A Journey To Craig
As the 2024 fishing season kicks off in Southeast Alaska, we are once again reminded of the journey undertaken by eight souls in the autumn of 1982. Remember their names. Mark Coulthurst. Irene Coulthurst. Mike Stewart. Jerome Keown. Kimberly and John Coulthurst. Dean Moon. Chris Heyman. Bless them, for they did not survive their ordeal.
Bottom Row (L-R): John & Kimberly; Dean Moon; Chris Heyman
Remember, too, the things that lure people to this remote outpost. Yes, of course, the fishing. But there’s the Alaska Native traditions. The totems. The canoes. The cedar boxes, potlatches and Pow Wows. And, of course, the islands in the sea. Caught between the ebb and flow of leeward then windward, weather sneaks in on them. The unrelenting storms, bounding across the Pacific, make this place what it is. A place to remember.
Getting There
Traveling from Blaine to Craig by boat — as the Investor crew did — is a distance of some 700+ nautical miles. The Investor, like many of the Delta 58″ fishing vessels, was capable of a cruising at 9 knots. That translates into a minimum 3-day trip through the legendary Inside Passage, assuming good weather, an average boat speed of 9 knots and a non-stop journey with everyone on wheel-watch.
(Photo copyright: Leland E. Hale)
There is a good reason not to stop: A U.S. boat will have to clear Canadian Customs. That means an indeterminant delay. The only exception to this rule is for those vessels transiting directly from one foreign point or port outside of Canada (say Blaine, Washington) to another foreign point or port outside of Canada (say Ketchikan, Alaska, the largest city near Craig). Vessels in transit are defined by motion: “vessel movement must be continuous, uninterrupted, and without delays or stopovers.” It’s a slog, but well worth the effort.
Heading due west from Ketchikan took the Investor past a maze of fjord’s and islands. Prince of Wales Island itself is a blanket of green, pocketed with clear cut logging sites. Harvesting timber is arguably as important as fish on this verdant island. In some ways, more so: logging can take place year-round.
The Airplane Option
Flying in and out of Craig is, of course, another popular option, though obviously not open to the commercial fleet. That’s because they often get to Craig via their fishing boat, which must be returned to its home port. They cannot, in other words, simply fly home and leave their precious vessel behind (unless they’re based in Craig).
Using a floatplane for the Craig journey is more common among those there for sports fishing. Craig and nearby Klawock are more than ready to accommodate them.
Copyright Leland E. Hale (2024). All rights reserved.
Order “What Happened In Craig,” HERE and HERE. True crime from Epicenter Press about Alaska’s Worst Unsolved Mass Murder.
