The sea passage Kodiak-Unalaska
The route from Kodiak all the way to Unalaska is only served once a month during the summer period, from May to September. This one being the last trip of the season you may understand how all previous and following flights and accommodations hinged on this sailing, with no room for temper tantrum hiccups.
M/V Tustumena was built in 1964 and since then underwent several modifications. They say that she is set to be decommissioned as soon as a replacement ship is built, but I’m afraid that may take some more years.
The crew were all extremely friendly, from the officers to the purser, from the waiting staff to the janitor and the operations staff on the car deck.
The ship has 6 four-berth and 17 two-berth cabins plus 1 wheelchair-accessible two-berth cabin. The cabins have no en-suite facilities; these are communal. It’s a state ferry and not a luxury cruise ship after all. Though there are cabins for up to 60 passengers, the ship is designed to carry 160 passengers. Many don’t need a stateroom for a short trip from one port to the next and several passengers set up camp in different areas of the ship, which is explicitly permitted. On the first leg we were only 28 passengers in total, but I’ve read that on busier trips there is a mad dash by those without a cabin to claim the best “camping sites”.
I had booked an outer two-berth cabin on the bridge deck, and the shared facilities were on the same deck within the area reserved for stateroom passengers.
All common areas and especially the bathrooms were kept squeaky clean throughout the whole trip.
Once on board and in the cabin I hit the hay right away. There would be enough time to explore the ship the next morning. I didn’t even notice when we sailed from Kodiak.
At dawn the weather looked quite promising, though – the rainbow reveals it – the next shower is never too far away. Just as announced on the screen the previous evening, by 9 a.m. we were arriving at Old Harbor.
After this first stop was a good time to further explore the ship. The solarium deck, right by the funnel, is a popular place for passengers without a cabin to set up camp. The area is protected from the wind and is fitted with heating coils to keep people warm.
Up front on the promenade deck is the forward lounge – the main passenger lounge – and on the starboard side, on the way to the dining room, there is another smaller side lounge. Off the forward lounge is also a small play area for kids.
Vehicles have their space down below on the main deck, with a big turntable to aid with loading and unloading. One party came all the way from Maine, some road trip!
We left Old Harbor right on schedule at 10 a.m. for one of the longer segments of the trip. Next stop would be Chignik, from 1:30 to 2:30 a.m. that night. The weather was gorgeous, so all passengers were enjoying it while it lasted. Once we got out of the bay to the open sea, the waves got higher and the seas a bit rougher. At the end of the day we were treated to a gorgeous sunset.
Not exactly IFE, but in the front corners of the forward lounge there are monitors that allow passengers to follow the ship’s position and progress.
At noon the next day, right on schedule, we arrived at Sand Point, another fishing port.
Two high school sports teams boarded here for a competition in King Cove, the following port of call, and all of a sudden the joint was jumping again.
Once the vehicles for this port were rolled off and the ones joining us here were loaded, the car elevator was stowed again and the hatch cover closed.
The meals on board were, how should I say, institutional. Lunch and dinner offerings were the same, consisting of burgers, sandwiches, salads and soups. For today’s lunch I had a tomato soup and a salad.
An update on the schedule:
En route to King Cove we got to see some whales, though too far away for a true wow factor.
We were also treated to nice views of Pavlof Volcano and Pavlof Sister on the Alaska Peninsula followed by interesting rock formations in the background.
The way to King Cove led us through some narrow passages, and the weather started to deteriorate too.
As mentioned, the high school students left the ship here and passengers were also allowed to go ashore if they so wished. While checking out the fishing pots I was treated to the sight of a pair of bald eagles that landed atop a light post.
By the time we left King Cove it started to rain.
As time went on the seas got rougher and the ship’s pitch motion increased. To me it was not unpleasant, but it certainly could be felt. As if it were a lullaby, the movement contributed to me falling asleep rather quickly (to the thought of “the hand that rocks the cradle” or the ‘70s song “Rock the Boat” by The Hues Corporation– I’m giving away my age here…).
During the night and early morning, the ship had called at Cold Bay and False Pass, both stops going unnoticed.
The next morning it was foggy and windy, and ten-foot waves were pounding against the hull.
With the boat rocking a lot, most of the passengers had retreated to their cabins or camping sites, leaving the forward lounge remarkably empty.
Not at all prone to sea sickness I went for lunch (smoked salmon chowder and salad) hoping for the weather to improve.
Fortunately, by 2 p.m. the fog actually started lifting, allowing for a silver lining on the horizon.
Approaching Akutan Island with its volcanic caldera clearly visible straight ahead.
The port of Akutan is right around the corner.
The first ten houses of Akutan, the town’s church and also a small chapel.
At this port of call we were not only allowed but encouraged to go ashore, this time via the car ramp and not the gangway, as a group of native people in traditional costumes had assembled to offer a singing and dancing performance right on the pier.
I wonder whether the sneakers were also part of the original attire.
Time for the last leg of the trip, just three and a half more hours until Unalaska.
Slowly approaching Dutch Harbor.
We docked remarkably on schedule at Dutch Harbor and the time came to disembark. Several of my fellow passengers stayed aboard, as they were continuing all the way back to Kodiak. I and another passenger went looking for a taxi to take us into town, but there were none. We then asked a van driver who had just dropped off some passengers if he could give us a ride to the Grand Aleutian Hotel, to which he replied: “That’s us!” So by a lucky coincidence we got the hotel shuttle to take us where we needed to go.
Thanks for the ride, “Trusty Tusty”.
There are only two hotels worth mentioning in Dutch Harbor, and both are run by UniSea, the same seafood processing company that practically runs the whole town. Though pricier, I chose the Grand Aleutian over the other property as the reviews on that one were not stellar, mainly because it is located right next to the processing plant (high seafood smell component, noise) and has a bar close by (more noise).
Check-in at that hour was immediately and painless, and soon I had my room for the next two nights.
The lobby and the room.
