June 29-July 4
Hi All,
We really liked Dutch Harbor…..I mean as it is portrayed in Deadliest Catch how could you not…..we could just imagine being chased by the ice field as we came into the docks:))) Unfortunately the Captain’s Bar called Latitudes had closed several years ago….we were looking forward to doing our best impression of the Deadliest Catch Captains, but not to be:(((( It is a town of about 4000 people, almost all connected to the fishing industry. The main town is Unalaska City while Dutch Harbor has the fishing fleet and processing plants. There are 7 fish processing plants and the air smells of cooked fish or maybe a crab pot boil….it is not bad at all and you get used to it after a while:))) And, big fat Bald Eagles everywhere….in fact the locals tell you to wear a hat….the Eagles have been known to swoop down for a quick bite….whoa!! We confirmed Dutch Harbor is the #1 town in all of USA for producing the largest tonnage of processed fish!!! But, is it sustainable….hmmm, perhaps, as they have been at this a long time and it is heavily regulated, but they have had some bad years recently and people were discussing many theories….overfished, cyclical, biological, pollution, global warming and of course, aliens:))) We learned a similar period happened in the early 80’s so who knows why the fish/crab stocks are down. I wish I could blame that on my miserable crab catching performance so far….all the fisherman told me dungeness crabs are out there…you just have to know their secret hiding places….oh, great….arghhhhh!!!!
Most of the town workers are foreigners….maybe >60%….hmmm…..Filipino, Mexican, Samoan….most work in the processing plants…..and of course, we met many fisherman….crabbers, salmon/cod fishing…..ALL were extremely nice, friendly and talkative….they all love it here and love their work!!!!
The first 3 days we did a little bit of tourist and got some errands done….made it to Safeway…..stocked with Jimmy Dean sausage, check, blue cheese salad dressing, check, ice cream….check, check…well, you get the idea….wonderful to be back with familiar brands and food items!!! We also restocked some of our rain gear…both my jackets had fallen apart so found a new one, so did Kathy!! We did make it to the Aleutian museum….a WOW….small but well done….documented the plight of the native Aleuts, especially the evacuation in WWII. Once again the US government did a great job of evacuating and saving most from the Japanese but then treated these people horribly in what was described as or own gulag….many deaths and just horrible treatment…..as one historian said, ever since the Russians started fur trading in the 1700’s, the white man has been motivated by greed and racism…..they treated the natives less than human…..ugh, an all too familiar historical story!!
We had closing ceremonies with Mark at the Grand Aleutian Hotel brunch….wow….all you can eat King crab legs, prawns and smoked salmon and halibut…..that was 2 plates….then the usual brunch affair…yummers!!!! It was sad to see Mark go….almost 5 weeks, 2500nm….wow…..what an adventure crossing the North Pacific/Bering Sea…..now, back to work John-boy!!!!
The next 2 days saw us madly doing cleaning and maintenance projects on Mystic….I completely washed Mystic and Kathy did the entire inside…yikes….we be too old for this crap….ugh!!! I did change the Cummins and GEN oil and checked all the zincs and tightened every hose clamp in the ER….several had come loose in all the motion the last few months!!! And, we restocked with provisions as well as the wine and beer stock….we are good to go for a while now:)))
Then it was play time again…4th of July Dutch Harbor style!!! First, on July 3rd at midnight fireworks over Iliuliuk Bay….yep, we left Mystic around 10:30pm….walked the 2+ miles to the rocky beach where all the locals had started maybe 20+ bonfires….old pallets courtesy of the town….we were invited to sit with a Samoan family…..very nice….fireworks started at 11:59 and lasted 20 min…..very impressive with some echo effect from the surrounding mountains!!!! And, it was somewhat clear with little wind….people told us often it is shooting fireworks into the clouds/fog….New Year’s is better….HA!!! Maybe not the most impressive firework show we have seen, but darn impressive!!! Then we made the 2 mile hike back and were in bed by 2am….yikes!!! Up and out by 10:30am for the 2 mile hike back into Unalaska town for festivities small town USA…..saw a hot dog eating contest….11 dogs won the event….wow…..then a parade of 15+ local floats/groups, then a rubber duckie race in the river, then a BBQ with various children games. We had a hamburger courtesy of the Unalska volunteer fire department….40 people and many go on to be full time in places like Seward or Kodiak!!
And that was it….7 nights of bliss…securely tied up to a pontoon, power and water….it was sooooo nice to take a break for a bit!!!
Weather: Much warmer now….55*F lows and low 60’s during the day….water temp 45-52*F!!!
The Plan: I’m actually writing this blog sitting in Bear Bay on the Alaskan Peninsula….not too far from King Cove….we left on Thursday, June 5th and did an overnighter to get here….I’ll blog about all that later!! We should be here for 3-4 nights as we need to wait out another big blow/storm starting tonight….ugh!!
Hope all is well!!
John
Mystic Moon
GO MYSTIC GO!!
PS: I did manage to post on the website the Russian pictures…that seems so long ago but was only about 4 weeks: http://mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/Petropavlovsk,-Russia
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–i
