NEWPORT, Ore. - Jim Peterson, a 61-year-old fisherman, was 80 miles off the coast of Newport last week when the reverse gear seized up on him. After some frustration, Peterson managed to get the boat to shift into reverse. But only reverse.
Far from his home port of Coos Bay, Peterson and the deckhand, Jeremy Welsh, considered their options - Wait hours for a Coast Guard tow, wait for help from other fishermen or drive the boat all the way back in reverse.
Peterson wasn't waiting.
"It was odd, watching the wake roll out the front windows; like watching a movie in reverse," Peterson told The Register-Guard of Eugene.
Stranger still was trying to steer the 38-foot Alice M., a 60-year-old wooden troller. It was sort of like backing up a truck towing a trailer - with some extra motion underneath.
"It can go in reverse, but the rudder isn't made for it," said Welsh, 34. "You go in a direction for 15 minutes, then you'd have to stop, zigzag around and correct yourself. You couldn't really steer while you're driving, you'd have to position the boat in the direction you wanted. It was an ordeal."
A 39-hour ordeal, to be precise. The boat goes only about seven nautical miles an hour at full, forward speed.
Those are some stubborn men. 
