New's Years Eve of 1999 was a big party. There I was with the most beautiful woman in the world standing and kissing at midnight. I asked that question, would you marry me? Of course I did not have a ring so she agreed to marry me if I gave her a ring. We celebrated all night and rang in 1999 in Dana's 420 sq foot lover's haven in Greenwich Village waiting to look forward to exploring life together. The next day came and with a bloody marry under my belt I bought an antique 1920's wedding ring from a Bleecker St store titled Jeweler. We dressed up and went to the coolest place I could think of in New York City, The World Trade Tower's 106th floor Window's of the World. She said yes and immediately called her mom, from the pay phone in the lobby.
4 days later I flew back to Alaska to fish cod and pollack on the Commercial Fishing Vessel, Icy Mist. We had not set a date or decided on a location before I left NYC. Dana continued to work as an actress and bartender in New York City. We wrote a few letters back and forth and I would call her when we came in from the fishing grounds. I wanted to elope in Alaska and she wanted a big grand wedding in Michigan. We compromised, let's do both. We just won't tell anyone we were married in Alaska before our wedding in Michigan. Works for me. Why not.After several attempts I talked Dana into coming up to Alaska for the summer to fish. I didn't think a Salmon Seine boat would be a very good place for Dana as a New York City Greenhorn so I found a set net site called Pilgrim that needed 2 crew members to help run the site. I met with Dave McCormick to see if we could work a deal. I had already been fishing for 7 years in Kodiak on many different boats and seasons. He seemed like a nice guy and was impressed with my fishing resume. He hired Dana unseen and gave us full shares for The Pilgrim set net site on the edge of Uganik Bay looking out on the Shelikof Strait. I knew the area but had never been to any set net sites. I was not quite sure what I was getting us into when I agreed but I set the date for a June 1st departure to the Kodiak bush with a hand shake.
Kodiak is also known as the Emerald island but locals call it "The Rock", the second largest island in the United States with only 90 miles of road and about 13,000 residents. The island itself was first settled in 1784 by Russian Grigory Shelikhov and after the 1867 Alaska Purchase the island was used mostly for hunting and fox farming. The Baranov Museum in Kodiak is the best resource for detailed Kodiak info. Plus Katie Oliver is a really nice local running it. Two major natural catastrophes occurred on the island. One in 1912 when Mount Novarupta erupted and covered the city in several feet of ash. Then there is the famous 1964 Good Friday Tsunami when the largest recorded earthquake hit near Anchorage. The downtown of Kodiak was devastated. The Shelikof Hotel used to have the photos on the lobby wall and I loved looking at them. Kodiak is rich in history and the town really grew in the WWII times. The book "Thousand Mile War" describes in more detail how Kodiak had at one time 60,000 troops on the island. The famous Pillar Mountain used to be home to hugh radar screens and communication buildings otherwise known as White Alice. There are gun turrets, look outs, multi-level hillside bunkers, hidden bunkers and Quanza Huts all over the Kodiak area.
Dana flew into Anchorage in a mini-skirt and high heels where I had my buddy Rami's Limo service pick her up and we cruised Anchorage with a bottle of the bubbly. Alaska rocks! We took our time staying in Seward, stopping all along the Kenei Pennisula and arriving in Homer a day before the ferry. Of course we drove Kachemak Bay and drank a Foster's Oil can at The Salty Dawg Saloon. That place amazes me to this day. When the ferry is around you almost always bump into people you know waiting for the ferry.
We took the Tustumena ferry for 12 hours to Kodiak Island. It was a bit rough but nothing the old Tusty couldn't handle. The ride to Kodiak had 10-15 ft waves but otherwise no major problems. We docked in Kodiak and we went straight to Monashka Bay where I had a 3 bedroom house over looking Three Sisters Mountains and Monashka Bay. So far Dana was holding her own and adapting to her surroundings. I do think she was in a bit of culture shock from this place. She was definitely thinking to herself what did I get myself into. Dana was not quite sure how Alaska would be since you really can't compare Kodiak Island to New York City. The weather was nice for Kodiak, some sunny days maybe high 60's on a nice day and rainy and 50's most other days. Dana drank Alaskan Amber's with the boys at Henry's and Crown and Coke's at Tony's. She even cleaned up the pool table at the B&B Bar. I love how tough this 5' 11", 135 pound New York City Actress can adapt to Kodiak, of which I always considered this place as an outpost. A place beyond the end of the road. 
We got some gear at Mack's in town and picked up our Orange Grundens and Xtra-Tuff boots at Alaska Ship Supply where Myron was running the store. We headed back to the party pad and threw a pre-wedding party at the Monashka house. All my fishing buddies were putting bets on how long Dana was going to make it out at the set net site. Some were as quick as 1 day others said 2 weeks. No one said she would make it for the whole summer season. We drank Alaskan Amber on tap and had steaks and fresh halibut cheeks on the grill. We had great weather to enjoy the outdoors on our wrap around porch where our pet eaglet we feed hangs out 3 trees down. It was so cool hanging out with the Eagles with good food on a beautiful Kodiak Day. 
That weekend was Crab Fest 1999 and Dana got to explore town when it is probably at it's peak for things to do and people to see. That year was very emotional for me. The Lin J had just sunk, The Evanick sank going to Togiak and the Sea wolf was lost at sea. I lost Disco Dave the summer before and it was actually the first time I went to the fisherman's memorial. Man I still get wells in my eyes just thinking about that day. I video taped it and to this day I still can't watch that video. It reminds you... Life is Short. In Alaska death lurks closer. That adrenalin of flirting with Death drives some to fall in love with Alaska while others go crazy. Most lower 48's that venture up break and the strong that can make it thrive.
It had 2 bedrooms, a loft, a kitchen and a living area. The wood burning stove was the only heating source and we were lucky enough to have a hose from the stream close by so we had running cold stream water into the sink area for dishes or cooking. Unfortunately the bathroom was the three walled building up on the hill and it was many a cold morning when you had to hike up the hill in the rain to use the head. When it was really blowing, like all of a June that year, there was no escape from the wind and blowing rain while you did your business. We also didn't have a shower so the Banya or Sauna on the far left is where we would heat up cold stream water to wash up in. The problem with that was when it was blowing more than 25 knots you couldn't build a fire due to the wind blowing down the flu and the wood could never dry since it rained every day in June. No exaggerating, it was a record rain fall year, it rained at least once every day in June. So welcome to Pilgrim Set Net site.
It was not easy those first few days. Set netting is not hard but when the fish are running it is time consuming and sometimes even a bit back breaking when you have to clean out the hook end. One way to describe a set net site is where you have one end of the net tied to a rock and the gill net has anchors every 50 feet on both sides to hold it in place during the hard tides. The net has corks to allow the net to float and small sinkers on the bottom of the net to keep the net as vertical as possible during the big tides in Alaska. At the end of the net you make an arrow shape where you leave one opening headed into the hook end where the fish get trapped and eventually get stuck in the gill net. We would pick the net with our 22' skiff that had net rollers on the bow and the stern. The net goes through the two rollers and you pick the fish out as they come into the skiff and you basically drive up the net. Once you get to the hook end you grab onto the net and walk it up with your hands as you check for fish and pick them. Picking is what it is called as you release the salmon from the gill net. Sometimes the fish tosses around so much the net goes over their gills 3,4 or even more times. There is an artwork when it comes to not only picking, but picking quick. Also you try not to cut the net too much when you are picking. The more you cut the net up the more holes you make that you either have to repair later or where a fish might get through. It made it easier to fix the net if you had less cuts because on a down day when fishing is closed most of the set net sites go through the nets and repair the bigger holes.
Dana caught on pretty quick and did a good job learning the ropes. There were moments when the fish were coming on too fast and Dave started to get on her about being quicker. We picked the net 4 times a day and delivered to our tender boat the Shearwater once a day around 3-4pm. We had the 22' picking skiff and the 24' open skiff with 2 totes in it where we kept the fresh fish that we delivered every day. Some days we had to deliver twice in a day because we were on hot fishing. Pilgrim seemed to be a good site. Most of the Uganik Bay sites are similar but I always liked being closer to the cape and thought we had a better chance in getting more Sockeye Salmon or "Reds" on the outside of the bay. We were definitely out on the Shelikof and the site next to us was on the cape itself. That site was about 3 miles away and Noisy Island set net site was about 2-3 miles towards the inside of the bay. Uganik bay is over 20 miles long depending on where you start measuring.
Life was good. For me being out in the bush seems to be a natural fit. Dana on the other hand was struggling with the ruggedness of the outdoor bathroom and the no shower problem. During those first few weeks the three of us seemed to get along ok and catch some fish at the same time. Then the big day came. Summer solstice 1999, June 21st. We had obtained a marriage license from the court for $25 to have Dave marry us at the set net site. We had the Tender Captain, Frank his girlfriend, Beth and their deckhand, Jon come on shore as witnesses. The Cape Uganik Site next to us came over also which made 6 total guests to watch us get married.
We had walked the beach several times when we first got there and noticed at low to mid tide there was a natural arch that formed a Tunnel at the end of our rocky beach. The other side had a small beach area with a cool rock structure that stood about 3 feet high and looked like a natural alter. I laid out some items that meant a few things to us, used an old buoy I found for a candle holder and there you go a place to get married. The week before I made a magic wand made of willow and deer sinew with all natural leather wrappings. This was Dana's bouquet. Dana dressed in a white dress that was off the rack but very elegant for a beach wedding. A graceful white shaw gave it some flair and a bit more warmth on the gray day in the low 50's. The rainy day made for a slight adjustment to the ensamble to include a nice Columbia rain coat. The magic continued with the natural wild flowers sewn into a headress. She sported sandles of the finest quality and nice warm wool socks.
The tunnel was perfect and I waited nervously for Dana to come through the tunnel of love as we called it. Dana had found white stones that looked like hearts and put them all over the shelves around the tunnel. 
I stood there next to the alter in the finest hemp long sleeve African shirt, blue cords, Timberline boats and the same 1999 stocking cap I purchased in Times Square on New Year's Eve. The hair was down and just washed and a full trimmed beard rounded out the Alaskan look. The service was quick with our own vows written and an exchange of some temporary rings. My ring was still being made in NYC and hers was definitely too nice to be out fishing with us. So we used an old traditional wave ring and a turchoise indian ring. It worked and was practical. Dave did a nice job and to be honest I was so nervous that I don't remember much of what he said. We had a few laughs and jokes and Dave made it light hearted. 
We tied the knot with an awkward kiss due to the uneven rocks and decided we needed to kiss again. We all walked back to the Pilgrim for homemade Wedding Cake. We had a rock star cake right down to the hand made toothpick stick figures, natural wild flowers from the hill and peach preserves mixed into a vanilla iced double Decker masterpiece. Thanks Chef Beth from our tender, The Shearwater. The Capers brought over funky margarita glasses and we toasted home made beer and wine to start the party!
We ate some cake and made a quick trip up to check on the honeymoon tent. I thought it would be cool to not be in the same cabin with Dave the night we got married so I set up a tent on the bluff over looking the entire Bay and Strait. It was beautiful. Dana was very surprised and we laughed at how funny this wedding was. We drank a Rainier and I battened down the tarp so we could go to our reception.
Where? That's right every year in the heart of Uganik Bay is the Set-Netters Summer Solstice get together. So off we went. We piled into the Cape Uganik Skiff which was faster than ours and off we went. The island was finally turning a green that was so deep and beautiful. The whole Bay is amazing. It had been raining all day but seemed to clear up just for our wedding and skiff ride into the bay.
Now you have to understand the only communication was by VHF radio. All the sites had a handle and some loved to tie up the lines babbling about odd things but usually talking fish. Well on June 21st of 1999, the main talk on the VHF was of our marriage and the Solstice party. We didn't really know it but when we pulled up to the party it turned into a reception type of welcome. The next thing we know everyone is congratulating us, giving us cheers and toasts and making us kiss.Our reception attire consisted of bright Orange Grundens rain gear over the top of Heavy duty Flannels and comfortable slacks. We met some great people and learned to put a face to the voice from the VHF. Times were great and the picture below was just about midnight. We had to work in the morning and still wanted to get to the honeymoon tent so we got out of there with Dave falling down trying to get into the skiff.
We cruised under the moon as the horizon had deep oranges over the majestic volcanoes on the other side of the Strait. On a clear day the Land of Ten Thousand Smokes is approximately 25-50 miles away to the base of some crazy topography that is so unique. I fished that whole peninsula with Mike Dirkes back in the day on the F/V Golden Girls when we were chasing the Cook Inlet Sockeye Salmon. Dana and I snuggled in the bouncy skiff for the 35 minute ride and finally pulled up to our rocky beach. We went straight away up to our tent Palace and enjoyed our view one last time before sleeping together for the first time as husband and wife.
The next day we got to sleep in to 9 and we were picking fish side by side at 10:30am. That was a big pick since we hadn't picked the net since noon the day before. There we were, hung over in a bouncing 22' skiff picking Sockeyes as newlyweds. We ate left over cake that day and slept in the tent that night also. This time we went to bed early, 11:30pm, and sleeping with my new wife high on a bluff in our tent was a moment I never would forget.
About a week later there was some extreme weather and there had been a closure for 36 hours. When Fish and Game opened the fishing back up there was 5-8 ft waves breaking on our beach. We had steady winds over 40 from the SW and gusts over 60. The tides can change quick in the Shelikof. You do not want to underestimate this large Strait. One minute you might be in 5-10 footers and then wham, it's blowing 50 with 15-25 foot seas. When the tide bucks into the wind or as it's going SW against the tide the seas build quick and get steep, especially on the Capes. We couldn't set out. It was too rough even to get off the beach let alone to have a net in the skiff where you have to attach it to the Main Line. Hanging the Hook can go quick in good weather but in rough seas it is easy to get into trouble quick. When I was working as a Skiff Man on Salmon Seiners I was trained to always ware a life Jacket in a skiff. Mike Dirkes would never let me in the skiff without my Mustang Jump suit on. That training instilled in me good safe boating. Since it was a closure we walked the beach a bit and when we got back to the cabin we heard the mayday. A skiff on the other side of the bay went out to try and set in the weather and got into trouble. A big wave hit them and swamped the skiff. A willoway came off the mountain with gusts over 70 and with the additional weight from the net on board it flipped the skiff quick. None of the three set netters had life jackets on. It was lucky that the site next door went over to check on them and saw their boat flipped. He safed David the young crew member. The young couple from Hawaii both passed away. The woman was found but could not be resuscitated and her young husband was never found. The local set netters were devastated. My old skipper, Mike Dirkes, was fishing in near by Uyak Bay and he came over to search for the lost fisherman and called over to Pilgrim to make sure we were OK. It was a turning point in my fishing career. I had lost 9 friends in the past 6 months... Alaska is tough and in a blink it can take a life. I am proud at how my new bride endured life in the Kodiak Bush.
We fished till late August and caught over 60,000 pounds of Sockeye Salmon. We went to town once during the summer for 2 days and Dana even impressed my fishing buddies to gain a tiny bit of respect. My buddies were pretty tough on green horns. Dana stood up for herself and didn't take crap from anyone. We caught a 67 pound King Salmon one day and used hand lines with cod to catch fresh Halibut just off the rock piles. We shot a deer one day for fresh meat and every once in a while we would get a care package from family delivered to us from the Shearwater. One of the highlights of the summer was when it was 6-10 foot seas and Dana is puking in the skiff and worked right through it for the whole pick. Awesome toughness. We built great beach fires, had singing on the beach while playing pots and pans for drums and enjoyed the wondrous beauty of Uganik Island. Not such a highlight is Dana crying her eyes out trying to light a fire in the banya so she could take a bath and the wind was blowing so hard that a fire could not be built. I got some fresh dry wood and warmed her water so she could clean up at least a little bit. The last would be my grumpy soul missing my best friend that had passed away 5 years before. She cheered me up and got me back on track again. If we can fish together for almost 3 months in the bush we should be able to endure any obstacle in the real world.
We went back to Michigan and had a really expensive awesome hugh wedding. Yes it was grand and it was very special to have all our family and friends there to celebrate with us. I'll never forget either one. Two different styles with the same affect, we got married. We honeymooned at the Airport Mesa Blue Sky Ranch in Sedona Arizona. It was a little fancier than my tent. We decided not to move to NYC or live in Alaska so we moved to Kealakakua, on the Big Island of Hawaii.
It's now been 13 years. Happy Anniversary my most beautiful bride. If we can fish in Kodiak together we can do anything... I love you.
#tropicalwaterlife @tropicalwaterlife #Kodiak #Alaska #Pilgrim #Setnetfishing #Sockeye #Uganik #Shelikov
