Whitey's first fishing boat from 1950 in Seldovia, and when Ray started fishing with him (at 4-years old). 

Whitey's second fishing boat, from about 1960.  Whitey came from a small Idaho Mormon community before being orphaned. Somehow a few fisherman figured this out, and every time they saw him coming they would say "Here come them damn Mormons!" Classic Whitey humor -  he decided to name his boat accordingly (with his coffee in one hand). 

This vessel had gone on the rocks and sunk in shallow water in about 1972.  Ray was paid to go salvage machinery and engines - but instead he offered to buy it. He patched the hull, repaired the engines and drove it to Kodiak to put on the grid.  He then fished crab with it for a few years before selling it for a tidy profit.

1973: Unable to locate a picture at the moment, but here is Ray with the Tony Jones (Dreamboat Annie) and Chuck Olsen (Anahita) their crew and Chum (the golden retriever), with Ray's Cessna 180 spotter plane on deck.

There's a funny story that goes with this picture.  Chuck Olsen took this picture after loading his boat while Ray and crew were sleeping, and this photo was taken just as he told Ray a few moments later. That never happened again!

Went "dry" with the tide out in Alinchak Bay (mainland North of Kodiak), with son Doug standing next to it.  About 1980.

The fastest seiner in the world, launched in 1990 and powered by a Lycoming jet engine using his custom built waterjet.. The first couple years the mast would fold down for turbine air intake (later louvred the front). Pictured here in front of Seattle moving over 40 knots (about 50 mph).   

This was the "top boat" in the fleet that first few years, when diesel was cheap, herring was over $2,000/ton and when the ADFG opened large areas at once. IE: Spotter pilots found the school, and the first boat to get there, caught all the fish.  Doug was the "skiffman" for a few years when Ray was running it, but Doug was the captain for herring and salmon in 1995 - 1998 (after the jet engine was removed). This bought has now been widened and is called the Natalia, owned by Bruce Schactler.  

A floating processor adapted from an LCM-8, owned and rebuilt by both Ray and his son Doug (Doug was the captain in 1999 and 2000). This floating processor (with freezer storage instead of a fishhold), featured the patented TBRS total bone removal system pinbone removing fillet machine designed by Ray and his engineer team. 

Trying to start a processing company didn't pan out, so it was back to commerical fishin boats, with a completely steel new Liahona, in about 2005.

This is probably Ray's final boat, as he is just passing the 80-year mark (although he hasn't quite retired yet). This is a 58' seiner but with a bolted on stern extension bringing it to about 70 feet, to pack more as tender in Bristol Bay.  Ray spends June and July tendering with a crew of his grandkids, which he has been doing for almost over 10 years.

How has salmon seining changed since the 1950s?  Ray Wadsworth was there - enjoy this brief history!