Fish!

Now that things have settled down after the season, I have more photos to share. The guys caught some amazing fish when we had the chance.

On this particular day, Ty's first cast brought up a yellow eye rockfish that was being eaten by the huge prehistoric looking ling cod that Ty is holding now (on the left.) Seriously, the little one took the bait, the ling cod grabbed the little one and Ty hauled them both on board. Luckily the ling cod didn't let go of his catch until he was over the rail. There were more yellow eyes and maybe a halibut. Good stuff!

It was a good season. More to come.
Joanna

Sun shines, season ends and so it goes

Before I left the sun came out for a few days! It was glorious! We ended up in View Cove walking through some mining and logging ruins. It was amazing to be on land without rain, but then to find the area covered with my favorite flowers - shasta daisies - it was a special treat.

Jeff and the crew are headed out west, to tender pollack near Dutch Harbor. Here he is exploring the ruins on Dall Island:

We take the skiff to shore, the water was crystal clear and it was a beautiful day. The Silver Dolphin is in the background.

Aloha! I am back in Hawaii, visiting with my parents here for a few days before they head back to the mainland. Then it's back to work and school for me.

Of course, here is Bootsie, purring and happy while simultaneously pushing away, ears back. It's her way of saying - I hate it but don't stop. She is not much of a snuggler, but I think she is happy I am home.

As I come across cool photos, I will post them. It was a long season and it is bittersweet to be home - good to be here, but sad to be home without Jeff.
Thanks for all the best wishes, and I know we are wishing Jeff a safe journey across the Gulf of Alaska.
Joanna

Off we go again

Back in July, when things were sunny and fun, Jeff took this photo before we started scrubbing the starboard side of the boat:

Joanna on the Silver Dolphin, July 2014

That seems like forever ago. The season has been long and the rain just adds to the dreariness on the boat. I have a whole new understanding of the words "cabin fever."

However, the season is not over yet, so I have done the grocery shopping, the laundry, cleaned the galley and started to secure things for another long trip. We are headed south, to a place called Cordova Bay near Dall Island and Prince of Wales Island. Never been there before, but it will take about 10 or more hours to get there. More beautiful places to see in SE Alaska, hopefully with less rain.

We had a few breaks in the clouds and put the skiff in the water. This was our trip up a river on Prince of Wales Island. Turns out it's one of the largest islands in the US, coming in at #4 in terms of area. More little details here on Hot Greasy Mess. We were looking for bears, but only found a few deer and saw lots of salmon jumping.

As far as creativity in the galley, I have cooked a rib roast, several quiches, cheeseburger pie, breakfasts of varying types, fish tacos, thrown together salads, sandwiches and snacks. Whenever I run out of ideas, I cook up some ground beef for taco meat and that is always a hit. The guys make their own burritos and everybody is happy. I can always count on Jeff to cook up some good things on the BBQ. We had some juicy steaks last night and then steak and eggs with hash browns today. Of course, there was a lot going on since it is our only day in town, so I end up cooking in shifts. Not the easiest or most efficient way to do things, but every one gets fed and that is part of my job. Just doing my job. So, back to it. We are leaving in a little while. They are almost finished offloading our fish. Time to go.

Aloha,

Joanna

Rain

RAIN. RAIN. RAIN. And then more rain. 

There isn’t much else to report. We have had a few partly cloudy days. The afternoon, we pumped 10,000 gallons of fuel it wasn’t raining. Which was nice because the greenhorns (me and Matt) have to stay at each hose and monitor them for the duration. We have literally spent as few as 4-6 hours in Petersburg before heading back out. Enough time to off load our fish, while I race through the grocery store and back to the boat. Once on board, we  toss our lines and off we go.

Since my last post, we have put some serious miles in. We were lucky enough to go to Sitka and have a day to walk around town. Jeff and I made it to the Sitka Raptor Center. Where they rehabilitate injured eagles, owls and all types of birds of prey. Of course, we had to check out Jeff’s wingspan (see photo).

The harbor in Sitka is a maze, as I discovered while exploring. I found this ocean tug called the Thunderbird with a cat on board. When I approached, I expected the cat to duck inside, but she came right up to me and wanted some attention. I scratched her neck and she followed me from one scupper to another. Old cat on an old boat.

Cooking? Yes, still 2 hot meals a day. I found a nice potato and egg recipe that is easy to bake in the oven. Now we have access to some of the best fish in the world, so I have been experimenting with ways to cook salmon, rockfish and halibut. I think I accidentally made something that seemed like a buerre blanc. Not sure exactly, but everyone enjoyed it.

Wildlife? The guys saw a couple of bears feeding on salmon in waterfall cove. We watched a family of sea otters playing in the same area as well as bald eagles and other seabirds. Humpback whales have been everywhere.

The fishing is slow, and we don't know how much longer the season will last. The rain is flat out depressing. Other than that, there is not much more I can say.

Joanna

Fish for dinner? Oh yeah.

We have been enjoying some delicious fish for dinner. The leftovers from salmon end up in the next morning's quiche (big hit) or on a bed of lettuce for lunch. Otherwise, I have been trying new recipes when I can. Here is a strata with ham and asparagus I made the other day:

I think everyone enjoyed it, but it's not one of my favorites. I will keep trying the stratas because I can make them the night before and refrigerate overnight. Since I am not a morning person, this makes for more pleasant mornings for everyone. I have a recipe for salmon strata that I may try next.

The fishing is still slow and everyone is hoping it picks up and fast. We are headed to Slokum Arm last I heard. That is a good trek from here, about 15 hours through Peril Straight and Serguis Narrows. The tides rip through there at an alarming rate - as high as 9 knots sometimes. It's skinny and shallow so the timing is key. Jeff tells me we have to go through there at 04:00. It's going to be a long night. But we had a nice evening last night - enjoying dinner off of the boat with friends in Petersburg. Thank you Cindy for another fun night of badminton, giant bubbles, and good company around the fire pit.

Quick photo of Jeff and I out on deck recently. The days and nights blur together. We have no sense of the days of the week, only whether or not the seiners are fishing or not. And then we drive and wait, wait and drive.

Lastly, Bootsie is finally home from the Cozy Cat Lodge. Keysa rescued her the other day and it's good to know they are both home enjoying themselves. Look at these happy faces:

Thank you Keysa! You are such a good friend to us and we always want you to know how much we appreciate you and all you do. 

Our best to everyone. Will write again when I can.

Joanna

We are off!

Its been slow... Not much fishing going on. We have been tied to the dock for 4 days and finally heading out. We had time to make some repairs, visit with friends and get some sleep.

 Looks like our destination is Noyes island. I have never been there before. Here's Jeff, ready to go:

Met some people up here from Kailua! That was a surprise. Suns out. Beautiful day. We are off! 

Go suck fish....

We have been working for about 3 weeks and it's been an adventure. Still, things are going on at home and luckily we have a small army of people looking after the house and the cat, Bootsie. My brother John and his wife Alaura were on duty, when Bootsie had to be boarded at the Cozy Cat Lodge for a few weeks. After many conversations about  this new arrangement and reviewing the logistics of getting her there, I was lamenting at the fact that I didn't leave anything that smells like us to comfort her during her first trip away from home... My brother, in his succinct and witty way texted:

"Go suck fish. The cat is fine..."

I roared laughing. I called him up and we kept laughing. My cheeks were hurting I laughed so hard at how silly I was with angst over the cat. Thanks John, for being you and helping me laugh when I am too much "me." Now, my new "back to reality" catch phrase is "go suck fish." It works and I get back to work and try to remember to laugh more.

This is my current view. I love my job. Even when it's not going that great. Or, I'm tired. Or the men are excessively boyish and my patience is gone. Even with all of these factors - this is the best paid adventure ever and I get to enjoy it with my husband.

We are heading out of Valdez. Don't know where we are going next... and it doesn't even matter because it is time to go suck fish and the cat is fine.

Adios! 

Joanna

Go Go Go

We have been going non-stop. So far we have been to:

• Larson Bay, 
• Homer, 
• Seward and 
• Up into Prince William Sound. 

This was the sunset/sunrise on one of my wheel watches. We have had some glitches, but continue to work through any problems that come up. Boats are a ton of work to put it mildly. Weather has been beautiful and the scenery can't be beat.
Joanna

Cooking and more

It has been an uneventful start to the season. We are running freight right now. You know the big containers that go on trucks? We are putting them on the boat and running to and from Homer and Larson Bay which is on Kodiak Island. It's about 14 hours each way. We are running fresh catch that gets loaded on to a truck, then flown to market. Amazing to see how many industries, people and steps it takes to get the fresh catch on the chefs special.

The cooking is easier. The photo is of a chicken pot pie that the boys raved about. That was a definite repeat. It seems whenever I put something in a pie crust, it's a big hit. Made a quiche, the first of the season and they wolfed it down. Other hits - pulled pork, steak fajitas, fried rice, French toast made from croissants and a chicken veggie bake. 

I'm low on supplies now so it's hard to scratch anything together that requires fresh ingredients. I try and use lots of dark leafy greens and fresh produce when I can. Needless to say a big salad usually is met with disappointing looks and I have to make something else to go with it. But they love Keysa's guacamole recipe. When I can find avocados. 

Improving as a deckhand is a challenge. The hawser lines are heavy and unwieldy. When I throw the heaving line, I have a 50/50 chance of getting it where I want it to go. I must improve this statistic right away, not only because it's important but it's mortifying when it doesn't work.  Most of my body hurts. But this will pass the longer I am on the boat. I'm still a greenhorn but now I've been around enough to see my mistakes faster and hopefully fix it before the teasing begins. Yes Joanna, put the PLUG IN THE SKIFF before it's lowered it into the water. Ty and Jeff see my mistake in this particular instance and I hear all kinds of jabs as they raise the skiff back on deck, drain it, watch me put the plug in and now we are ready to launch - for real this time. What a greenhorn move. The teasing is all in good fun and I certainly had it coming. So compared to being a deckhand, the cooking is easy. 

Hopefully I can post some more videos and photos. If anyone wants the chicken pot pie recipe I will send it along. 

Aloha, 

Joanna

2014 season about to begin

One of my favorite parts of the beginning of a new season is the train ride from Anchorage to Seward. I love trains. And this ride cannot be beat. It is beautiful and breathtaking. Our last few moments before the work begins in ernest.

More updates later. 

Joanna

Perspective

Jeff is fishing out of Dutch Harbor for a few months, and I am home waiting for him to get back. I'm thinking about him virtually all the time, and it occurs to me how different our views are right now. What I am looking out over is so drastically different from what he is experiencing at work. As always, photos say it most clearly - here is my current view:

 The following picture is from last year's trawling season. Notice the partly cloudy skies and flat water.


This photo does NOT give an accurate picture of what they are out in right now.  From what I gather, it's cold, blowing hard and raining/snowing in choppy, 9-10 ft seas.

I watch the weather and the marine traffic. It's comforting to know where he is approximately and what the weather is like, again all approximations. He keeps me updated when he can, but communication is sporadic.  It's going to be a while before he gets home. Of course, I miss him like crazy.