Arriving in Dutch

08 Jun Arriving in Dutch

Written by Karen Lattanzi

We all agreed, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been on a 3-day, 10-day, or 28-day passage; the excitement in the final approach is universal. Starr arrived in Dutch Harbor after riding with the wind and waves at her stern for the majority of the trip. After a quick tie-up to the bulkhead along the spit in the well-protected bay, just moments before midnight on May 28, we celebrated with a toast and promptly went to bed.

                                                                          Don at the helm bringing Starr into port next to Cornelia Marie

Friday morning is spent straightening up and releasing Starr back to her relaxed state. The dining chairs are untied from the padded dining table, the galley is eased when extra packing cloth is removed around dishes, and non-skid pads are stripped from countertops. Patrick was just pulling a loaf of bread from the oven when the US Customs Officer arrived. Our quarantine was cleared as he checked our passports and noted he remembered Don from his arrival in 2023. He told us Starr is the first vessel to arrive from Japan this season and gave us 2 restaurant recommendations, so we are off to explore the town of Dutch Harbor.

                    The port of Dutch harbor housing part of the commercial fishing fleet.

Dutch Harbor is home to the largest commercial fishing fleet in the United States. Both the WW2 and Aleut Cultural museums had exhibits on the history of the industry, from subsistence hunt of the Aleut in seal skin kayaks clubbing sea otters, to the snow crab hay-days of the 1990’s that the popular reality show, Deadliest Catch, filmed the fleet in action. Starr was dwarfed by the rows of vessels with their ambitious names like, Cornelia Marie, Progress, Dominator and Beauty Bay. Many of the boats featured in the show were in port, but the crabs are reported to be limited now, so the vessels have been fitted with long lines and drift nets that are hauled from a large shoot in the stern.

After 3 days, 2 dinners out, shopping for fresh produce, a hike to the top of Ballyhoo Road, and a farewell to Clay who flew out on a twin-prop commercial flight, Starr cast off lines to travel northeast through the Bering Sea up the Aleutian island chain heading for Castle Bay.

                                                                                                  The walk up to Mt Ballyhoo

                                                                                             Clay, Don, Karen and John at the top of Mt Ballyhoo

                                                                John and Karen on the docks at the Dutch harbor Port

Related posts:

1082nm from Los Cabos, 09d 55.00 N, 122d 54.00 W – Friday, 23nd March, 2001 Mainland Coast of Mexico: Puerto Vallerta to Barra de Navidad – December 17, 2000-January 18, 2001 Seattle to Mexico – November, 2000 Seattle, Washington – September, 2000