THE SUNDANCE LOG

06/2011 ALASKA

                It was a herendous trip up from the deep south with a weekend stop over in New Mexico to attend my son’s wedding. He married a beautiful woman that has a great family. The whole wedding experience was a wonderful thing. The New Mexico mountains were a perfect backdrop for a spectacular service.

                I arrived alone in Anchorage airport  at 11:00 pm Alaska time which is 4 hours earlier than Florida and 2 hours  earlier than my departure point in Phoenix Arizona. The sun is still up, oooooo the land of perpetusal sunlight in the summer. The temperature also went down a quick 60 degrees. Brrrrr is what I felt as I stood on the platform awaiting my shuttle bus to the motel for the 12.5 hour layover. I was tired, excited and emotionally played out all at the same time.

I already missed my lovely wife and my pretty dog.

After a few hours of sleep I’m up and milling around the motel room. It’s time to setup some communications. I start playing with the Skype program and get engrossed to a point that I’m making training  video’s and jotting down notes for my wife and mother-in-law.

Before you know it it’s time to head back out to the airport for the flight to Sand Point. My gear is finally in order and packed nice so the trip to the airport is a breeze. Getting checked in is a trip. I stood in line at the Alaska Airlines check in for 15 minutes only to be told that I was at the wrong gate, Penn-Air handles the Island flights for us I was told. Where is that gate? I ask. The response is not what I want. Over on the other side of the airport down on the tarmac level is where you need to be.  Arrrghhh the driver had me there originally but decided to take me back up to the main airport gates because we didn’t see any Alaska airline gates. So off I go a runnin. Along the way I had to stop and take a pic of a stuffed bear and caribou.  I get checked in and the signs seem to take me in a circle back out past the security gate and around. Huh I kept thinking, I don’t want to miss another flight as I missed two flights already on this trip. Then there it was, L gates and Penn Air. Checked in and was told the plane would be leaving shortly so I sat right down there to wait.

The flight had one stop in King Salmon for fuel and off to Sand Point. The plane was a shiny Saab Turbo prop and pretty smooth. All thru the flight I was snapping pictures out the window because the scenery was so cool. At least while we were below the cloud cover. The farther out we got the more clouds there were. We descended to Sand point and burst out of the clouds about 150 feet off the ground. Nice flyin fella’s but I was the only one that clapped. I guess everybody wasn’t as happy as I was to be there.  The plane almost took off with one of my bags and Rick’s camera that I was taking to the boat for him. A pretty blond counter girl at the airport flagged down the plane and got my stuff. Right on!

I hooked up with Jesus the driver for Trident Seafood who was to be my taxi driver All day I drove around with him and hung out as my boat, the M/V Sundance was out fishing. Supposedly I was to catch a tender and go out to the boat. Jesus was a wealth of information and after talking to Mark, the owner/skipper on the boat I was to purchase my Alaska commercial fishing license. That turned out to be a little more difficult than I had expected.  The license was $200. And my wife’s American  Express card was not working. Oops I guess I was a little too heavy with it on the way up. Finally I got Mark to put a gift card on his Trident Seafood account. License paid for and $100 bucks to spend in the Trident sea store. Got me some chapstick, a pair of boots and a bottle of water, All I had was sneakers and it was raining and muddy outside. I communicated with the boat again and a tender wasn’t scheduled to the next morning. Jesus suggested the Anchor Inn which was walking distance from the docks and had a little bar. I rented a room  had a cheeseburger, a shot of some killer vodka and two Heineken lights and and off to bed I went. I had 75 cents left and no working credit cards.

After a 9 hour rest I was up and the sun was out again. There is only 4 hours of somewhat dusk at night. There was a different  girl cleaning the bar so I went in with my netbook to hook up to the internet and take care of business.  About half way thru I thought I saw Jesus in his white Trident van. I ran out but it wasn’t him. Now the internet was down. I packed up my stuff and went back to the room. I put all my valuables in my computer bag and my carry on. Strapped them babies on and went for a walk. Up the hill to the post office and the ACE store. Nothing at the post office and the lady informed me that I had to have the key to pick anything up. At the Ace store my Amex card still will not pop out any money in the ATM, huh? Then I hiked back down the hill and stopped at the town hall and met the town clerk. Very nice girl about 25 or so 5’10” dressed in typical wool and boots. Asked about work for my wifie the RN so she took down my contact info and said she would get with me if there was anything. She also said to contact the clinic with the info.  Down the hill toward my room and Trident Seafood I went. Now it was raining and the road was pretty muddy but on the side was a sidewalk made of wood with treads. Pretty clever I thought. Everything was a dismal grey and the clouds were hanging right on the peaks of Popov Island the home of Sand Point and Trident Seafood. Along comes Jesus with a couple guys so I jump in his van for a little ride around the island.  Not much to it. Some giant white wind generators loom high in the sky but they are not turning at all. Jesus tells me they look good, been there for a couple years but he thinks the power company is still working on them. He has a round face with dark dark eyes and curly  hair sticking out of his watch cap and always has a smile on his face. We talk about all kinds of things, women, food, guns, knives, whatever. He’s the kind of jolly guy that loves to talk about everything. He constantly has a high pitched giggle after everything he says or you say. Life is just funny for him. He’s a native of the high mountains  in Chili. Huh they told me he was Mexican. Anyway he can’t remember how he got here exactly but he’s been with Trident for 16 years. He is actually the waste warehouse manager and also the general run around guy.

I spoke with the boat again and they wanted me to check the prices and dates on the milk at the ace store and check with Trident to see if the new nets were in. Jesus volunteered to run me around, he had to go toi the airport and post office anyway. Along the way I borrowed this girls phone to call Maggie my loverly wife. The phone was Alaska wireless and she had the unlimited plan. Great. Mags is still upset about the whole ordeal but I try to calm her down. Kiss the dog for me honey! When I was telling the boat the prices and stuff they told me they would be at the fuel dock at around 1:30. Good deal.

The two Alaskan guys running the fuel dock had rock and roll blasting at about 3 million decibels. Very cool. When they turned it down I asked if I could stash my gear in their office for a little while till the Sundance came in. A ok as long as there were no explosives. We got talking, they have a band and are looking for a drummer. Score. They even have a drum set back at their house so we make a date to hook up and jam when the boat comes in. I’ve always been a drummer and can fake it with the best of em.

The Sundance arrived right on time. Aboard were Mark, Larry, Nate and Tyler. I knew Tyler already as he was Ricks son. He’s about 6 ft now. When I first met him he was 5 years old. Man time goes by. I got all my gear onboard and helped with the water and garbage. Off the fuel dock we went and around the corner to the main  dock. Mark was handling the boat with Larry coaching him. He did a fine job, nice and easy. Over at the main dock it was a piece of cake as the wind blew us right in.

After the boys did their errands and Larry swapped out for his brother Mike, we pulled off the dock. Mark had me at the wheel already, far out I thought. It was a piece of cake as we sprung out with a stern quarter springer line and put the bow directly in the wind, throttle up and we’re off. Good to be back I The Sundance is really a beautiful boat with a midships wheel house, stern galley, 3 generators, 350, 3406 caterpiller, 10,000 pound crane on the bow and a high rise bow. Nice.

I was to be the steward also at first. The galley was mine! It took a few days to get used to it and I had signs all over so I could remember stuff. The first few days I was sicker than hell. I must have caught something on the plane or airport or the trip just drained me. Every day when I spoke to Maggie she was bitcin and moanin so that didn’t make anything better. I love her though. She is my soulmate.

I miss my wife and dog, in that order.

I came out of it in about 4-5  days aqnd was my old self again. Talking too much, singing and just generally being loud. These guys are all so quiet. I had no music in the galley so it started to get monotonous. They wouldn’t let me go out in the skiff because the fishing was slow and the weather was bad. We had 40 – 50 knot winds for a few days, then some 30’s and it finally calmed down.  We are fishing in San Diego Bay with Larry and Mike. They are the permit holders Alakan Native’s,  They are using set nets to catch the salmon. One end of the net is attached to a rock or the beach and it stretches out about 600-700 ft and then makes a hook for about 100 feet. The salmon just get plugged in the net. They  tend the nets all day (20 hours of light) with 2 aluminum skiffs with outboard motors. On the second week I got a ride out to the nets in the skiff and picked one fish. It was really nice out. Then the next day the sockeye salmon came through for a run and I was put to work. We picked 12,000 pounds of salmon out of the nets. Man that was backbreaking work. Mark said that was the only time I would have to go out picking the nets. Only when the fish are there, the rest of the time the boys would pick. Thank god! It was pretty interesting though. Sockeye and King Salmon is what we wanted. There are also chum and pink salmon but they don’t bring as much money.

I got the galley down now and was making cookies and brownies every day and even baking bread successfully. Maggie had taught me well. All in all it’s a great experience, something new and different. We are going to continue fishing for a little bit then start prospecting for the GO9D. I have seen it! Its here and we will get it! The new gold rush. We will be dredging in 5 to 30 feet of water.  I can’t wait. I will be the divemaster on the dredge. That’s what I’m really here for. Gold rush baby!~

After 2 weeks we are back in port. The salmon season is closed for a couple days so I will reprovision and the boys will be working on the nets. Time to get an internet connection!

Back at the Anchor Inn again. Arrrrghhhh