Lobster Mini Season

Well, its that time of year again! We are out at Pelican Shoal for the night. We did a little recon this afternoon and just got back from a night dive. The lobsters are in place now a quick nights sleep and into the water we go.
Wish us luck tomorrow!

Long Distance- I forgot to click post!

I wrote this post a while ago and must've forgotten to click "post!" Oops! Oh well! I hope you enjoy even if it is a little late! 

After the Spring season at Sea Base was officially over I went on a trip to the other side of the country. Almost as far away from Florida as I could get, and for a very good reason! Jon and I hadn’t seen each other in over two months since parting ways after our travels on the way home from Antarctica, but I was able to get a ticket to Ketchikan, AK for a visit. For 6 days we enjoyed relaxing, hiking, and staying in a cabin while it rained and rained. Ketchikan is a very rainy place, so this wasn’t totally unexpected. The last day and a half I was there it cleared up nicely and the sun warmed us up and dried things out.

Jon has been in Ketchikan for a few summers now working for the U.S. Forest Service on trails in the area. When we were planning my visit Jon came up with the idea of taking a ferry to the neighboring island of Prince of Wales and go camping. Jon had never been there and was keen to check it out. We booked a cabin on the water that was run by the Forest Service group for the island called Twelve Mile Arm Cabin. Jon met several members of that group a few weeks before I arrived during some joint training. They alerted him to the fact that many of the roads are closed due to snow! So we changed our schedule to shorten our trip by one night based on their information.

The cabin was in great shape, built in 2007, and had four or five skylights, which Jon expected to leak, based on the cabins in his district, but they didn’t! There was enough room to sleep 6, a wood stove, table and benches and a nice covered porch. The outhouse was just steps beyond the wood shed. The view was beautiful and we enjoyed watching the tides change (about 20 feet!) and looking for wildlife. We read and went for walks around the cabin. Jon chopped wood for the fire and taught me about the different types of trees. We saw lots of Sitka Black Tail Deer (they need to learn to run away from cars!) and a couple eagles and a tree with an eagle’s nest in it, but luckily no bear.

We came back from Prince of Wales on Saturday and had some of Jon’s friends and co-workers over for dinner. Jon made his beet salad that I love and his friends brought all kinds of stuff! We enjoyed several kinds of salmon, pickled sea asparagus, devil’s club tea, elk meat, sausages, and lots more. The rest of my time in Ketchikan was spent going on short hikes, hanging out at the beach just down the road from the place Jon is renting, and going to the local dive shop to look at snorkel gear for Jon’s upcoming PADI Open Water Class.

Also Capt Dennis Wyatt(Author of Bald Man in the sea and the Balder Man in the Sea) recommended I go to Knudson Cove. I had written down the name so I wouldn’t forget it and then I misplaced the paper! So Jon was taking me to a local diner/food cart just up the road from where he lived and it just so happened to be in the very cove! I recognized the name on the signs when we were driving there. We walked around and I took some pictures while our food was being made. Beautiful spot! I hope if I get to go back to Ketchikan to go kayaking in the cove. Thanks for the tip Dennis!

Jon was a great host and I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Ketchikan and on Prince of Wales Island. He made breakfast for me every day and cooked when we didn’t go out to eat. What a guy!

After my time in Ketchikan I flew to Vermont to visit my parents for a few days before heading back to Florida for work. I got to visit some friends and family as well as help on some projects around my parents place. As always I wish I had more time to spend with them.

Half way there!

The middle of last week was the half way point in the summer for us aboard the Conch Pearl. So far we have had great crews! I am very much looking forward to lobstering! The last Wednesday and Thursday of July is lobster mini season. We will probably lobster for part of one of the two days. I enjoy the hunt! The sad part is that because so many other people enjoy the hunt and become possessed that several people are killed over the week that includes mini season. A sad but true reality.
Last year we had some great catches! 

We were chased off the reef again this afternoon due to thunder and lightning. I hope this isn't going to be a trend for the rest of the summer. It's getting old very quickly.
For those of you who may be wondering I haven't heard anything back from my applications with PAE to go back to Antarctica. I am still holding out hope that I will get a call or email from them. Jon and I want to go back again. In the mean time I'm enjoying every beautiful sunset I can!

Over night shark line hit!

Just got a bonnet head shark! Angler: Colin Keele on his 16th birthday