Day 61 29 September Hokkaidō and the Sea of Japan

Today we had our first glimpse of Japan as we sail around the northern island of Hokkaido.

The misty mountains of the most northerly of Japan's islands. It looks foreboding but the seas were quite calm.

Today we saw a presentation on Japanese Ghosts and also on the Ainu people who are the indigenous people. The latter was frightening, as they did to the Ainu exactly what other colonial governments did to their indigenous peoples.  Horrible.

Day 60 28 September Pacific Ocean

Today we are still cruising ever so slowly. We had two talks today, one on Kimonos and another on raising the K-129 Soviet submarine that had sunk in the Pacific. It was a bit of an espionage story involving the CIA and Howard Hughes as the cover story. You should Google it if you are interested.

Khalili Collection Kimono 02 - Kimono - Wikipedia

Soviet submarine K-129 (1960) - Wikipedia

We also heard more about yesterday's talk on Japanese Cuisine. These talks on Japanese culture are given by a Canadian former diplomat. He said that the worst meal he has ever had in Japan was when a friend took him to this very special restaurant with only one item on the menu - sperm sacs! Yes, apparently as horrible as it sounds. These sacs are from cod. Perhaps not all that different from caviar, which is considered a delicacy.  He said that the only way he could eat them (not wishing to offend his Japanese friend) was to swallow them whole, swill lots of beer, and think of .... Canada!

Day 59 27 September Pacific Ocean

 Our first day in the Pacific Ocean. Today we had talks on Japanese history and Japanese culture.

We had high tea on the ship. Just as Stephen slips into a diabetic coma and he hasn't eaten anything yet!

This evening, we had an interesting talk on Japanese art. We saw pictures of very beautiful painted screens. The Japanese depiction of nature in their art is most impressive.

Day 58 26 September Bering Sea (still)

Today we walked on the deck but very breezy, so we had to cut across the ship in one section as it was very difficult to walk.
We watched lectures on Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace and their contribution to evolutionary theory and a very engaging presentation on Made in Japan. It was nostalgic to see int the past what we had bought as a result of Japanese consumerism and how they developed markets that were never there. 

Day 57 25 September Bering Sea (still)

It did cloud over a little as the day went on. It was very windy in one section on the walking deck, so we would cut across the inside of the ship to skip that part. We did have to factor that into the number of rotations we walked. Apparently five laps of the deck is equal to one mile. I'm not sure if the calories we "burn" walking the deck counteracts the number of calories ingested!  

We had talks today on Marine Art, and how Oceans have influenced our culture, and in particular our language. The expression "son of a gun" is a nautical reference, alluding to the possibility that you were conceived either on top of or under a ship's cannon! 

In the evening there was an excellent talk on "Working Dogs". It is quite humbling to witness what incredible skills some of these dogs have. The more amazing stories were about dogs that are able to detect cancer and breast cancer, at a higher success rate than mammograms.  Now that is what I call a Lab(rador) report.

Day 56 24 September Bering Sea (still)

 We saw lectures on cartography (map making), the Bayeaux tapestry, and about cultural differences in Japan.  The sea has been remarkably calm.

Just an endless series of photos of calm seas and away from the ship the sea was glassy.

Day 55 22 September Bering Sea

We are still sailing north of the Aleutian Islands and experiencing a little swelling, if that's the right turn of phrase. Today we had talks on the artists who were either on Cook's Endeavour or The Beagle, with Charles Darwin onboard. 

There was another lecture on Cook and the North-west Passage, and we were reminded that some of the space shuttles were named after his ships - the Endeavour and the Discovery. He was such a good navigator that some of his maps are still used in New Zealand!

The Bering Sea divides Eurasia from the Americas. It is named after Danish Vitus Bering who, in 1728, working for the Russians, was the first European to systematically explore the sea.

Could the Bering Sea be any more calm?

Tonight, we cross the International Date Line so there will be no blog entry for 23 September, it will jump to the 24 September. The plus side is that we only lose 23 hours as we get an extra hour's sleep.

Day 54 21 September Dutch Harbor

We arrived in Dutch Harbor and awoke to the sounds of these sea lions. (Elizabeth first thought it was the neighbour's hacking cough from the balcony.) The photo is a bit hazy due to low light.

Dutch Harbor is on Amaknak Island, in Unalaska, Alaska. Captain Cook named it after sighting a Dutch ship there. When the Russians occupied it, they exploited the native Aleut by taxing them in fur pelts. 

Dawn was quite beautiful.

The Museum of the Aleutians was an unimpressive building from the outside but was well designed inside. Here it mirrors the inside of a traditional Aleut building.  It was very crowded inside, but you can't tell from our photos.

Here at the Russian Orthodox Church, we saw a very cheeky red fox who seemed to be unafraid of humans.

A foxy lady. Wildlife abounds here as there was a bald Eagle + nest only 50 metres away.

The Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Ascension.

The church holds a very important collection of artefacts. Many of the smaller churches were forcibly closed and their artefacts are housed here. During the war they were packed up but affected by mould. Many of the artefacts/icons are very dark and hardly visible to the naked eye. You can see those along the back wall. To help protect them, they had used a mixture of oil and then later shellac which didn't help. It is very expensive to restore so we don't gripe about the entry fee. They will need a lot of visitors just to get one image restored.

The church's graveyard overlooking the harbour. Rain was predicted this afternoon but so far, we have been lucky.

The Visitor Centre and World War II museum. The upstairs of this WW2 building housed meteorological equipment which provided navy pilots and ship captains with weather forecasts.

Dutch Harbor was one of the few sites in the United States to be bombed during World War II. The U.S. naval codebreakers predicted a Japanese attack and warned Dutch Harbor. In June 1942, twenty Japanese planes from two Japanese aircraft carriers bombed the harbour. One of the guest lecturer’s father-in-law was present in the battle, serving on the USS Talbot, which was a WWI vintage destroyer. He was responsible for shooting down the only Japanese aircraft that day. The Zero fighter was retrieved and rebuilt and flown in evaluation trials to help them design better aircraft, as well as develop tactics to fight the Japanese.  

Castner's Cutthroats was the unofficial name for the 1st Alaskan Combat Intelligence Platoon (Provisional), also known as Alaskan Scouts. The unit was to perform reconnaissance missions in the Aleutian Islands. They were chosen based on their survival skills in the Alaskan wilderness which often included natives. The name "Castner's Cutthroats" was given by the military war correspondents, but the name preferred by the men was Alaska Scouts. Many soldiers owed their lives to them.  This is their shoulder patch

The theatre shoulder patch worn by US servicemen.

US servicemen would use fire extinguishers to build a still so they could manufacture alcohol. During the war, Dutch Harbor was also used to house refugees evacuated from other islands. By May 1943, a peak of 10,151 sailors and 9,976 soldiers were stationed at the base.

The meteorological centre upstairs. It overlooks what the locals call their international airport, which is funny as their only flights go to Anchorage. 

On June 6, Japanese invaded and occupied Kiska Island where all ten Navy personnel defending the island were taken prisoner. The following day, the Japanese landed on Attu Island and took 42 Unangan natives as prisoners. Many of them died in captivity. Because of the war, many of the natives were forcibly removed, had to live in dreadful conditions, for which the US government should hang their heads in shame.  

When the natives returned, often their homes and possessions were looted.

Dutch Harbor is close to some of the richest fishing in the world, and it is ice-free, with over a billion dollars of fish caught each year, especially pollock and cod. The Bering Sea has one of the world's largest continental shelves, supporting a rich ecosystem. Just ask these sea lions. 

Looking back at Dutch Harbor. There is also a bay on the other side where the main town is.

Sailing out of Dutch Harbor as the pilot boat leaves.

Looking back at Dutch Harbor as we leave.

Whales off the starboard bow. We are not sure of the species. The ship's captain came on later to tell us that we can see whales on both sides of the ship and that he has slowed down as the ocean is "infested" with them.

Day 53 20 September Gulf of Alaska

Today was a sailing day and we watched an unpublished film of Dr Charles Berger's from 1979. It was like reality TV about people who lived an alternative lifestyle on the Yukon River. There were some really interesting characters, who for a variety of reasons had chosen to forgo the conveniences of modern civilisation. It was confronting to watch the shooting of a black bear, and even more startling to watch this young woman slit the carcass from neck to tail as she learned how to degut it. This meant that back in 1979, PBS was not willing to buy the rights.

Some glorious weather, so we were very lucky.

The afternoon lecture was on the great projects in Alaska, The highway and the pipeline.

We had an evening lecture on the naval Battle of Midway 1942 and the lecturer to my mind did an almost perfect job. He was also able to tie the events of Midway to our next stop at Dutch Harbor.

Could these be the Northern Lights? The sun has already set, and the moon has risen, and the ship was heading north? Elizabeth says that I am mistaken. It was a very cloudy night and I did have three glasses of wine.

Day 52 19 September Kodiak

Kodiak has a population of just under 6,000 people and is an island as well. The Alutiq people have lived here for over 7,000 years. The Russians first sighted Kodiak Island in 1741. In 1778, Captain Cook explored the area and wrote of "Kodiak" in his journals. The next year the Spanish also reached the area.  
 
It was settled in 1792 by the Russians who called it Paul’s Harbour. They enslaved the local people, forcing them to hunt sea otters. That enslavement lasted for over 150 years. By the mid-19th century, the sea otter was almost extinct and 85% of the First Nations population had disappeared from exposure to European diseases and violence.

The oldest building in Alaska, built in 1808, is the Russian-American Magazin. This was a storage facility, and it is the correct spelling. It is now the Kodiak Historical Museum.

A bust of Tsar Alexander I. His armies fought against Napoleon.

Russian coins.

The influence of the Russian Orthodox Church.

This half of a Kodiak Bear, a sub-species, was a novelty in a curio shop. It was only half a bear because the back end was too mangy to taxidermy. Two of the front teeth had to be replaced as they had fallen out after so many people had touched them. The local dentist had done a cast and replaced them. I am not sure I would use him. Perhaps it was done under Medicare-bear.

Kodiak has suffered two natural disasters in the 20th century: There was a volcanic ashfall from a 1912 volcanic eruption (about 30cm of ash was deposited) destroying crops and devastating the fishing industry for four years. The 1964 Alaska earthquake which affected the entire area it seems, also affected Kodiak,

FUN FACT 
The US Navy operates a small training base nearby where they train their Navy SEALS

 in cold weather survival and advanced tactics.

We visited the Russian Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church. It was very attractive inside, and look at the almost cloudless skies!

 

Here are the remains of St Herman who was the first canonised saint in North America.

Saint Innocent, Bishop of Irkutsk, was made a saint when his body did not decompose.

These church bells have been replaced over time.

There is also a Russian Orthodox Chapel and Seminary. We met a lovely Alutiq (native) priest the Very Rev. Michael Nicolai who was the Seminary Chaplain. He told us that the chapel was an exact replica of what had been there. At the moment they have about 9 people being trained for the priesthood in residence, and local communities are demanding the church have a presence. Baptisms are very popular It was an attractive religion for the native peoples as they shared some of the same beliefs.  

I am not sure that this Kodiak Bear outside the Kodiak Wildlife Refuge is life size. There was a prehistoric bear that probably was that size though.

Their static displays were good, and all the animals were sculptures, so presumably kids can touch them.

This was a great way to display to kids the variety of foods that bears eat.

The annual Kodiak Crab Festival involves the official Pardoning of the Crab. A crab is given a crab themed name, and then saved from the crab pot by a special guest, to live at the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center Aquarium. In 2019 the special crab was named Sheldon, and in 2021, it was Lenny Crabitz.

There are several bars that claim to be the oldest, all built in the same year.

Personalized number plates.

The weather was brilliant today.