Tale of a cunning fox

Once in possession of my latest cruising permit, which included permission to land and explore in the Alaskan peninsula, and with some time before my new crew arrived in Dutch Harbor from the lower 48, Roberto and I had departed Dutch and sailed east. The conditions were remarkably settled, just a 15-20 knot northerly off the Bering Sea, a slight swell, and a good forecast.  Its early May 2018, coming into the best cruising season for the Alaskan Peninsula. Fog is usually the trade off for easier seas and longer days, though always there is the risk of squally weather and big swells. Local fishermen have regaled me with stories of large vessels being knocked down and pinned down for long periods by sudden squalls out of nowhere.
We are fortunate and have easy conditions that allow us to enjoy the coastal scenery in close. Much of the coastline is dramatic eroded lava, with sea caves and arches where the incoming swells smash and rebound, creating stunning explosions of water and sound. (Always an eye ahead for massive rafts of seaweed that would stop a sailboat dead on a floating platform)

We anchored overnight in a very tight and shallow bay of Unimak Island in the lee of a moderate wind,  in order to make a timely approach to the infamous False Pass, only a few miles east.
On the nearby beach we could see a female grizzly taking her two cubs along the beach, looking for food. There was nothing to do but lower the dinghy from the davits, grab our cameras, and head towards the beach for a closer encounter.

The bears were ambling along when they encountered a large skeleton to paw at. We thought -that doesn't look like a whale skeleton- we had seen many Gray Whales on our voyage in the area and were discussing this when huge upwellings of bubbles appeared all around the dinghy and then a pair of walrus rose very near, their long tusks luminous in the twilight.

I had heard there have been several incidents in the Alaskan peninsula where walrus have upturned and sank small boats, or even punctured inflatables,  so we sensibly retreated in the failing light back to the boat as the density to anxious animals quickly increased as had their apparent warning activity of bubble blowing all around and beneath us.










We woke early to a fantastic sunrise, the sky crystal clear and showing the perfect summit (2857m) of Shishaldon rising above us in all it's glory. This was definitely the best view we had been graced with, in this region where clear skies in summer are extremely rare due to prevailing fog, and poor weather.

Excited to see if there might be a walrus haulout nearby, we motored around the headland to be amazed, seeing hundreds of walrus crammed into a small pocket beach. Their sounds and smells almost overwhelming in such an isolated place,  we moved back to a find a suitable landing on the rocky shore where we could haul the dinghy above the swell surge.



Complete with bear protection - a 40 magnum rifle,  expired flares, bear spray and an air horn (A necessary kit anywhere here on the island of Unimak that boasts the highest concentration of grizzly bears at 2 per kilometer) we started to move along the shore where we were joined by an Arctic fox, seemingly unafraid,  and as interested in us as we were in him.







Almost as if we were out for a walk with our pet, our trio moved along the boulder beach towards a sandy outcrop where, alarmingly noting the number and size of freshly made bear prints in the sand at the high watermark, we realized we may even be joined by grizzlies not just a friendly fox.
Once above the beach and moving along the terrace it was soon evident we were on a well-used bear trail, so we cautiously made our way towards the haulout and as soon as possible we clambered down off the bear path to a great view point straight across from the walrus haulout, only 50 metres away.

There were possibly 350-400 walrus jam-packed into this tiny cove. A great many were out in the water some seemingly conducting mating rituals  A few came closer to check us out as we clicked away on our cameras. Our companion the fox looked on inquisitively,  to see what we're doing climbing down off the track,  then soon moved on towards the walrus cove. Once safely off the bear trail we enjoyed the scene, soaking up the raucous sounds and the pungent hormonal smells, belching, farting and growling and the strong fishy smell of many huge sea mammals.

Suddenly the fox re-appeared - he was making a mad dash along the waters edge close to the walrus, and he almost was flattened by a large male clambering over the others. He spun around and retreated the way he had come and soon we noticed he had climbed up above the walrus haul-out, high up on the cliff and there he had to negotiate another dangerous encounter when he came close to what appeared to be a Bald Eagle Nest,  the adult birds homing in on him with alarmed calls and dive bombing him, trying to drive him away from their nest. He very smartly moved away and continued making his way to the next cove. A very smart, very cunning Fox.

Our presence had been accepted by the massive seals (walrus being the largest of the seal family, often an individual male being upto 3,6 metres long, 1 tonne in weight, bearing fearsome tusks a metre long) as they went about their mating attempts or play-fighting. They use their tusks mainly for fighting, breaking out breathing holes in the ice, hauling their bodies along, and raking out molluscs.

I have since found out that these northern pacific marine mammals are being threatened by climate change, due to global warming reducing the extent of ice packs that they need for their usual haul outs. Land based haulouts can lead to crushing injuries, stampedes due to surprise by grizzlies, polar bears, humans, and so on, resulting in trampling,  and cliff collapse under their overwhelming weight.

Eventually we tear ourselves away, and return to Whakaari, as tide times determine we need to be in position to make the run through False Pass, a notorious narrow and shallow passage between Unimak Island and the tip of the Alaska Peninsula. Our objective is False Pass port and village where we will start our overland trek to attempt a climb of Shishaldin, the highest and most dramatic of The Aleutian Island’s volcanic peaks. Underway, we are recounting our experience ashore, Roberto saying now that he has seen walrus, he only has Orca on his wish list left to check off. Well, guess what we encountered next?