Alaska Crab fishing Dutch Harbor (Anchorage, Kenai: rental car, rental, how much)

[sa786]

Will it be a good idea moving from Las Vegas to Dutch Harbor in November to get on a crab Fishing boat? I know its HARD to get on a boat and you could be standing on that dock for hours, days, and even months and I willing to do that. But is their any place in Dutch Harbor to stay while you wait for the fishing boat? and if their is how much will it cost?

[Rance]

We don't have any members here from Dutch Harbor unfortunately. Maybe Mal has been there within the last year.

[stiffnecked]

UniSea, Inc.: Grand Aleutian Hotel & UniSea Inn (http://www.unisea.com/grand_aleutian_hotel.htm - broken link)

Grand Aleutian » homepage

[WildAlaska]

I live in Dutch Harbor/Unalaska and, without trying to squash your dream, I would suggest you keep a few things in mind. It is very expensive to fly in/out of here, so make sure you have enough to leave if things don't work out. Getting stuck here is not a good idea! A one-way flight just to Anchorage can cost $450 or more. Look at the Alaska Airlines web site for rates. PenAir is the only airline that services Dutch, but reservations are made through Alaska Air.

The odds of getting on a fishing vessel are slim and, as you said, may take some persistence. So make sure you not only have enough to fly out, but also plenty of cash for a roof over your head and food (which is CRAZY expensive).

Stiffnecked posted the links for Grand Aleutian & Unisea Inn -- the Grand is a hotel like you would find in most towns, and the rates are high. Unisea Inn is lower quality, but will cost less. These are the only places to stay in town, unless you can find a room to rent (sometimes advertised on bulletin boards).

Some people post their name/contact number on bulletin boards around town (looking for work on a vessel). These boards are at Safeway, Alaska Ship Supply, the post office, and a few restaurants. I don't know if it works, but I see new ones up there regularly.

If you can get a TWIC card (Federal ID to work in various transportation industries), you could sign up as a casual worker with the ILWU and maybe get some work at the docks to help you with cash while you try to get onto a boat. It isn't a reliable source of income, but just another option to consider. It does take a while to go through the TWIC process, so you would need some lead time on that (especially since you have to pick up the card at the same office where you apply).

Since this isn't a place you can get out of easily, and isn't exactly the best place to camp out if you can't find housing, it is important to have your ducks in a row before flying out here.

[Rance]

Thank you WildAlaska for chiming in. Nice to know we have a member down that way. Seems we get regular bursts of folks suddenly wanting to go crabbing for a living. I'm not sure if they get it from watching deadliest catch or what. With your help I think most will get the real picture of whats there in Dutch Harbor. And come to realize there are not a hundred vessels looking for new crew members on a daily basis. It's a grim reality for those with a dream and I'm sure a few will come up here anyway chasing that dream. There's nothing wrong with that. As long as they know what they are getting themselves into.

[starlite9]

Anytime we dock our boats fom Dutch to Southeast we have a steady stream of hopefulls constantly coming up to see if we have openins for a new crew member. Most boats do not just take someone who clearly doesn't grasp how to live/work on a boat, you will fInd some that do, aren't always upfront with you getting paid.

When most boats need a deckhand, they already have a short list of guys that they know can do the job.

Your chances are slim for a boat job, but you may be able to score a cannery job which is kind of a sideways way of getting to know the boat crew and may gain an in that way.

Good Luck!

[RedJacket]

If I were to ever seek employment in the crabbing industry it would be in Maryland, North Carolina, or Florida.

The weather conditions are just a tad nicer.

There is no amount of money that could lure me on to the Time Bandit or any of those other Deadliest Catch boats.

[richelles]

We went to Dutch Harbor/Unalaska in June of 2007 and although we were visiting and not looking for work I can say it's a very expensive place to get to, to survive in and to leave. We flew from Atlanta to Anchorage and then flew PenAir to Tom Madsen Airport. From Anchorage to Dutch was about $1000 for two of us. We had reservations at the UniSea Inn but after my wife looked it over she said 'no way' so we went to the Grand Aleutian and they canceled the UniSea and we got a room there. Getting a rental car was somewhat difficult and I'm unsure if that was typical of the area. The only thing I was able to reserve was a fairly late model pickup truck. I got advice from my wife's family, who live in Kodiak and are all familiar with Dutch since they are fishing people, to make our airline reservations for at least three days earlier than we wanted to be there because frequently the weather delays flights into Tom Madsen Airport. This extra time was because we were going to take the Alaska Marine Highway System Ferry Tustamenia from Dutch to Kodiak. Fortunately for us the three days we were in Dutch/Unalaska were sunny and we explored the entire area. I think I was told there were about 75 miles of roads on the island most left over from World War II and we managed to travel them all. To go beyond the public road system you must buy a permit from the local Native Association. We hired a local as a guide and she took us everywhere it was possible to drive. Our 1000 or more digital pictures show the island under sunny days and we were told three days of sunshine very rarely happen there. Our experience on Dutch was a really good one but we had adequate funds to eat out, buy snacks at the market next to the Grand Aleutian and stay in the hotel and have a vehicle to explore the island. Our costs were above $500 a day so it was like being in a typical resort area in the Lower 48. The town itself is not unusual with mostly small houses, paved roads and I think one store and one gas station. We ate in probably all the restaurants in town and the food in each was acceptable. Probably the one memorable thing for me was the war relics around the local area. Some where complete and others were just remains of the foundations. We saw lots of Bald Eagles, foxes, ground squirrels and in one area a herd of horses plus the usual complement of sea birds. One evening we drove up Mount Ballyhoo to look back on Dutch/Unalaska and being the weather was clear we got good pictures. On our third day we drove to the dock where the Tustamenia was and went to Kodiak. That was about a three day trip in the continued good weather through the Aleutians. That part of the trip cost some where over $1000 for passage and meals for two. I think the entire six day trip cost some where in the neighborhood of $5000 dollars from Anchorage to Kodiak for lodging, meals, transportation and incidentals which is similar to visiting Key West for the same period of time doing similar things. We did see lots of fishing vessels in the area and did talk to some locals and found them mostly friendly types. But simply getting there and making your way for weeks or months would be a costly experiment if getting on a crab boat was the goal. I think most of the interest in the Deadliest Catch is people thinking about making big bucks for a single trip which probably isn't the norm. I didn't see many fancy homes in the area we visited so I don't think the livelihood is that desirable.

[ysr_racer]

WOW, paragraphs man, paragraphs.

[WildAlaska]

Originally Posted by Rance

Thank you WildAlaska for chiming in. Nice to know we have a member down that way. Seems we get regular bursts of folks suddenly wanting to go crabbing for a living. I'm not sure if they get it from watching deadliest catch or what. With your help I think most will get the real picture of whats there in Dutch Harbor. And come to realize there are not a hundred vessels looking for new crew members on a daily basis. It's a grim reality for those with a dream and I'm sure a few will come up here anyway chasing that dream. There's nothing wrong with that. As long as they know what they are getting themselves into.

Thank you for the friendly welcome. I have been a fan of this site for a couple of years and really value the opinions expressed here. I have found that it is most meaningful to me to hear from people who have either lived in a location or spent significant time there (as opposed to perpetuating stereotypes), so I thought it was about time I give back by sharing info about this mysterious part of the world!

I have lived in nearly every region of Alaska -- Northwest, Southwest, Southeast, Interior, Kenai Peninsula, and Southcentral -- and would be more than happy to share what I have experienced in those places. I'll have to check out some of the other AK threads and see if I have anything to offer.