We are thinking this is the last BIG weekend of the season. A number of the big boats are already sailing south leaving the fishing behind. Many are on their last trip and will be heading south shortly. We have worked hard and got the job done.
Our big weekly container vessel has been late this season more times than on time. This week was the worst. Almost a full day late. At 6:30AM I got my first call. A big boat getting their order in today wanted delivery at 1:30 this afternoon. A few minutes later another call. Another big boat wanting their delivery at...1:30! Shortly I had another scheduled for 12:30. We needed to unload
4 containers by then to accomplish two of those deliveries. I was stuck on the phone for awhile but got into the warehouse at 9:30 AM. The guys were unloading the vans. I went to my computer and saw an email from a customer received late last night. A decent order they wanted pulled and delivered by 8 AM.... And that is how my day started.
I have been using the iphone simply to monitor late emails into the office. Now I get to go through a bunch of emails in the evening, possibly finding a hot message requiring action. Maybe not. More time working. I still use my basic cell phone for phoning. Easier to use, less expensive when I drop it. The email I missed last night for that 8 AM delivery was sent to my computer at my desk. The MAIN computer is where my assistant sits and watches for messages. I do not watch for messages all the time at my desk. Most people email to the main computer, and THAT is the email address I can see with the iphone. Emails to my desk computer can be missed after hours, and that is what happened last night. That customer had both email addresses, but sent a hot order to the wrong one.
It is not a perfect system when we operate 24/7.
Looks like an interesting summer coming up. For one thing, it will probably cease snowing! AND, there will be a number of interesting vessels heading through Dutch. Mainly Shell Oil and related vessels heading north for the first wave of Arctic oil exploration in some time. And Greenpeace right behind. So the 50 US Coast Guard cops will be sent up to keep the general peace.
Greenpeace staged a takeover / sit-on of a New Zealand oil rig heading to the Arctic recently. Lucy Lawless of Xena “fame” led the parade. Greenpeace is expected to protest the arrival of the northbound vessels. While the US Coast Guard believes in the rights of peaceful protest, they are sending up50 enforcers to maintain the peace in town. The 50 will stay in facilities like warehouses so as to not fill up The Grand Aleutian and inhibit TOURISM. Dutch Harbor is the last deep water port to serve these vessels before they head north to the Arctic.
WHAT A DAY FOR LOUISVILLE. The Cardinals have made it to The Final Four, a surprise even to many of their biggest fans. It is so hard to do, even for the basketball elite. UL is hot at the right time. Of course, I saw none of the game. I saw they were down by 8 at half time. Then I caught a few late scores and they were coming back! I heard they closed on an 18-3 run. Down by 11, they won by 4. It was a tough loss for Florida. The two coaches are closely related. Billy Donovan and Rick Pitino have a long history of working together. Pitino is 6-0 VS Donovan.
Tomorrow the soon to be NBA players at Kentucky will advance to The Final Four when they defeat Baylor easily. And next week they will play Louisville in The Final Four. The only thing that could be better would be that they would meet in the FINALS. Some day it will happen. It should. There are a lot of huge basketball programs and states. But I will argue Kentucky is the biggest. Adolph Rupp. Denny Crum. Rick Pitino. Rupps Runts. The empty green chair at Rupp Arena. Louisville Cardinals playing second fiddle in the big blue shadow, but a two time National Champ. This is a HUGE deal for the Commonwealth.
For many years KY and UL did not play each other. Finally they scheduled the Dream Game. It went to overtime and The Cardinals stunned the state and demolished UK after a very close game. I think UK will have their way this time, but who cares?
In a dream, I see UK playing UL for the national title. On that sunny day I choose to just record the game instead of watching, and going out to play some golf. Oh, I will watch it later, sometime. But I will just enjoy the solitude on the golf course knowing it does not matter who wins that game, but that it is a great day to be in The Bluegrass.
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I wonder at the sort of welcome the Greenpeace activists will receive in Dutch – given much of the town depends on the kind of economic activities Greenpeace frowns upon, commercial fishing and oil drilling. If they arrive by boat there could be chaos on the docks, if they arrive by air there will be chaos anywhere they stay. They are certainly not visiting there just to go UNNOTICED.
They might even bring another 'celebrity' nobody ever heard of.
My prediction is that those 50 extra enforcement officers won't get much time to enjoy the comforts of their luxurious warehouse rest facilities. The potential for all hell breaking loose on the docks is significant – merely unfurling a banner in your kind of weather could cause injury. And there YOU will be – in the midst of it all – trying to film it...
Do you have an emergency plan for delivering food during periods of civil unrest? Slingshot? Parachutes? Snorkel and flippers?
An interesting summer season indeed.
Have you heard about the 50ft Japanese fishing vessel that got washed (unmanned) out to sea during the tsunami, that is now drifting close by British Columbia? Isn't it incredible that it has stayed afloat all this time, that it hasn't run aground or been rolled and capsized? If boats could only talk. Looking at the photo released of its current condition it reminds me of that rat infested pirate ship that was brought into Dutch last year. If any rats have survived on this boat they ought to get medals for bravery.
Clocks only went forward into British summertime here last night, two weeks after you all went ahead and surprised Joseph by doing it behind his back. What's more, we are enjoying temperatures around 70f a good 2 months earlier than usual. Britain is hotter (and drier) than the Sahara right now. It's officially toe nail painting season.
I've decided on doing mine in a pale shade of lavender today.
Thought I'd tell you now.
Saves Joe an email later.
As Joe says, summer looks interesting for Dutch. Pull up a chair. I am anxious for Joe's vacation to come so he can get a change and maybe even some rest - if driving 100s of miles is restful.
Go Cats!
Anxious for UK to keep us posted on the stray boat floating towards British Columbia. That is something of interest.
Hope it is a great day wherever you are.
As for peace keeping, probably well worth the effort.
I hope I can catch some of the final 4 games.
UK, I had not heard of the ship, but that is interesting. It is also not the same thing, but that reminds me of the pickup truck that floated several hundred miles from the Houston-Galveston area to South Texas after Hurricane Ike.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Greenpeace in a place like Dutch Harbor. They won't be able to fool anybody with sensationalism. I wonder if they will try to ignore the local people and just aim for the camaras.
If UK beats Baylor(Not a done deal, you know how that goes!), then the entire state will come to a standstill Saturday!
I know the boats had ice trouble this year, but still fishing?
Maybe it's an old picture.
The photo of Time Bandit is dated 20 March 2012 (last Tuesday). Given all the problems the crabbers have had with the ice moving south onto their fishing grounds and the fact that their quota was much larger this season it really isn't that surprising that some boats are still out working. Joe took a photo of Northwestern tied up at the new dock (21 February), they were apparently killing time waiting for ice to move, normally they'd have been looking at heading home by then. Everything about this season has been 'unusual'.
The footage for the new series of Deadliest Catch will start from last October's Red King crab season. No doubt the delays in this Opilio crab seasons 'end date' will have knock on effects for the editing, but it will be a couple of months before that airs on TV. They have a bit of time to get it in the can – I'm looking forward to seeing how all the ice affected each of the boats. Can't help thinking the profit margins will have been seriously diminished this year. Whilst blood pressure readings will have shot through the wheelhouse roofs. Should make good viewing...
The Japanese 'ghost' ship is drifting southwards. It's not expected to come close to shore for another 50 days or so – meantime it's bobbing around in some busy shipping lanes. For that reason they will be keeping close tabs on it.
Can't have it colliding with Joes iceburg lettuce en-route from Seattle...
Jo's heart has always been with UK, mine (and my alma mater), UL. I won't be playing golf but the last time here in Boise that I watched UL play at a public spot I seemed to be the only one paying attention ... Will be curious to see whether folks here are more interested on Saturday!
On the TV sports news they haven't even mentioned NCAA basketball but do report on the high school outcomes :)
Hey UK I was mystified when I saw "EU summertime" on my calendar only days after spring arrived (as dictated by moon cycles and stuff, not bureaucrats!) But then I figured this just must be your way of saying "daylight savings time" and not actually recognizing it as the start of summer. Is that right?
I have noticed all the signs of summer in the last couple of days – deafening ice cream van jingles, deafening lawn mowers, deafening children playing outdoors…
Oh, and big splattered BUGS all over my car.
I like it when it RAINS.
I liked Insideuk's Winter and Summer photos. They show why Unalaske is located where it is....a good source of fresh water from a lake and river !
I see you are as busy as ever on you job. How you manage all the stress that comes with it is beyond me, but apparently you love it.
I'm not that much into basketball. More of a baseball and football guy myself. I was trying to find your photos you posted a while back of the Deadliest Catch crews, but you have so many photos that it's a difficult process trying to find a specific photo on WU. Could you tell me what the upload date was. I want to show them to my family. I've been bragging that you know the crews of the Deadliest Catch boats to my family.
Don
"In Alaska they have two seasons, winter and the 4th of July."
HA!
youtube
All she did was video her cats on her porch with an eagle and a fox - just a regular day in Dutch Harbor!
If you click on the person's name in the top left corner of the video, it leads you to her home youtube page, and she has quite a number of videos of her two cats and the eagles and foxes. Mainly with eagles. She doesn't identify where in Alaska she is, but it does look a lot like Unalaska! I suppose it could be another island. I don't think it is the mainland or there would be other animals.
Very fun!
Also, in the text below the Youtube video, it says she lives in Unalaska.
I've been lazy lately and have just been keeping up with the chitchat and of course watching for new photos. There have been some really good ones too. Glad Joe could work them in with all the other stuff going on.
Livermore has nearly doubled its rainfall total for the year in just the past few weeks. We are now over 2.5" just for March with more coming in this weekend. My front lawn in half way to my knees where the sun shines. I am so glad that we've gotten serious rain at last, but it really chops into the solar generation. But, just a few really bright sunny days will make it all back.
I have also been laid up with a moderately pesky head cold for the past week. I think it's the first one I've had in the past few years. Glad to see everyone on the blog. Once basketball winds down, I will probably feel more chatty. I confess that I cannot say anything even partly intelligent on that subject. I know it is played with a big round ball but not much more.
I think it would be interesting to see the response, since she is getting such a huge response. Seems like it has the possibility of being helpful.
I wonder how she happened to get such a big response?
Nice to hear from you, Dave. Glad to hear you will see a some green for at least a little while this year.
Greetings!
This Arctic ribbon seal has made all the way to Aberdeen!
Link
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