Unlike most people flying into Dutch Harbor, I had no flight delays or troubles getting to such a remote place as the island of Unalaska. The two towns Dutch Harbor and Unalaska are only separated by a bridge, and the two names are used interchangeably when refering to the this island. There is not much here, besides a hotel and a couple of restaurants. Yet, the scenery of Dutch Harbor is mesmerizing. Bald eagles are a common sight, often perched up on street lights and telephone poles. Along the the Coast Guard dock is Ballyhoo hill, which has some of the best views in town. There is a multitude of WWII era bunkers scattered thoughout the hill which are a great place of refuge and shelter from the wind. At the top of Ballyhoo ridge, one can see the glaciers on nearby mountains and pods of whales in the harbor below. Upon my descend downhill I began to appriciate the remoteness of the area. Just a week ago I was in Miami, surrounded by concrete buildings and endless traffic. Now I’m in Dutch Harbor, surrounded by wildlife and endless nature. 

I had boarded the Healy the next day after my arrival, shortly after the ship had tied off at the dock. My first thought when I saw the ship was awe at just how massive it was in comparison to other ships I’ve been on. I was greeted by Coast Guard and STARC personnel. STARC stands for the Scientific Technician support in the ARCtic. They are a third party government contractor based out of Oregon State University and Scripps Institute of Oceanography. As one of the Coast Guard Chief’s put it “STARC is the estranged cousin onboard” they are not part of the crew, yet not really scientists either. Yet, they are an essential part of the mission, providing technical assitnace to the science party and running the onboard instuments for underway data collection. Unlike the science party, which changes with each cruise, the STARC technicians are a continues presence onboard the Healy. 

Currently there is only three of us, we are still waiting for the science party and our STARC supervisors. I’m the only MATE intern for this mission, which is fine. Part of leaving college and entering the work force is getting used to being the youngest team member. I’m looking forward to this cruise, the Arctic Ocean is awaits us.