Photos of trip to Alaska
- Thread starter JDM
- Start date
Bamby, I am not much of a fisherman and you don't have to be one in these waters. Bev's and my hailing port was Houston, Texas. Kinda rare to see a boat that far from home so folks were always giving us fresh fish. We had a small freezer and no place to store a big fish. This worked out great for Bev & I. When Bev and I started back down out of Alaska we needed to make a fuel stop at a small Indian village called Klemtu. This is about half way between Prince Rupert and Port Hardy. When we got there, about 30 fishing boats were rafted off the fuel dock taking on fuel and water. This was an Indian tribe from northern British Columbia and they were heading on down to Port Hardy for a 48-hour fish opening. Bev and I waited our turn for fuel after which we moved to where we could fill the water tanks. One lone fishing boat was at the dock so out of courtesy I asked if I could raft off his boat to get some water, he had no problem with it. As I handed him a line I noticed he looked very upset. I asked him if every thing was ok and he said no, he was having problems with his boat engine. By that time, all the other boats had left for Port Hardy and the fish opening leaving this young fellow behind. I asked if I could be of some help as he described the problem he was having. After hearing what the problem was I told him I could help. His alternator pivot shoe was worn out allowing it to vibrate so bad that the nut on the flywheel would back off and fall in the bilge. He had also broken the tensioner arm that holds the alternator belt tight. Bad deal. I had an extra tensioner arm and some high grade loctite along with an extra pair of vise grips. All we needed to do was drill a bolt hole in the tension arm so it could be bolted to the engine. I explained to the folks that ran the fuel dock what the problem was and asked if could I use some electricity to drill the hole in the arm. Remember, it is is an Indian village in the middle of nowhere and they are indifferent to white folks so you really don't want to seem pushy. After we took care of the tensioner arm, I removed the bolt that ran through the alternator and took out as much slop as I could in the pivot shoe, reinstalled the alternator and loctited the flywheel nut back on and handed him the extra pair of vice grips so he could retightening things as needed. You should have seen the look on the young mans face when he ask me how much he owed me and I said to just help someone else out if they need it and we will be even. This allowed him and his wife and brother to make the 48 hour fish opening in Port Hardy. If they had missed that opening they would have had very slim pickings that winter as BC has very few fish openings each year. The young fellow said that he would like to send us some fresh salmon this winter. I answered that I didn't have an address at that time and I was not sure where we would winter. But thanked anyway. He was a very grateful young man. After we filled the water tanks and were about ready to leave I made my way up to the small grocery store to get an ice cream cone. The Chief of the village had gotten wind of what was going on and came down to the dock to see us. He invited Bev and I to stay at the village dock as long as we wanted and he also tried to take me Halibut fishing the next day. He kept saying, "I will take you to where the big fish are, not where the tourists go." I had to say no as I had no radar on our boat and the fog was getting pretty bad every day and we needed to get on down to the mainland in Washington state to find a place to winter. I was amazed at how the folks in the village opened up to us. If I had it to do over I would have stayed for a few days. JD MORE TO FOLLOW
Wonderful story can't wait to read more. I'm not much of a fisherman myself these days either. At one time I was going all the time and really enjoyed it. But so many of the streams I used to fish are now posted and getting access is difficult at best. I really don't blame the landowners at all, there were or are way to many slobs out there throwing there trash around. I'd probably post if I were to own it too. All the lakes and rivers around here are posted for consumption because of various pollutants and they recommend eating only very small portions per month. If its really that bad to make it such a small amount I've chose not to consume any at all. I'm not a game hog at all but after spending maybe all day fishing it would be nice to have a meal out of a few without worrying about being poisoned for it. Still like to catch and release cats at night though where I can just through a line in off the deck and consume a few resources. Its a relaxing way to spend a nice summer evening at times. Hope to hear more about your adventures there. And a big thumbs up to you for assisting one of our fellow boaters.
blondebullfrog
Bubba
Great thread! Thanks for sharing the pics JD!
Bev and I have been off doing more horse stuff. I finally have a few more photos to share and, please, if I get to be a nuisance with this, let me know, ok. The photos are taken as we were leaving Tracy Arm and as you can see from the photos there really is a creator. I thought the last photo would let you folks see what a rough day at the office looks like. I know some of you will feel sorry for me. JD MORE TO FOLLOW
