Thank you to our awesome crew!

The salmon season is officially over. Our nets are pulled and stacked, gear is stored and slated for repairs, summer cabins are boarded up until next year, and we've said goodbye to our crew members. These interesting, highly capable people who made our fishing lives possible this summer inspire deep feelings of gratitude with their laughter, filling our nautical world with music, gardening, fantastic food, philosophical discussions, and beautiful art. They pushed themselves past physical discomfort with relish, aggressively sought to be the fastest fish pickers, dealt with lots of stormy, wet weather with equanimity, hauling and heaving uncomplainingly. You might be surprised how people don't know how to work (hard) and use their bodies to control tight lines and work through sore muscles and tendons. Not so with Lizza, Adam, Ky, and Emma, who all demonstrated par excellence how to get it done, what ever the immediate job, right alongside us.

Commercial fishermen face obstacles that come in many different shades, one being the close quarters we inhabit for three and a half months. Working on the water together, then sharing all our meals family-style, and finally sleeping close enough to hear each others' breathing can be draining. Essentially, there is no break from each other and we end up seeing into each other's barefaced souls. Let me tell you, all of us have our annoying idiosyncrasies and it takes extra effort to ignore or overlook these after long fishing days under the midnight sun. Appreciation wells up in us for their ability to overcome challenging situations and make the summer flow seamlessly together. 

They've departed now for various corners of the country, and we have no doubt they will do well and find their niches in the world. Some we will see next year, but we hope to see all back in Uganik at some juncture. As the saying goes, be careful of what you get good at, because you'll be doing it for a very long time. 

Lizza, Adam, Ky, and Emma: You ROCK! Thank you for everything. 

~Tollef and Adelia