King Cove, Alaska

I got this picture off the internet of King Cove which is about 300 miles from Dutch Harbor. This was one of the places that crabs were off loaded for processing at the Peter Pan Seafoods plant. This was also the place where a member of the crew celebrated his 21st birthday.

False Pass, Aleutian Islands

Peter took this picture of the tiny fishing village of False Pass,Alaska population 64.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_Pass%2C_Alaska

Bald Eagle on the boat

Bald Eagles are not rare in Alaska, nor are they particularly shy. This one was perched not 30 feet away from Peter when he took this picture.

Dutch Harbor from Mount Ballyhoo

The boat Peter was on seemed to have a lot of vibration while underway. The Captain decided to return to Dutch Harbor to have it checked out. Divers found that a portion of the propeller was missing, which would certainly make make the prop shaft vibrate! The divers had to use explosives to get the damaged prop off and with the need to have a new one shipped in they were in Port for 5 days. During the wait Peter was able to get some hiking in and took these pictures from the top of Mount Ballyhoo 1589ft.

Pictures from Alaska

I was able to download pictures from Peter's camera today so here is the first installment. Peter was impressed by the lone cabin in the lower left of this picture. Talk about remote!Enjoy more to follow.

Peter makes it Home.

The plane trip home didn't go anywhere near according to plan, but the end result was still fine, on the ground, at home, safe and sound, with 57 lbs of luggage. Due to flight delays in Anchorage Peter missed his flight out of Seattle which was probably a good thing because in the process of trying to book an alternate flight to Montreal he was asked for his passport which he didn't have. He applied for one before leaving in September, but the passport didn't arrive till Peter was already in the middle of the Bering Sea. We thought about sending it to him but did not think it would be a big deal since we live only 5 miles from the Canadian border and we have crossed many times without passports. Our post 9/11 World has changed everything and now it is required. He was able to book a flight out of Chicago into Burlington,VT ,which actually worked out better, because it's smaller and closer to home. At about 9:20 pm last night Peter set foot back on Vermont soil (actually carpet,but you know what I mean). We collected his luggage and were on our way home by 9:50. Pulled in the drive at the farm at 11:20 after a memorable 1.5 hour drive which included excellent conversation, some revelations, and the sightings of three separate deer that thankfully stayed on the side of the road! Peter had much to tell, but there were things he could not discuss due to a confidentiality agreement he signed with ADF&G. I have a meeting at the Hospital to get to so will end for now.

Questions for Peter

Hi Everyone,
Thomas and I,Trudy has to work, will be picking up Peter at the Airport Tuesday evening, the 21st. I have a bunch of questions for him, probably too many, I will try to contain myself! I will be reporting what he tells me about his experiences, and hopefully even have him contribute a post about what it was like in Alaska. Are there any special questions you would like me to ask? You can comment here, or send me an email, and I will do my best to have them answered.
Excited, but breathing easier, Steve

Pete to be home for Thanksgiving

Peter called from Anchorage today. He was very lucky to have made it in to Anchorage so quickly from Dutch Harbor. His debriefing in Dutch was yesterday afternoon after which he went to the airport. Flights were all booked up so he was placed on standby. The biggest planes that can get off the ground on the one 3900ft runway(Cliff one side, mountain other and ocean either end...sounds like fun!) are twin engine Saab turboprops that hold 30 people for a 3 hour flight to Anchorage. Well, luck was on his side because he was able to board the 4 pm flight. Once safely on the ground in Anchorage he took a taxi to the observer bunkhouse, met up with some of his classmates and had fun losing a rousing game of monopoly.
Today was his final debriefing after which he called home at 6:30 our time. He has scheduled a flight home for Nov. 21st which will involve leaving Anchorage at 1:41am, arrive Seattle at 6:10am, Leave Seattle at 7:30am to arrive Washington D.C. at 3:15pm, then leave D.C. at 4:55 to arrive in Montreal,Quebec(about 75miles from our home) at 6:37pm; flight 7532.
We are so looking forward to seeing him, but it does not sound like he will be at all lonely for the next week in Anchorage with his classmates for company. They were heading to the mall soon after Peter got off the phone with me. Only one classmate is still out on the boat. Another of his fellow observers, Katie, has a web site where she will post a lot of pictures. I have asked Pete to send us the web site address. It will be so good (and such a relief) to have Peter home. This will be a truely special Thanksgiving! Warm thoughts to all, Steve&Trudy

Peter phones Home!!

At 9:30 tonight Peter called home for the first time in almost a month!! It was so good to hear his voice. He called from the Unisea Company docks in Dutch Harbor. Peter's boat was one of the last boats in and he will need to stay with them until the catch is offloaded. Then he has to have a debreifing with personnel at the Alaska Department of Fish & Game before he can try to catch a flight out to Anchorage where he has another debreifing. He said it can be difficult to book flights out because so many other fishermen are also trying to fly out right now. He said the earliest he could hope to fly out is the 13th, but it will probably be later. The weather has been pretty bad(he said it was snowing right now there) which means flights get cancelled and delayed frequently.
As for his time on the water, he said he was "pretty" seasick for the first 2 days and "REALLY" sick on the third and then fine, with waves 20 feet high it's no wonder!! Peter said that ADF&G has a strict policy of not allowing observers to be filmed on the Deadliest Catch, so he spent a lot of time playing "dodge the cameraman". Guess we won't get to see him on the show :(.
While Peter waits for his debreifing he gets to stay at the Grand Aleutian Hotel(with the red roof). I have attached a picture of it I got from their web site. The hotel is also owned by Unisea Corporation, which owns the packing plants shown in the other two pictures. He should have internet access while there so we can try to email him at:Peter HurdE-mail Address(es): peter.hurd@gmail.com
If all goes well he should be home for Thanksgiving and it truely will be a special one in every sense of the word!! I want to thank everyone for your interest and support. I am sure your warm and caring thoughts helped!! I will let you know any additional info as I find out.
Love, Steve & Trudy
P.S. I mentioned to Peter on the phone about this blog. He is a very shy guy and I could almost hear his eyes rolling and could picture the look he was sending me...but hey I'm old enough to not care if I embarrass my kids...I do it all the time!!!

Peter, Tom, and Trudy at the Airport

This is the most recent picture I have of Peter. It was taken the morning of his flight to Anchorage,Alaska. Younger brother Tom on the left, Pete in the middle and Trudy trying to hold it together on the right.

The job of Observer

This is from the web site of the company that Peter works for. It contains a lot of information about what his job entails: Saltwater Inc. Crab Observer Positions

No News from the North

Hi Everyone,
No contact with Peter, I am told that no news from a fishing vessel in the Bering sea is a very good thing! I guess there is some truth to that because it would be news if a crab boat got into trouble, especially one featured on the Deadliest Catch show.
I have attached a link for information about the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) crab rationalization program.http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/crab/crfaq.htm To keep myself occupied I've been learning about Alaskan Commercial fishing on the internet. Maybe Peter doesn't call because I'll have too many questions!!
Trudy and I are working our 12 hour shifts at the hospital. She's on nights....I'm days. We see each other in passing and the occasional day off together. Sort of like dating.
Thomas is doing well at Lyndon State College....he's majoring in Natural Sciences and a junior now.He just turned 21...hard to believe. Well I have to get into the hospital for a couple of meetings.Send calm happy thoughts Peter's way. Gale warnings have been issued for that area starting tonight. I check them every day at http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/PK/410.html
Take Care, Love, Steve & Trudy

Earlier posts with News from the North

Dutch Harbor (Unalaska)




For those of you who may not have received previous emails I am posting a few earlier ones here and below.

Hi Everyone,
We have not had any word from Peter since the season started. I found these pictures on the internet which show the type of work and conditions in which Peter will be doing as an observer for the Alaska Fish and Game Department. He has to take a sample of the pots that the boat brings in and count and measure the catch along with identifying any other species caught in the pots. This information along with GPS position, number of pots set, and monitoring for any boat safety or fishing violations gets radioed in each day.
We think about him a lot and hope he is safe and healthy, for surely he is having the adventure he was hoping for! We are in hopes he can make it home for a couple of weeks around Christmas because this is between King and Snow crab seasons. Send good thoughts his way!! Till next time. Love ,Steve and Trudy

Peter in Dutch Harbor

Peter called home from a payphone on the dock in Dutch Harbor, AK yesterday. He has been staying on board the boat for the last couple of nights. He met up with some of his classmates in town and went to McDonald's for lunch,regular hamburger,fries and a drink cost $13.00!! The weather looks horrible(75 mph winds and 25 ft waves) for the weekend and the crab season was supposed to start today. These guys are crazy enough to go anyway!! We think and worry about him a lot but he is certainly having an adventure. He may not be able to contact us very much. The telex system onboard cost is figured per character, so even short emails can be pretty expensive We do however still send them in hopes he can get them at some point back on shore. Take care everyone, Steve and Trudy

Peter gets assigned a boat

Hi Everyone,
Many of you already know that Peter has been training in Anchorage, Alaska to be a Fisheries Observer for the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Department. Peter called tonight to tell us that he got the 3rd highest grade in the class, a 95.2%, and he has his boat assignment. He flies out tomorrow for Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands.
He does not know when he will be able to contact us again, but I will do my best to keep you updated if you are interested. Cheers, Steve & Trudy

The Adventure begins

Hi Everyone,
Peter is now in Alaska training to be a biological observer on the crab boats that go out on the Bearing Sea. Yea, that's right the same ones that are on the Discovery channel TV show, " Deadliest Catch"!! He has an email address that he can access on occasion if you would like to email. peter.hurd@gmail.com We worry about him of course, but what an adventure! He works for a company called Saltwater Inc. which has a web site that explains quite a bit about what he will be doing. http://www.saltwaterinc.com/ Hope all is well with you. Love, Steve and Trudy

Family Picture

Vermont Technical College graduation May 13th 2006, and a very rainy and cool day it was. All I wanted for a college graduation present was for my family to be there so we could take this picture. The backdrop for the picture is our RV. We managed to fit about 10 new RN's and their families in and around the RV for lunch. This was Trudy's 5th, and last, graduation she had to attend as a VTC Nursing faculty member, she resigned to go back to floor care at the hospital. From Left; Thomas, Trudy, Steve, and Peter

News from the North;First Post

This is the first time I have ever done anything like this so bear with me as I try to figure out what I am doing!! The main reason I am attempting to do this is to keep all those who are interested in the activities of my family informed. I had heard of blogs but did not really know what they were about until I started searching the internet for information on the Alaskian King Crab season. My son Peter is on a crab boat somewhere in the Bering Sea working as a Observer contracted to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Not having any contact with him since mid-October has been hard so I have tried to find any information I can on the internet about this years crab catch, the boat he's on which is featured on the Discovery channel show "Deadliest Catch", Bering Sea weather, etc. Many more people than I realized have expressed interest in how he is doing so in searching for information I stumbled on a blog by someone calling herself the fish wife http://thefishwife.blogspot.com/ Her blog contains a lot of the kind of information I was looking for so I owe her a big thank you..check it out. Till next time send calm thoughts our way...especially Pete's way!! Steve