Saturday 27 May 2017, week 2: Buldir Island If there’s one thing I learned from last summer, it’s that I love riding the Tiglax so far west that it becomes east. Unlike everyone else on board, I hope for headwinds and troughs to slow down our progress and rock the boat. Because my love of boat time is common knowledge, I surprised everyone – the ship’s crew, Kevin and McKenzie,…
Thursday 18 May 2017, week 1: at sea in Unimak Pass, 9:05 (through 20 May 2017 as we enter Dutch Harbor in the evening) Riding a ship down the Aleutian chain is not for those who don’t know how to sit still. This year’s cruise west features only a few stops on random islands compared to last year, so in our first 4 full days at sea we’ve only stopped…
Saturday 13 May 2017, end of weeks 0a / 0b in Homer: too late… it’s really Sunday Can someone please explain what’s wrong with me? At the beginning of the month I left the above Mexican Alaskan set-up, my neighboring puppies, and the chance for a real summer of hammock time, biking, and friends for another season of fieldwork in the Aleutians. I believe there comes a time in every…
Thursday 1September 2016, week 16: R/V Tiglax, AK time 14:40 Here I am on day 4 at sea, wondering when we’re going to meet some weather. The ship’s not rocking enough; I want to be stumbling around the boat! After spending a couple days between Gareloi and Tanaga watching for orcas with some whale biologists, the ship once again belongs to Buldirians. We stopped in Adak to drop off the…
Thursday 25 August 2016, week 15: Buldir Island, 19:10 Time is rapidly flying by, and mere days are left before we Buldirians leave our summer home. I keep looking for ways to delay our return to society, with the only possible winner being a mega storm that means the Tiglax can’t pick us up on time. Unfortunately our current forecast for Friday through Monday calls for variable 10 knot winds…
Thursday 11 August 2016, week 13: Buldir Island, 20:15 “Should we have halibut or cod for dinner?” Those words from McKenzie indicated Christmas had arrived for us Buldirians. On Tuesday the Tiglax returned to the remote waters of the western Aleutians for our resupply: our one day to receive packages, wash and dry laundry in machines, and shower with a normal water supply. While the weather has been rather unBuldir-like…
Sunday, 29 May 2016, morning It’s 6:45 in the morning, and the sky is only a shade above inky dark as I gaze out the galley window of the R/V Tiglax. Surely we can’t be in Alaska, Land of the Midnight Sun. That’s where – in my typical Alaska – the sun starts rising by 3:30, providing full daylight well before this time. Where are we? 52º 19′ 750” N…
I’m on my way to a summer on Buldir, where I’ll only have a satellite phone with e-mail. I’m going to try posting by e-mail once a week, and I won’t know if it worked until the end of summer. Due to my capabilities, I won’t be able to share pictures. Sorry! If it works, I’ll share various things about camp life weekly. If not, there may be a post…