tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216840252008-06-14T07:35:37.261-08:00Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-85502719587120749262008-06-02T13:06:00.003-08:002008-06-03T14:30:25.929-08:00

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-80061741287013185022008-05-26T09:53:00.004-08:002008-05-26T22:37:04.221-08:00

This is the eulogy given for Nicklaus Sorum who left us too soon. The photo is of Nick on Smith Island in Prince William Sound taken while he was working from the M/V Auklet. -- The Extreme Nicklaus James Sorum June 29, 1986 – May 22, 2008 Nick came into this world in Prescott, Arizona on the date that was known to wild land firefighters as the “big fire day”. It was named due to large fires

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-4814617293713319352008-01-05T15:08:00.000-09:002008-01-05T15:14:41.304-09:00

After several years of effort and innumerable public meetings of the Port Commission, Planning and Zoning Commission, and City Council, the City of Valdez finally approved their Waterfront Master Plan on 3 December 2007. This master planning effort began as effort to address future growth along the Port Valdez waterfront. The Port Commission could see the danger of unplanned coastal development

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-19951815023641408492007-11-06T17:25:00.000-09:002007-11-08T16:54:23.846-09:00

I take part in a blogging activity known as the Absolute Write Blogchain. It's a process were each participant takes a previously posted blog entry from another person playing in the effort and carries the thread forward with their own thoughts. The results can be entertaining and thought provoking. Shauna at Playing With Words relates her experience with a recent job interview where she

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-58958285734614019112007-10-12T16:08:00.000-08:002007-10-12T16:20:09.676-08:00

I had a chance last week to participate in an awards ceremony with recipients of the Superior Outreach Award from the National Assembly of Sea grant Extension Program Leaders (ASGEPL). Three Louisiana Sea Grant/LSU AgCenter Extension Agents, Albert "Rusty" Gaude' from Plaquemines Parish, Kevin Savoie from Southwest Louisiana, and Mark Schexnayder from Southeast Louisiana were honored for their

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-20818324389111577232007-10-07T11:59:00.000-08:002007-10-07T12:17:24.707-08:00

Gillian at Food History says in her post for Absolute Write Blogchain No. 11, "I think this calls for chocolate. Eat it while fully focused and aware of every microsecond of smooth richness, then breeze on over to A View From The Waterfront, to see where this chain goes next." This combined with Jim Melvin's introspection at The Death Wizard Chronicles and a love for chocolate leaves me to make a

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-92190256364831655412007-09-21T13:08:00.000-08:002007-09-21T13:17:36.008-08:00

Anan Creek is internationally known as one of the most productive Pink salmon streams in North America, making it by default a unmatched location for viewing both Black and Brown bears. Anan Creek is located on the north shore of the Cleveland Peninsula, just south of Wrangell Island and north of Ketchikan. Wrangell resident Bonnie Demerjian has authored Anan: Stream of Living Water, an

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-13247482873459100012007-08-15T12:00:00.000-08:002007-08-15T13:21:00.421-08:00

I just had a work published by the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program on Clean Boating as part of their Alaska Seas & Coasts series. The publication is available in print form for the cost of mailing or can be downloaded at the ASG Website. The Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program (MAP) is part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Funding comes

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-75005226511129159392007-07-08T12:01:00.000-08:002007-07-08T12:15:44.455-08:00

I have launched an on-line magazine that will deliver focused articles on things unique to Alaska. Articles will be on the towns, sights, rivers, wildlife and adventures found in the Great Land. It is called Information About Alaska (IAA) and I will write about places I have personally experience here in Alaska. The first two articles stem from a recent trip to Kennecott and McCarthy, historic

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-31257034199106587772007-06-17T12:51:00.000-08:002007-06-17T13:35:45.167-08:00

I have been on a high technology safety kick at Suite101 with a focus on man overboard devices. Topics comprise man overboard alarms, personal locator beacons (PLB), the MOB Guardian System and engine kill switches There is growing interest in this field and new ideas are arriving everyday. Your own crew situation will dictate the most effective solution available for your vessel. Single-handed

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-16765840888339818212007-06-08T07:50:00.000-08:002007-06-08T21:15:27.082-08:00

Gillian took us through a twisting, if not torturous path concerning comfort food. Was it a lack of sleep? Alas, there is no macaroni and cheese to be found. It seems so unfair. If I followed the path presented correctly, the discussion leads from comfort food to possibly food safety or food security. I know it’s a bit of stretch, but I'll still take it. Many people live on the coast of Alaska

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-79190395146837894082007-05-22T23:48:00.000-08:002007-05-23T07:50:59.349-08:00

I had a huge surprise today at a luncheon hosted by the USCG Valdez Marine Safety Unit. I was given the Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award. Outside the awards given for lifesaving, this is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a civilian by the Commandant. The recognition is good, but seeing your work affirmed by someone else is great. The citation for the award is found below. -

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-6517069678519128192007-04-27T10:25:00.000-08:002007-04-27T11:04:03.328-08:00

Support for responsible travel continues to grow. In Alaska, the cruise ship industry was surprised to see grassroots support of a legislative initiative taxing their passengers to pay for port infrastructure and environmental compliance oversight. Travelers have concerns over the impact their vacations may cause to the environment. I have written several articles on responsible, clean boating

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-85140638778462096022007-02-08T19:08:00.000-09:002007-02-07T09:13:59.301-09:00

I've had a major change in my life occur here. I've just been hired as City Manager in Skagway, Alaska. After seven years as Harbormaster in Valdez, it's time to expand my horizons. Skagway is located in northern Southeast Alaska and is a major cruise ship destination. It was the jumping off point of the Yukon gold rush and has preserved much of the history from these major events of over a

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-62311744291449232482007-01-14T15:41:00.000-09:002007-01-16T16:07:03.225-09:00

We had a close call with a 28-foot sport boat last night. Snow buried the vessel and its bilge pump was inoperative. About four feet of snow have hit Valdez Harbor within as many days, placing a great deal of weigh on the unshoveled vessel. The aft through-hull fittings were underwater and luckily, they didn't provide additional problems for the boat. The boat was listing to one side and had a

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-34909573186943693042006-12-28T00:32:00.000-09:002006-12-28T12:22:26.104-09:00

We had a sport fishing charter boat sink in the small boat harbor this last week. The vessel Double Trouble seems aptly named now. After insuring there was no risk from oil pollution by placing an adsorbent boom around the boat, harbor personnel removed the vessel from the water. An investigation revealed the failure of a flexible bilge pump hose connected to a thru hull fitting located a

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-36485509758252498472006-12-08T09:20:00.000-09:002006-12-10T18:15:32.053-09:00

A group of freelance writer's at Absolute Write (AW) have actively participated in what we call the Absolute Write Blogchain. There are many benefits for those that play a part in the experience. We operate under these basic guidelines: First person in the chain finds the last post of the last post and takes an element from that to base their blog post on so that the previous chain and this

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-4666906201169345482006-12-07T22:09:00.000-09:002006-12-07T22:17:05.006-09:00

I had my first article published in the December 2006 issue of Pacific Fishing magazine. It was on infrastructure improvements made by the City of Valdez to better support the commercial fishing industry. We have been doing a lot to improve harbor facilities and encourage fishermen to deliver here and work out of our harbor. I have a couple more articles in the mill for Pacific Fishing

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-88546374607732142062006-11-29T09:26:00.000-09:002006-11-29T11:19:10.293-09:00

Marine VHF radios are an important item to have in your boating safety toolbox. BoatU.S. just issued this press release announcing the availability of online training in VHF use. I would suggest that regular passengers on your boat take the course and learn to use the radio in case the regular skipper isn't able. -- BOATU.S. FOUNDATION'S ONLINE VHF RADIO TUTORIAL DEBUTS By broadcasting your

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-19414993018030469842006-11-21T08:44:00.000-09:002006-11-21T19:55:56.890-09:00

Teddy Gross is one of my fellow conspirators at Absolute Write and with some self-described reservations, is an avid blogger. Most importantly, Teddy is a writer and he uses a number of venues to effectively communicate his thoughts with others. Yesterday evening, I received an email from Teddy telling me that he had posted a review of A View From the Waterfront. Teddy has been good enough to

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-69300076530154520412006-11-13T14:20:00.001-09:002006-11-13T14:54:23.133-09:00

We had a boat get loose last night and one of the many reasons this happened was because of this cleat. The harbor is constantly talking to boaters that try to install their own cleats. Our newer floats avoid using them as much as possible. To work properly, a cleat needs to be bolted clear through a main structural member of the finger float. A couple of small lag bolts won't protect your boat

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-1163011685476451462006-11-08T09:40:00.000-09:002006-11-09T09:09:29.598-09:00

Valuable Safety Service Cancelled for Most of the United States In Alaska and many other parts of the United States, boaters could dial *CG to reach the Coast Guard in case of emergency. BoatU.S. Magazine reports in their November 2006 issue that cell service providers have dropped due this service in part to inconsistent availability and application of the system. Alaska will remain the

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-1162084727210880972006-10-28T17:07:00.000-08:002006-11-09T09:09:29.409-09:00

Jeff Johnson, Boating Law Administrator for the Alaska Office of Boating Safety was just elected as President of the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). NASBLA is a national organization deeply involved with promoting boating safety and helps set standards for training across the country. I have known Jeff for many years, first meeting him in 1999 during the

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-1161468619160555992006-10-21T13:51:00.000-08:002006-11-09T09:09:29.285-09:00

Yesterday morning we had two boats destroyed by fire in the marina. The likely cause was an electrical heater place on one of the boats in preparation for winter storage. We were lucky the fire department responded so quickly, two boats were burning and third was starting to smolder. We yarded the boats immediately with concerns for sinking and environmental damage. Both owners had insurance

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21684025.post-1160610230903680102006-10-11T15:36:00.000-08:002006-11-09T09:09:29.124-09:00

On 10 October 2006, the City of Valdez was hammered by a major flooding event. The jet stream turned directly towards Prince William Sound, carrying moist, warm air directly at us. There was one twenty-four hour period here were in rained over 5 inches. Up until 10 October, the rain had been steady and the saturated ground couldn't handle the additional loading. The warm rain also melted a lot

Harbormasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12165193433509649154noreply@blogger.com