Cordova and Kodiak - Boat 2

Friday the 13^th I was flown to Cordova to meet up with my next boat. As I boarded the plane, with ~10 other passengers, I realized that it would easily be the smallest plane on which I’ve traveled. Full capacity would’ve been maybe 20 people with single rows of seats on either side of the narrow aisle. There were no overhead compartments or separation from the cockpit. After welcoming us on board and closing the entry door the co-pilot took his seat and we departed. As the last flight of the day, we arrived at Cordova’s tiny airport as they were preparing to close. After the other passengers were whisked away by family or friends, it was just me and the one gate attendant who thankfully waited to see that I was picked up by the one cab driver coming from town 15 miles away. By late evening I made it to my boat, a ~60 ft longliner called the Allstar, met the 5 person crew and we departed. My time aboard the Allstar was short but very enjoyable. The sea conditions in the Gulf of Alaska were much calmer than what I’d experienced in the Bering Sea and a couple of mornings the water was like glass. On this type of vessel they pull up strings of hooks, head and gut the fish on deck, and pack the catch in ice below deck. Though much more challenging it was great to do all of my sampling on deck versus in the depths of a factory. The boat was targeting black cod and also had a quota for halibut, which is unique because for most vessels to which observers are assigned its retention is prohibited. One of the hauls was especially rich in halibut and as the fish were brought aboard they overflowed out of their holding bin and I soon found myself standing thigh deep in 60-70lb halibut. It was quite a sight to see that volume of halibut at one time – on the trawler I would only see the occasional halibut usually well under 10lbs. Living conditions onboard were cozy. There was a small galley where we could squeeze 5 of us for meals prepared by one of the deckhands who doubled as the cook. A couple steps from the galley were the captain’s stateroom and a motor home sized head (bathroom). Just beyond these was the wheelhouse which had only enough room for the captain. Down a ladder into to bow of the ship were the crew’s sleeping quarters consisting of stacked racks (bunks) following the curvature of the walls to their meeting point at the very front of the boat. On the fourth day, we arrived in Kodiak to offload their catch and let me off of the boat. I was fortunate to be able to visit Kodiak as very few observers employed by my company ever end up there. I spent the night in a hotel and then flew back to Anchorage the following morning.