Kodiak

May 12, 2023

Seas were a lot flatter overnight, so the journey to Kodiak was more comfortable. however the poor weather looks like continuing and we are beginning to believe that this is pretty normal in this region. We are continually assured to expect better weather as we get closer to the mainland.

It is pretty overcast as we enter Kodiak harbour at around 7.30 am.

There are a few rocky hazards

A lone tug comes out to assist us

Stunning scenery

Heading towards our berth

It is windy and very cold, so we get a few quick shots from the balcony and head back into our warm cabin, until we get closer to the dock. Our side (starboard) looks like it will be alongside so we should get a good view of docking. The ship turns around and backs into the wharf, coming in at about a 45 degree angle. It starts to get interesting as we do not appear to be turning at a fast enough rate and it looks as though we may hit the wharf if we don't turn sharply soon.

Thrusters are pushing hard now to kick the stern out

Now he is giving it everything, but it is not enough

There is an almighty crunch as the marlin board makes contact with one of the buffer pads.

The ship does not appear to sustained any serious damage, but the securing of the vessel and subsequent clearance to leave the ship takes a bit longer than normal. We are tied up on pier 2 -Fishermans Terminal.

Like Dutch Harbour, fishing is the lifeblood of Kodiak

Kodiak is the transportation hub for South West Alaska and is home to the Nations largest Coast Guard base. It is one of the largest fishing ports in USA. Population is around 5,200, and is decreasing. It is the second largest island in USA after the Big Island in Hawaii. It is also famous for stunning scenery (when the sun is shining) and its wildlife. In particular, the Kodiak Bear, which is the largest brown bear in the World with males up to 3 m high when standing on their hind legs and weighing up to 600kg.

By 9 am groups were starting to leave the ship for shore excursions. Once again, school buses have been secured for passenger transport as Kodiak is not really set up for tourism, on a large scale.

The first group leaves , well rugged up and with wet weather gear.

Shore excursions are limited by the capacity of tour operators to handle big numbers. Most of the passengers have opted to explore Kodiak on foot. There are shuttle buses doing the short trip into town, or it is about a 15 minute walk. We opted to walk even though the weather is miserable.

After breakfast, we don several layers of clothing, a waterproof jacket, beanie, gloves, grab an umbrella and venture down the gangway and head for town on foot.

Our walk takes us along the dock and we follow the waterfront road to the main town (which is situated just forward of the bridge you can see)

The road has many supply outlets for engineering facilities, chandlery supplies, fishing equipment etc on the left hand side and the right hand side is dominated by seafood processing factories.

One of the stores along the waterfront

As we near town, the massive fishing fleet appears, in a substantial marina, that also houses some fishing charter and small tourist boats.

Further along we reach the main centre. It is not a large town and the tourist hlights are few, but we do our best to take in as many as we can.

Like all seafaring towns there are plenty of bars

The rubbish bins have a bit of character

The Harbourmaster's Office

One of the main attractions is the Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church, which was built originally in the late 1700's when Russia settled this region to capitalise on the fur trade. It burned down in 1943 and a replacement built in 1945.

Just across the road from the church is the main museum in town, The Alutiiq Museum, which was well worth visiting. It covered the history of Kodiak and in particular, The Alutiiq people who were native there, as well as some very good displays covering their lifestyle and customs.

Preserving food immersed in oil inside seals stomachs seemed to be popular

Native dress was quite elaborate

A lot of displays were devoted to native food, none of which looked appetising

It was then only a few hundred metres down the road to the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Centre.

Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Centre

There were great displays of wildlife, some of it unique to Kodiak (like the Kodiak bear), and a good audiovisual presentation covering the refuge and wildlife to be seen in Kodiak.

A life size replica of a Kodiak Bear

All of the types of salmon caught here

Across the road was the Kodiak History Museum, which we did not visit.

We went to the nearby visitors centre which also serves as the ferry terminal for Kodiak. They had a few tours on offer but each one was limited to only a few people and with current weather, there was not a lot of enthusiasm.

Ferry terminal with some vehicles coming off the ferry.

It was time to head back to the ship, so we covered up and headed off. Along the way we decided to go and have a look inside one of the ships chandlers, which was just like a giant Whitworths, but the prices were pretty challenging on some items.

Opposite the Chandlery was a seafood processing plant and we decided to have a peep in the door. They were on their meal break, but very friendly. We had a quick look at the filleting table where halibut were being processed. They told us to come back in 35 minutes and we could observe the filleting, but the warmth of the ship was too inviting.