Ahoy 5170 Century Builders,
Killer dessert today at lunch, could not avoid it, Chocolate ice cream
and strawberry ice cream with chocolate sauce. Looks like at our coffee
time I will have to have a bran cocktail to keep the old cholesterol
on an even keel.
Cindy just came down from the bridge after lunch on the 13th and saw
porpoises and whales even though we are far North. The captain and 3rd
officer witnessed the sighting. The Captain suggested that we stop and
go fishing at which time the 3rd officer mentioned that if we were closer
to Japan we would not see these whales. I think the whale came close
to us because he heard about the ice cream.
3:00PM arrived and our wonderful Steward brought us our coffee and
he followed Cindy¹s direction to a T. Cindy and I were worried
about eating too much so at breakfast she asked him that when he was
going to bring the coffee in the afternoon he should not bring cookies
because we are getting too fat. He followed her instruction and instead
brought home made Pound Cake. We both ate a piece and decided it should
not stay in the cabin with us. We took the Pound Cake to the bridge
and found the Captain and the Chief Officer, who often call the bridge
the "³coffee shop", very receptive to the addition of
pound cake in the "coffee shop".
While the pound cake was being consumed we saw more whales spouting
off the starboard side of the ship. The Captain mentioned that tomorrow
between 8AM and 10Am we would be going through the Unimak Pass. Unimak
Island would be on our starboard (right) side and Akutan Island would
be on our port (left) side. These 2 Islands are part of the Fox Islands
which are Part of the Aleutian Islands.
The Aleutian Islands are a volcanic chain of islands and islets more
than 900 miles long which form an extension of the Alaska Peninsula
from Unimak Island to Attu Island. The captain said that he would be
steaming within 3 miles of Unimak Island so that we might get a better
view. Normally he would be a little further out. We were reading the
cautions in the Pilot Manuals and it warned that one does not want to
be any closer than 2 1/2 miles from shore due to the strong tidal streams,
uncertain currents, and lack of detailed surveys thereby causing a surprise
due to the possible existence of unknown dangers.
The islands of this group are bare of trees, generally grass-covered,
and are frequented by enormous numbers of birds. The Unimak Pass is
the first passage SouthWest of the Alaska Peninsula, and the one most
often used. It is the widest of the Fox Island passes and is the only
one in which lights are exhibited. It is also the safest one in thick
weather being comparatively free from offshore dangers and heavy tide-rips.
Nevertheless, the strength of the tidal streams and prevalence of thick
weather, make it necessary to exercise particular care when approaching.
As we cruised through the passage we noticed a few large buildings
on Unimak Island. It appears that they might be the buildings of some
kind of station, like a Loran station. As we passed Unimak Island we
noticed that the taller mountains had snow on them.
Then we started to look south at Akutan Island whose Mountains looked
dramatic with snow on them. At the North end there was a dramatic cliffy
termination of a high bold ridge which is called North Head. There is
a well protected harbor to the West of this cliff which is called Akutan
harbor. The Pilot book states that there is a small native village in
Akutan Harbor but the fog around that area was so heavy that we could
not see it. The book also mentioned that there is a disused whaling
station off of which a wrecked hull is moored and a wharf at the station
is in a state of disrepair. Couldn't see that either so our imaginations
took over.
Our ship then broke back out into the open ocean and we grinned as
we looked at the charts and noticed that there was an island South of
us called UnAlaska. We do not know if it means that is not Alaska or
if it is under Alaska, but whatever it means we would love to know the
story. We did read in the Pilot book that one has to ask permission
to land there since it is a restricted Navy area. So maybe it means
"³this is not Alaska, get out of here".
Dare I say something that would tempt fate. Our passage has been relatively
smooth and as I read about Paul and Jean Harris they were not as lucky.
Cindy who has a propensity to be seasick wore the patch for the first
couple of days and she is fine even though she is not wearing it now.
Saying goodbye from 40 miles west of the Uimak Pass in the Aleutian
Island Chain on the Great Circle Route to Tokyo, Japan. Until we see
you on the web site tomorrow.
Ron and Cindy
