Boatyard Bulletin: That’s a Wrap!

The Leila M is tucked away on blocks in the boatyard in Naknek, engine winterized, fish scales scrubbed, and nets put away.  I am back home catching up on everything I left behind when I flew up north for the summer (mostly sleep that is, along with green vegetables and emails.)  I love this time of year, when the salmon have had another healthy return and the Bristol Bay drift fleet (of which I am one skipper out of many) has put in another good summer of fishing. 

         Our harvest season is short, consisting mostly of the months of June and July, so every day getting the boat ready and putting it way counts.  Most of my job is tracing bad wires, replacing leaky hydraulic fittings, mending nets, and hopefully catching a few fish in between.  I love this part of my work though, and while I am certainly no diesel mechanic and have many things to learn, I never thought I’d know so much about the systems on a boat.  So Cheers! To a season of good fishing with only minor mechanical breakdowns along the way.