The Sea Duction with Jan & Eric

They helped us get our gear down to the harbor, where the Sea Duction was docked.  Aboard, we were pretty impressed with the spaciousness and amenities.  We knew we were in for a special experience for the next three days!

Heading out of Valdez, we saw the pipeline terminus where the oil is shipped south for refining.  There was a large tanker being lead out of port, a requirement of all vessels shipping oil after the tragic Exxon Valdez spill of 1989.  Jan played tour guide for a while as Eric navigated out of the port and into the Valdez Arm and on to the Prince William Sound.

During our slow cruise out of town, we were also treated to the marine wildlife that Alaska is known for, including harbor seals hanging out on the buoys, a small pod of orca whales later in the day as well as sea otters throughout our trip.  The view of the coastline from the water was amazing!  We enjoyed watching the Lu-Lu Belle go by as passengers were taking a tour along the coastal areas around Valdez.  

 

Once out into the sound, we were able to drop our fishing lines.  The fishing was fun; the camaraderie with new friends, the best!  As the afternoon approached evening, it was time to find a place to anchor for the night.  Eric found a beautiful protected cove where the water was flat and still.

It was a surreal experience, the water reflective like glass.  As he began cleaning some of the day’s catch of rock fish for supper, we could see and hear eagles in the tree tops.  It wasn’t long before they were swooping down to gobble up the fish heads and guts.  It provided for quite the photo opportunity for Jan and me.

 

Our on-board fish fry dinner was exceptional.  We had never had rock fish before, and while some of the ugliest fish in the sea, they make for very good eating.  A light firm white texture, there was no strong fish taste.  We truly felt as though we were living the life, Alaskan style!

When it was time to turn in for the night, they allowed us to have the inside cabin berth.  It was a comfortable night’s sleep.  When we woke up, they were just getting around, preparing for breakfast up on the main deck.

We enjoyed another two days of fishing in spite of the spotty weather.  As with most trips to Alaska, you have to be prepared for rain . . . and rain it did!  That didn’t keep us from fishing, however.  We caught several “chicken sized” halibut.  Halibut are called “chickens” when they are young and small, typically between 10 and 30 pounds.  We enjoyed the fight of bringing them up from the bottom, as they are flat and like reeling in 100 pounds of dead weight!

We brought steaks and all the fixings for supper on Wednesday night.  Dinner was another great experience out on the water aboard the Sea Duction.  After supper it was time to clean and freeze the catch from our two days out.  Amazingly, we had nearly 100 pounds of filets to bring home with us!  While we had originally hoped to catch salmon, I must admit, the rock fish and halibut were the highlight of our fishing experience.

Thursday was a bit of a bust in terms of fishing.  It was also the day that we’d be making our way back into Valdez, so fishing along the way was a bit of a disappointment.  It was raining, sometimes very hard, so we took that time more as a sightseeing opportunity.  All in all, no complaints though.  How could we be truly disappointed?  It was a wonderful three days with our new friends!

Back at port, we said our good byes as they were meeting some folks going out with them for the weekend during the Women’s Fishing Derby.  Eric helped to get us to the fish processing house where we’d have our catch flash frozen and boxed for taking with us as checked baggage on our return flight home in a couple of days.  No doubt, that is the best way to get your fish home!  We’ve done the FedEx over night shipping and that is expensive!  For this trip, the total cost of getting our fish home was around $150 including the baggage fees with Delta.  Back in 2006 I think we paid $200 just to get David’s king salmon catch (approximately 13 lbs of filets) home via FedEx.

Back at camp for Thursday night, we reflected about our great time out with Jan & Eric.  When we parted company at the dock, we all said “That was great!  Let’s do it again sometime.”   You know, people say those things, often never being able to do it again.  I’m really hopeful we will be able to see them again.  They really were just like old friends from high school or college that we got to see after decades away from home.