Kinsi’s Log:
Aug 20th:
Today was interesting for sure. We had to get to work early and get the boat cleaned and ready for new people to board. We scrubbed the house from the top down, inside and out. It took most of the day because our trip across the Gulf of Alaska was, hmm, how shall we put this… gnarly, rough and long.
We arrived into Adak around 8pm. Everyone had their cameras out and was anxious to see the boat finally arrive. We had been traveling for 10 days straight, so we were excited to get to a dock as well.
Our idea of town here is a little fishing village. It was used by the military up until the late ‘90s but now they’ve abandoned the entire town. There is military housing and a nice rental car is an old rusty truck that has “for official use only” stamped on the side of it. We’ve nicknamed it the “Adak Limo”. Everyone here is very nice and helpful though, and Adak is one of the prettiest places in Alaska that I have seen. It reminds me of a little town outside of Sydney, called Arcadia. Adak is surrounded by steep, rugged, green mountains and the air smells sweet and fresh from the summer fauna.
We had our normal dinner at 6pm, it was one of my favorites so far- lamb curry and rice. Three hours later, when we got to town, we learned that the arrivees hadn’t eaten yet, so we made a second dinner of maple pecan salmon over rice and green beans. The entire crew came together to get the second dinner completed in a half an hour. It turned out lovely as well.
After dinner we helped everyone get settled in. We had made all the beds and put extra blankets, towels and gift bags on top. We forgot to check the lights in the new four man room though, so David found that his and Donovan’s lights were missing bulbs. I got new bulbs out of the wheelhouse and replaced them.
Aug 21st:
I just got in from the deck. I started my day by helping to load the ATVs onboard and secure them. Securing them was a rather frustrating job for me because I wasn’t sure how to do it. In the end, I had to ask Tanner and dad for help, which I don’t particularly like, but it looked good when I was done.
The crew attached the sounding pole to the port side of the boat and we cut loose. I handle the bow spring line. It’s my favorite line for a few reasons: when we tie up, it’s our brake, also, it’s the first line on so everyone watches to see if you can get the monkey fist to the dock on your first throw.
Now we are outside the harbor doing sea trials. Sea trials are where you test everything to make sure it works right, and everything is hooked up and ready to go.
Later-
Sea trials went great. We launched the clump weight and ROV over the starboard rail using a J-frame and our forward crane. Tanner and I went to the ROV shack to watch them do the required tests. After I left Tanner got to drive the ROV for a few minutes.
We had stuffed filet mignon with fresh greens and mashed sweet potatoes for dinner. For dessert, we had chocolate covered cherries and truffles. Now most of us are in the wheelhouse working at our computers, talking and enjoying each other’s company. I love being surrounded by so many people at the top of their fields, and seeing their work in person.