Anchor’s Aweigh

or Leaving Port for the first charter since 2019!

At the moment I started writing this, I was at the helm, watching the Auto Pilot throw a fit trying to keep up with the vessel’s dramatic yawing in seas so calm they could be mistaken for glass and swells only 5’ high, as we rounded Gore Point on the way to Prince William Sound…#%*!…I’m back… it seems the last swell decided to throw a party with the drawer dishwasher, which I totally forgot to lock… it’s now locked and a disaster averted! However, don’t get too comfy, as the dips and rolls are here to stay for the foreseeable future. Gore Point is basically a celebrity rock sticking out into the Gulf of Alaska where the currents are screaming like they just lost a game show, rocks are warped like they’re in some culinary nightmare, and the seas are just slightly annoyed.

Meanwhile rolling the clock back to July 4th we, being Star, Katie, Carol Masters, I, and 11 scientist departed the Homer harbor for a 10 day research charter along the Katmai National Park coastal area. They conducted intertidal surveys, observed those Furry Buzzsaws known as Sea Otters which is title bestowed by the biologist on board that have done live captures, and been bitten in the process!  

The marine bird known as an Oyster Catcher was also an object of the project.  OC’s were counted, nest surveyed, and birds were netted for tagging and assessments.  The handle “Bird Brain”, is not one which denotes ones intelligence, however one male defied capture for two days causing us to ask who was smarter the biologist determined to net his prey or the bird?

A new aspect of the ongoing twenty year project was the use of an ROV to dive from 90’ to zero in the areas with otter concentrations.  Hours of video was recorded which will equate in months of office work analyzing each dive and food sources observed on the various bottoms encountered.  By far the most intriguing dive to watch was in Kaflia Bay on what we anticipated as a rocky bottom.   It was beautiful sand that would have enhance any beach and was covered by hundreds of sand dollars with sleeping Rays laying amongst the arrays of sand dollars.  It was incredible!  My nails have to a point returned to a normal look from the nail bitting requests to anchor at 90, 60, and 30 feet which in some areas would all be in one 80’ boat length!  Which meant the shore was closer than what would be considered a positive life experience for the blood pressure of the skipper!  It was my call but I wiggled Dream Catcher in as close to shore as was possible for them.   Once the ROV operators came up to the bridge to inform me it was only  8’ deep 50’ off the stern and I was anchored in 90’, we pulled anchor and moved a bit!

While the states languished in a heat wave we were in a deluge of precipitation that came down in buckets.  Being a bit wind driven as well the groups off vessel would return after a day in the field wet and cold as the rain had found access via the hood and front of every style of rain jacket.

We enjoyed 10 glorious days with the park scientist but were ready to return to Homer as we had a very small window to move to Prince William Sound for a group from EWT a group we had not chartered to before.

Prince William Sound was a blast with highlights of hikes, bubble feeding, incredible weather, and a great group.  The only issue was our time in PWS ended too soon.  

With 6 days to transit from PWS to Kukak we departed for Kodiak City to refuel and take on food.  For once we stopped every evening for the night.  No all night driving, almost…due to a recharge of refrigerant for the walk in unit we departed Kodiak late and I didn’t drop the hook or anchor until 4 AM in Kukak!  Long night!

Until the middle of September time will be spent with the bears in Katmai National Park.  We have 4 photo groups as well as one stupendous week with some friends that flew in to spend time with us early in August.  It will be almost a month and two weeks spent in the park!

I’ll keep posting photos of the summer.  Yes, they are almost all Star’s photos unless she is in them!