Ice bergs, waterfalls, seabirds, but no fish

Some of the best pictures of the last few weeks - All taken by Captain Jeff Rhodes

Salmon berries everywhere and a few blue berries

Valdez on a rainy day

Columbia Glacier icebergs in Columbia Bay

Iceberg with seabirds at the bottom.

The Wall in Valdez Narrows

The Wall, Valdez Narrows

Silver Dolphin at Gold Creek, Port Valdez, July 2016
Photo by Jeff Rhodes

Independence Day

Happy Independence Day! Our 4th of July has been busy and we arrived in Port Valdez late afternoon.

Here is a selection from some of our latest adventures. My favorite is the USCG the Healy.

USCG the Healy in Seward

We are finished transporting salmon and equipment to and from Larsen Bay and Homer. This is another photo of the 100+ year old cannery. 

Now the fishing has begun. And we are hauling fish from Prince William Sound to Seward for the time being.

There are sea otters in Resurrection Bay of course, but one was in the harbor, very busy.

This time of year is always difficult because we lost Nick 14 years ago on July 3, 2002. Some of my readers may not know about this tragedy, or may not think of it every Independence Day. Losing my big brother hurts all the time. 14 years seems like a long time, but it isn't - the pain doesn't go away. I miss the sound of his voice, especially his laugh. I miss knowing I could count on him if I needed help with anything, especially anything having to do with math or engineering. I know that just like my other 2 brothers, he would be there for me and support me. Most of the story can still be found on the internet:

http://abqjournal.com/news/metro/461753metro05-20-06.htm
http://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/484335metro08-16-06.htm

Another sunset. There is something infinite about sunrises and sunsets over the open ocean. I find it comforting.

May Nick's memory be eternal.

Happy Independence Day

Joanna

Hello again...

We are headed out of Seward. Go, go, go!

I only have a few minutes. It's been raining. For about 24 hours or more. Beautiful clouds. 

All is well. Lots of sea birds, whales and dolphins. The fishing has picked up too. We are managing with the three of us: Jeff, Ty and me. The guys do most of the heavy lifting, but I'm on deck more, shoveled out the tanks with Ty one all-nighter, didn't hit our bunk til 07:00. Also spraying the tanks down and generally doing more work on deck. My back is holding up pretty well. I try not to overdo it. The guys handle things that are too heavy to lift. Very much appreciated. 

I've got to go. We were in town for 5 hours and it's time to secure the galley and our stateroom because there is a roll outside of Resurrection Bay. 

Quick shout out to my niece, Alex - I love you beautiful. And I'm always right behind you 100%, without question or hesitation. Will see you in the fall. 

Joanna