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

Mahalo!

We are finished for the season! I have lots of photos and fun facts to weave into my writing, but first there is a ton to do before we cross the Gulf of Alaska again. For now, I had a chance last week to spend some time on solid ground - hiking with Cindy on this a beautiful day.

Surrounded by Muskeg, we relax and laugh about the season.

Good times in Petersburg!

Aloha,

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

Salmon wrapping up... next season starting

It has been a dramatic 24 hours. We went from wrapping up and getting ready to head back to Hawaii as earlier as next week to starting a new contract in a few days that may take us into the first week of October.  This has taken some scrambling to figure out, but I am happy to report that we will continue working!

As soon as they release us from salmon tendering, we are going to drive the Silver Dolphin to Dutch Harbor and tender pollack.  This is essentially the same work, but with some key differences. We will be working out of Dutch and may encounter slightly larger seas and cooler weather. Don't worry, this is nothing like winter fishing out of Dutch, that is way out of this greenhorn's league. We will also be a 3 person crew, so my duties on deck will increase and I will still do the cooking and help with the distance driving. Looking forward to throwing heaving lines, tying up boats and getting dirty! I am sure I will want to eat those words on cold rainy days, but for now, its got me excited for this next adventure.

It's strange how things work, because I was getting excited to get back home, settle into our new place, and spend some quality time with our cat and friends. Looking forward to driving a car again, walking the beach and playing tennis.  But, that will need to wait a bit longer because we are blessed with work.  This is something I learned from my Yia Yia, my father and then the recession brought home in sharp relief - work is a blessing, when you have it, don't you dare take it for granted! Instead, work your ass off. If you are having a hard time, shut up and work harder. Alaska is no place for whiners, although I have encountered a few. I will do my best to live up to the standards set by my grandparents as my parents have, and do a good job for my Skipper.

More to come and thanks for checking out my blog. Hot Greasy Mess is a fun way to stay in touch and share little pieces of this amazing experience. Connectivity limits what I can post, but sometimes YouTube is a good place to check out my videos.

All our best to everyone!
Joanna

Crossed the gulf again

All went well. Working out of Petersburg now. Enjoyed Baranof Warm Springs yesterday - amazing!