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