Picture: Bald Eagles on Dutch Harbor Beach feeding on salmon pieces from fish cleaning activities. We motored all night because the wind had been against us since yesterday but less strong at night. We had a favorable current so we arrived in Dutch Harbor around 09:00 in the morning instead of in the afternoon as we estimated. We saw S/V "Lady Jane" last evening; we had a short conversation on the VHF as they passed us. They also had autopilot issues except they did not solve their problem so the four-person crew took turns steering nearly all the way from Japan. Each person had two hours at the helm and six hours off. I'm glad Ted solved our autopilot issue. I would hate to steer in the cold and damp outside for over 2,000 miles. Anyway, they got to Dutch Harbor a little too early in the morning so they anchored and waited for daylight.

Dutch Harbor is the "fishing capital of the world" according to locals. We saw many ships on the AIS screen, all of them shipping seafood out of here. The famous series "The World's Deadliest Catch" operates out of here. They come in January, the coldest and windiest time of the year and fish for king crab in the Bering Sea. As we came into the harbor, the scene was dominated by fish processing plants and fishing vessels. We docked at a new pontoon, sturdy and well lit. The harbor master (Larry) greeted us; he was friendly and helpful. The crew of "Lady Jane" took our mooring lines and we met George, the Captain, and his crew. George is from the USA and his crew consists of Jill (from Canada), James (from England) and Sveter (from Russia). The three crew members are under the age thirty. It was different hanging out with them; most of our fellow sailors are in the "golden age" group.

We tried buying a SIM card for our phone but Dutch Harbor is still on satellite communications so their sim cards don't have data and they are expensive. Data is available but only from WiFi hot spots around town. We ended up spending the afternoon sitting in a bar called "The Rat" with the captain and crew of S/V "Lady Jane"

The place is outstandingly beautiful; we are surrounded by emerald mountains with clear water. One thing we noticed right away is the bald eagle population. They are everywhere! They are on the rooftops, on the huge crab pots piled around town, on posts, on top of the church steeple, up on the hills - everywhere. We have never seen so many eagles in one place! The people are friendly; it is a great town to spend a few days before we take off again.