Dutch Harbor remains U.S. Top Fishing Port

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its seafood rankings for 2010, and Dutch Harbor/Unalaska at the entrance to the Aleutian chain tops the list for landings. Approximately 515 million pounds of seafood crossed the docks here last year – that’s almost 100 million more pounds than Reedville, Virginia, the next busiest port. The community has now been first on that list for 22 years in a row.

Seven other Alaskan communities are also on that list. Kodiak ranks fifth with 325 million pounds, and Cordova is eighth with almost 150 million pounds. Naknek, Ketchikan, Seward, Sitka, and Petersburg also made the top 20.

Northwest Passage 2012 dot com: Unalaska Alaska Remains America's Top Fishing Port:

George Snyder is about to begin a very difficult course of treatment.  Sara, Cree, Jesse, Sam & Toby gathered with George for a blessing ceremony in Native American style at George & Sara's Home in Occidental, California this past weekend.  May the Lord be with you. 
Video by Mike Loisel

Issuma: Dutch Harbor, Aleutian Islands

Issuma arriving at Dutch Harbor, Aleutian Islands

Issuma has arrived at Dutch Harbor , Alaska, having passed through the Bering Sea.  The largest fishing port (by volume) in the United States, it is 1,014 due southwest of Anchorage, near the south end of the Alaskan Peninsula at the beginning of the Aleutian Island chain. 


At 53° 53′ 20.34″ N,166° 31′ 38.06″ W the town is the prime location of Deadliest Catch.  A southerly course to Honolulu seems a likely next port.  From there Chile? And Cape Horn?

Weather Underground reports the weather today as overcast, 45 degrees at 5 PM with lots of rain in the forecast.  the average mean temperature in January is 31.5F and 52F in August.  It rains 250 days of the year.

Bering Sea Rainbow | Issuma

Issuma under sail with a rainbow to guide them on the Bering Sea from St. Paul toward Dutch Harbor (southwest of anchorage), September 21, 2011

Bering Sea Rainbow | Issuma:

Latitude: 55 36.9'N Longitude: 168 43.2'W

Bering Sea Rainbow We had great winds when sailing south from St Paul towards Dutch Harbor, as we left anchor just as the gale started to ease. We didn't need many sails, and made good speed. The rainbow ahead was kind enough to show us the way.

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IMVUBU completes NW Passage - reaches Kodiak, Alaska

Kodiak Harbor, Alaska

False Pass Harbor, Alaska

Imvubu - Capetown launch - 2009

Northwest Passage 2012 dot com: IMVUBU completes NW Passage - heads south to Kodiak Alaska: "Imvubu is a 53-foot Barens Seatrader sailing yacht. She is built for adventure and going to out-of-the-way places with a steel hull and two masts (called Ketch rigged for those more technically minded). In car terms she is a comfortable, heavy 4x4 rather than a dainty saloon or a sports car. Imvubu is Zulu for hippopotamus and like her namesake she is at home in the water, fairly broad in the beam yet can be ferocious when provoked. She weighs 35 tons un-provisioned and about 40 tons with water, fuel and provisions.
She was launched in June 2009 in Durban where she was built"

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Red Sox nation flies south, brings angst - The Boston Globe

The coup de grace

Jon Papelbon gave up two runs after striking out the first two batters in the ninth. I watched the last place Baltimore Orioles celebrating like they had won the World Series, the Red Sox dugout slowly exit, and then Tampa Bay - which can't even fill a stadium when they win the pennant - celebrate when Longoria's 13 inning home run over the Yankees gave then the flag. It's enough to make you go back to being a Mets fan. - GWC

Red Sox nation flies south, brings angst - The Boston Globe: "BALTIMORE—Like drivers who slow down to look at traffic crashes, some Red Sox fan had to be here. They had to watch with their own eyes in Camden Yards as their team faced epic collapse on the last day of the season."

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Issuma: Cape Prince of Wales

Cape Prince of Wales - Bering Strait

Issuma passed through the Bering Strait on September 8.  Problems with the battery for the sat phone have made posting and email difficult.  But Richard is catching up so check out the Issuma site for his reports, scrolling down to get the chronology.  He comments on passing through the Bering Strait that summer is over and cold weather lies ahead:

Sailing past Cape Prince of Wales with a delightfully favorable wind. Cape Prince of Wales is at the end of the Bering Strait. The Northwest Passage runs from Davis Strait in the east to Bering Strait in the west. While we have now completed the Northwest Passage, the difficult part is mostly still ahead--the trip south, late in the year.

NOAA: Estuaries

September 24 was National Estuaries Day. New York Harbor - from Sandy Hook to Pelham Bay is an estuary. So is the Back River and the Medomak and St. George River watersheds up in Maine. And the Chesapeake Bay.

NOAA's National Ocean Service Education: Estuaries: "An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water, and its surrounding coastal habitats, where saltwater from the ocean mixes with fresh water from rivers or streams."

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Surf City Surf Dog competition - in pictures | Life and style | guardian.co.uk

You will note that there are no Labrador Retrievers in this competition? Too smart.

Surf City Surf Dog competition - in pictures | Life and style | guardian.co.uk:

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No Traffic, No Noise, on Rat Island- the Bronx - NYTimes.com

Rat Island is near Barron's boatyard, City Island

Rat Island - a hazard between City Island and Hart Island - the site of New York City's Potter's Field -  is for sale.

No Traffic, No Noise, on an Island Off the Bronx - NYTimes.com: "It has no electricity or sewer lines. Much of it is under water at high tide. It has no shelter, nor a ready spot to build one. It does not even come with a dock."

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