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

Another great week

At this time of year, the sun sets usually when I am driving Shelikof Straight. Every night is different. It is one of my favorite drives. This last trip we had Dahl Porpoises playing along the bow for 20 minutes or so.

The skiff is a great way to get around. There is only one other place to go. Makes it easy, not a lot of options.

Below we are tied up to the Homer Public Harbor.

I hope everyone can see the panoramic photo I took of Shelikof Straight. This is the route we have been taking and will continue for a while now. It is a great gig.  And occasionally. I can share some photos.

A panoramic of the wheelhouse

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 

Going through the locks

We are almost out of here... I'm on the bow watching the line as the boat descends...

Here it is from my point of view:

And then we are out:

No problem!

We are now in Puget Sound heading north. 

Food, fuel and a lot of cargo!

It's been a crazy few days, but then getting the boat out of shipyard usually is. This is my fourth season but only second time in shipyard. People who know tell me it's always busy and challenging to finish up the work, clean up, load up and tie down in order to get out of shipyard. 

Speaking of loads, the boat is loaded up with all manner of supplies that we are delivering along the way - lumber, tar paper, an inflatable skiff, various pallets of stuff, crab pots and our own tendering equipment. We had many requests to haul even more - a trailer, a seine net and so on. Jeff finally had to say no... We don't mind helping out, but it was getting a bit ridiculous. When I look at the deck, I hear the intro to the Beverly Hillbillies, anyone else?

See Ty on the top left? He's been working hard, covered in shipyard grime for over 2 weeks, so he blends in. He cleans up pretty good though. 

Next steps: chain and tie everything down. Clean up some more and organize! Then through the locks.  

Luckily, I have all the groceries I need for the next several weeks. Many thanks to Staale, Nic and Siri for their help with supplies. It was only part of what they do to help us get underway. Too much to list here, but much appreciation for everything! 

My personal favorite new thing on the boat: a mini fridge for veggies. Fresh vegetables are precious and we try and bring as much as possible. It used to get squashed and crammed in with all the items in the fridge, but no more! Thanks to Nic, we have this awesome fridge. It's the little things that make a big difference, as the saying goes. 

The mini fridge of 2015. Yum... Stir fry tonight!

I have to go. Lots to do. More later. Aloha 

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

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

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

Still going...

We are headed out to Port Malmsbury in Chatham Strait. Ready for the opener tomorrow. Nice to be in town and nice to get out of town. Gives me a break from cooking and a chance to stock up on supplies. New idea for breakfast - stratas! Never heard of it let alone made one. But going to try. 

Jellyfish in Affleck Canal. Wow. Didn't jump in that day!

Checking in

We are waiting to offload. Lots of fish to process. After the last 2 day opener, virtually everyone headed back to town:

This was the view from the wheelhouse. Boat masts fill the skyline in Petersburg.  The world if commercial fishing is complicated and fascinating.  

Reading lots of great books:

Ocean Treasure by Johnson and Byers

What ship is that? A field guide to boats and ships

Alaska Inside Passage

As the Gurney Turns

And more but I can't get to them right now. Jeff is grabbing a quick nap before another late night. Since I can't go in the room without waking him, I will add to the list later. 

Pa is doing ok. We haven't found Sandy, his little dog yet, but Pa is in ABQ with my folks. Think he is enjoying the company!

Thanks for the photo Sarah. This made my day and it had been a hard day. Much love to our families... Be in touch soon  

Joanna

Melt down in Baranof

French toast and the breakfast from hell 

    Breakfast is my least favorite meal to cook. It usually involves getting up earlier than I would like in the morning. I am not a morning person and never have been. The guys usually have to wait a little too long before I actually feed them. In my own defense on the topic of timing, most of us need time to wake up and aren’t ready for a full breakfast until after our coffee or tea. The boys know, if they are hungry, there are plenty of breakfast snacks and I will deliver a hot meal … eventually. This morning I wanted to use fresh herbs from my little herb garden I bought in Petersburg. So I cut fresh rosemary and chives for the fried red potatoes. If only it had been that easy. I decide to complete the meal with sausage and French toast. Jeff had thawed out a nice, thick Texas toast and it is one of his favorites – freedom toast. I hope he enjoyed it, because I’m not making that mess again for a long time. For some reason, submerging bread in a thick, egg-custard concoction is incredibly tedious and not very appetizing to me. Sweet breakfasts make my stomach turn. I realize I may be reporting things that cooks are not supposed to openly admit, but I could care less today. I am not a real cook anyway, I am just pretending to be one for a very small, forgiving audience. 

     When things start going awry, it happens fast, there isn’t a lot of counter space or room to maneuver. Organization, timing, and having ingredients close at hand, but not too close because of the tight quarters is a delicate balance. While cooking, Ty came down for coffee and I handed him the box of 5 dozen eggs and asked him to please get them away from me before I threw them out of the galley. Not long after, Jeff came down to “get something” and I promptly shooed him out because there was not enough room in the galley for both of us. He retells it differently, of course, and it all sounds so dramatic. 

     After what seemed like an eternity of cursing, rushing, flipping, stirring, splattering grease everywhere, and using more dishes than I could count, I announced breakfast was ready and they could come down at their own risk. Then, I hastily went out on deck to my favorite hiding place, striping off my apron, earphones, fleece and burst into tears.

On our way again

We are leaving Petersburg for Amalga Bay, north of Auke Bay which is NW of Juneau. This is new territory for me and I'm excited to check it out. Beautiful sunny day in SE Alaska. Got my boots on and ready for work. 

During those rainy, cloudy days, I loke to make soups pr stews for us. I made pho twice and everyone enjoyed it. The beef stew was average, so if anyone can recommend a hearty recipe for the slow cooker, I'd  appreciate it. Jeff made his awesome Okinawa chicken tonight and I had a break from doing the entire meal. Spoiled the boys yesterday with biscuits and gravy, bacon, scrambled eggs with red potatoes and cheese. So this morning it was a yogurt Greek style with berries  and honey. 

Mornings like today are a great treat. Jeff and I got to walk to the coffee shop and wander around town. We walked back to the boat, and I had some time to spare. So I headed to the flower shop and book store for some quiet time. It was delightful. 

So happy.... Aloha. 

Gratitude.

I said it last year, and it bears repeating. It is a wonderful feeling to be thankful for all the blessings you have in your life at the time that you have them.

For all the blessings in my life, beginning tonight with my husband, I am grateful.