Living in an Inside Cabin

My new friend Deb and dinner

Ketchikan provided an opportunity to take the afternoon excursion on the Aleutian Ballad from the Bering Sea. We had a gorgeous day today, really a gorgeous week in Alaska, and off we sailed from our dock.  The boat is owned by Dave with Steve and Kiwi giving him a hand in the workings of the tour.  The boat was originally a fishing boat in the Bering Sea and appeared on the TV show, the Deadliest Catch.  Today it is outfitted for tourists who sail to see how the fishing/crabbing is done.

We caught king crab, snowy crab and stone crab.  Additional seafood included escargot, shrimp and  a 7o pound octopus.  Had we not had to throw them back we could have had calamari for the entire crew.  We were on a crew excursion so I was with friends today and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  

Hauling Crab

They explained how things worked when catching in the pots and added personal stories from the years of fishing they all had.  These guys are not tour guides but the real thing – experienced fishermen.  That made it all the more interesting to me.  The crew provided a snack box and hot chocolate and coffee, and of course we all bought the T-shirts!

Shrimp Anyone?

Along with the crabs and sea life, we saw dozens of bald eagles.  We threw herring out on to the water and watched them fly in and literally grab dinner.  They are quite a sight to see enmass like that, very impressive.  We did spot some seals as as well as we sailed by some small islands where they were sunning.  A good day all around and I recommend the trip for those on a ship as something educational and fun.

Zuiderdam and Aleutian Ballad Crew