BOAT OF THE MONTH
Coast River Business Journal
F/V South Bay
June 2021 • 10
Story & photos by Emily Lindblom
Coast River Business Journal • elindblom@crbizjournal.com
The South Bay carries barrels of whiskey from
Pilot House Distilling.
Next winter, Rob Seitz plans to use the South
Bay to catch Dungeness crab.
Name:
South Bay
Owner:
Rob Seitz
PORT OF ILWACO
From left, Rob Seitz, James Seitz and Joseph Maki pose for a photo on the South Bay.
Homeport:
Full Service Marina
Self-Service Boatyard
Astoria
Year:
1979
Length:
59.4 feet
Beam:
17.5 feet
Waterfront Walkway
Engine:
Retail Shops
Restaurants
Lodging
Fishing Charters
Cummins N14
Horsepower:
365
www.portofilwaco.com
Cruising speed:
7.5 knots
360-642-3143
Fuel capacity:
Fam
ily
4,000 gallons
Ow
ne
503-861-2791
60 SE 1 st St. • Warrenton
• Full teardown including;
head gaskets, studs, injectors, intakes
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Exhaust
W
CP3 Conversions
specia e
Engine Work
liz
Duram e in
Transmission Repair
a
Computer Diagnostics
work! x
Suspension Work
Brakes & A.C. Work
General repair on all makes & models
d
Use: The South Bay is a commercial
fi shing vessel that was built in 1979 in
Fields Landing, California. The boat
was used for fi shing out of Westport
and then Morro Bay, California to
trawl for spot prawns. Then the
Nature Conservancy purchased the
South Bay before deciding to put
the boat back to work. Rob Seitz, the
current owner, bought it and worked
in Morro Bay for several years before
moving back up to Oregon to fi sh for
pink shrimp.
“It’s a great fi shery,” Seitz said. “We
use excluding devices and LED lights
that have pretty much eliminated
bycatch.”
The South Bay is a fi shing vessel that trawls for pink shrimp.
Seitz and his wife, Tiff ani Seitz, also
opened up a restaurant in Astoria,
South Bay Wild Fish House, where
they serve local, sustainable seafood.
They sell their catch to Bornstein
Seafood and buy some of it back to
serve at the restaurant. Two of the
Seitz’s children work at the restaurant
while one, James Seitz, works on the
boat. The Seitzs also do their own
welding to repair and maintain the
South Bay at the Port of Astoria.
and Seitz treats the crew well.
Next winter, Seitz plans to use the
South Bay in the Dungeness crab
fi shery for the fi rst time.
“A year at sea will make it taste like
it’s a 30-year-old whiskey,” Seitz said.
Joseph Maki, a crew member, said
the South Bay is a great operation
“It’s a mom and pop operation,” Maki
said. “The owner/operator is here
with us, right in the trenches with us.”
The South Bay also carries whiskey
barrels from Pilot House Distilling
in Astoria. According to Seitz, the
constant motion of the boat on water
causes the sediments in the whiskey
to fl oat up and mix, and it absorbs
the essence of the salty air.
Once it’s done with its trips to sea,
the whiskey will be served at the
South Bay Wild Fish House.