Derby Weekend

Well, the Golden North Salmon Derby is underway this morning.  I will not be participating; but I sure have lots of memories of the derby from my early years.  My dad LOVED the derby - it was Christmas, New Years Eve and the Fourth of July all rolled into one.  And he actually won the damn thing in 1967 - one of the high points of his life, I'm certain.

Back in the day the derby would commence each morning with a "starting gun" at Auke Bay, Tee Harbor and Douglas.  Boats would go careening out of the harbors at a high rate of speed - amazing no one was ever killed.  I remember one year when we went tearing out of Auke Bay - right into a fog bank that reduced visibility to damn near nothing. Dad was convinced he could stear to Portland Island by watching his wake and maintaining a steady course.  Uh huh.  I was skeptical as I noticed our crew, Don Bland and Jack Darnell, wandering from one side of the boat to the other - our wake was as crooked as a dog's hind leg.

We cruised on for awhile and long after we should have spotted Portland Island dad gave up and stopped the boat.  We sat there for about three hours until the fog lifted - the time spent watching boats zipping by aimlessly.  Very amusing so long as you weren't rammed by one of the bozos in the other boats.  One guy stopped by us, got out his chart, pointed into the mist and proclaimed "Shelter Island is over there."  Off he went into the fog...

Needless to say alcohol played a significant role in the festivities.  Don and Jack were dad's employees, fishing buddies, and also serious tosspots and they certainly held their own in this drinking and fishing biathlon.  I will always remember Don on the bow of the boat dancing around singing "When You're Hot You're Hot" a popular tune of that year.  And I have rare photographic evidence of this occasion.

Good ol' Don Bland rocks out

My dad was not much of a drinker - at least by the standards of his contemporaries.  A notable exception was the evening after he won the derby and his buddies came over to the house to continue the festivities.  I recall dad sitting in the kitchen seriously baked and announcing every few minutes to anyone and no one "I'm the King."  Indeed.  Things got a little dicey, however, when Don's wife, Dooley, plopped down on his lap and announced "Elmer, I'm so proud I could just pop my buttons."  Mom was not amused...

Ah those were the days...

I spent a lot of quality time with dad on the boat during my early teenage years.  Here's one of my favourite pictures from that era.

Dad on the Linda M. - he was about the age I am today

Finally, the second installment in my Alaska Coastal series. 

Today this is a retail center called Merchant's Wharf

Have a great weekend everybody - and good luck to all you derby contestants!