This is a little weird. I am trying to catch up on my blog and all this stuff feels like it happened ten years ago. Excuse the lack of editing going into this.  I am now in Dutch Hbr on the return trip . Roughly 3000 miles into the trip with 1500 more to go. Now a disjointed journey back into time.


Big

Today we are officially in the Aleutian Islands. We are about eleven hundred miles into our trip. The thing that has really impressed me since Kodiak Island is the scale of things.

Everything is big. The seas and swells are big, the distances are big, islands and mountains are big. The passages are big and long. So far all the boats we have seen are big. In fact they make the seventy five foot Lindy look small.

We have just left Sanak Island and are heading across Unimak Pass towards Akutan Island. We are rolling in seven foot swells and will continue to roll and bash into it for the next twelve hours or so.

Prevailing winds range from SW to NW so it looks like we will have the wind on the nose for the next thousand miles or so.

Our course today is taking us WSW.

If there are any queasy stomachs out there, today will take its toll.

Forecast is for W 20 knots, 7 ft seas for the next four days or so.

Officially in the Aleutians

2014-07-23

I guess we have been in the Aleutians Proper for two days. Day before yesterday we went out to an anchorage on Sanak Island. North of us is False Pass which is the first entrance to the Bering Sea.

Yesterday we did a long crossing to the Krenitzin Island group. Along the way we crossed the Southern portion of the Unimak Strait. We were heading straight into a 20 knot West wind with seas between 7 and 10 feet. It was a slow rough go. As we approached the traffic lane we found ourselves on a collision course with four large freighters.

 I guess a lot of traffic to China Japan and Russia passes through this Strait on their great circle route.

With the help of gps and radar we made it into an anchorage on the NE tip of Tilgada Island. The place was a bit of a rock pile and we were woken by a North wind and swell coming into the anchorage.

From there it was a short jaunt over to Trident Cove.

There was a 30-35 knot breeze blowing through the anchorage. A research vessel called the Tigax anchored near us.

The crew came for a visit in the morning and we got a lot of information about the trip out to the end of the chain.

With the influence of the Bering Sea things are a changing. The sea water temp has changed from 53 degrees F to 45 degrees F. The air temperature has changed as a result. Fog is becoming more common place.

2014-07-27

The local wisdom is “The Bering Side of the Aleutians is where you want to be” After a storm the seas lay down the next day whereas on the Pacific the big swells and chaotic chop may continue for several days. All the native villages are situated on the Bering side. That may have more to do with food than weather.  We have met up with Orrie and the other boat called Lindy. I think the rough plan is to travel together down the chain.

Today we left Dutch Hbr and are slowly travelling down to Chernowski and then back to Dutch. We have to kill time until our crew change on August 1^st.

Chernofski Kap and pics kashega pics

2014-07-31

Just about back in Dutch Harbour. Tomorrow we drop off Suki and Linda and start the next 700 mile leg to Attu Island.

 Plans change by the day but the latest is that we blast straight for Attu, while the weather is calm and while we are socked in with fog. Then we cruise slowly back. Like I say, on this boat, plans are made to be broken.

Orries boat in fog pic

The Bering Sea is flat calm. All the Fulmars, Shearwaters and Albatrosses are just sitting on the water waiting for the wind. We have been seeing big flocks of Phalaropes. The ones I have identified are Red Phalaropes.

2014-08-01

After we dropped off Linda and Suki, we left Dutch Harbour to return to Chernofski where we tied up to Orrie’s boat. The next day we motored over to Unmak Island and anchored in George’s Bight. Not a great anchorage and the wind was ripping down off the volcano.

 Bill went off four wheeling with Orrie. I did catch a thirty pound halibut off the back of the boat.