on a bigger role in the future. “But she had her children, our grandchildren, so that didn’t happen right away,” he explained. “My son-in-law Clark [Pederson] has been stepping up more and more, and he’s perfectly capable. But for me, that’s still kind of an ego thing, and I don’t want to retire just yet.”
In the Season 21 finale last October, viewers watched as Hansen was rushed to the hospital after collapsing aboard the Northwestern. Hansen, who has previously suffered two heart attacks, met with a doctor, where he explained he’d been up for a day and a half and drinking around 15-20 cups of coffee. He also admitted he was still smoking.
The doctor encouraged Hansen to quit smoking and cut back on caffeine, and suggested it might be time for the fisherman to consider retirement.
While Hansen admitted the time to step away will eventually come, he told People that he can’t give it up just yet. “I know time is limited, so I want to keep doing it while I can,” he stated. “I think there’s a little ego involved. And I don’t want anybody knocking me off my throne just yet. I know there’s a line of people waiting, but I’m not ready for that.”
And even if Hansen does eventually step down as captain, he confessed that he’d never be able to keep away from the sea fully. “I don’t think I could ever fully retire. Even if someone else was running the boat, your mind is still active,” he said. “You’re thinking about the weather, where they’re at. You can never turn it off. I don’t think I’d respect myself if I could just walk away from it completely.”
Commented