THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015
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EAGLE-WRANGLING
TAKE OUT THE TRASH
A HUGE HONOR
&
ape Disappointment (Wash.) State Park Rangers called Josh-
XD6DUDQSDD to report that they had found a starving ÀHGJOLQJ
EDOGHDJOH in the park. Joshua and his wife, .LPEHUO\ (pictured, in-
set) rescued the bird, and took it to the :LOGOLIH&HQWHURIWKH1RUWK
&RDVW (www.coastwildlife.org), where he is the assistant director.
In case you didn’t know, the WCNC rescues more than 2,000
wildlife patients each year, and relies on public donations and vol-
unteers to operate. To help out, or report injured wildlife, call 503-
338-0331.
“Injured bald eagles are never easy to locate, or capture,” Joshua
noted. “That’s why they call in the best eagle-wrangling duo this side
of Idaho.” And it’s a good thing they did.
So what’s the eagle’s prognosis? “All he needs is a few good
meals, and some time to learn how to Ày!”
A
D
avid Bononcini wrote in with news about an Astoria native:
Briana Volk and her husband, Andrew, have been named to
the 9LVLRQDU\0DLQHUV:KR$UH'H¿QLQJWKH6WDWHby Maine
0DJD]LQH (https://themainemag.com). The couple are pictured with
their daughter, Oona, in the Maine Magazine article.
“It’s a huge honor to be included ...” Briana posted on her Face-
book page. “I’m not exactly sure what we did to be included among
some really impressive people, but I’ll take it!”
What the couple did was open an innovative and successful bar/
restaurant, the 3RUWODQG +XQW $OSLQH &OXE (http://huntandalpine-
club.com); they also participate in a raft of community projects.
“Growing up in Astoria gave me a great small-town base,” Bri-
ana told the Ear. I loved the community, the arts and living on the
water. Those were things that I knew I wanted wherever I ended up
settling in the future.”
The couple were living and working in Portland, Ore., when they
decided to move to Portland, Maine. “Opening the (business) was totally
by accident,” she said. “When we moved here, we found all this great
here has been talk of returning the 1924 wooden-hulled ferry food and beer, but there wasn’t anywhere that focused on cocktails.”
7RXULVW to Astoria. The vessel is pictured inset, in earlier days,
Their menu is 6candinavian-inÀuenced, she said, “and the bar is,
courtesy of Oregon.gov, and now.
to an extent, as well. I am of Finnish descent, so it’s food I grew up
After the ferry was commandeered by the U.S. Navy in 1941 with and love.”
to lay mines at the mouth of the Columbia River (http://tinyurl.
“I suggested he open a bar on a lark,” she recalled. And what a
com/T2Ferry), Tourist 2 returned to its ferry duties until the Astoria lark it’s been. Their business has received national recognition, in-
Bridge was completed in 1966. Then it was sold, renamed Islander cluding being named one of “5 Best New Cocktail Bars in America”
of Pierce County, remodeled, and used for runs on Puget Sound.
by %RQ$SSHWLW in 2014.
The boat fell into disuse, and became “a pigeon coop” for about
“It’s always interesting to see people who grew up here do amaz-
a decade, .HYLQ&ODUN, CEO and president of Seattle-based $UJRV\ ing things,” David observed.
&UXLVHV, told the Ear. Argosy leased the ferry from Kirkland Ferry
LLC. Restored and renamed the MV Kirkland, the vessel became
a popular attraction with its passenger service route around Lake
Washington.
On Aug. 28, 2010, an electrical ¿re broke out in the engine room.
While almost all of the damage was below decks, Clark said smoke
damage caused a “camp¿re smell” throughout the boat. The ques-
tion became: Was it worth repairing?
Complicating matters was the expense of keeping the boat in
service. The original wooden keel had to be dry-docked every two
years to replace boards in the hull with old-growth wood to keep it
up to Coast Guard maritime standards, costing $70,000 to $100,000.
Deemed too expensive to repair and maintain, Clark worried it
would be scrapped. He offered it to those who had expressed an in-
terest — including some from Astoria — but there were no takers.
He ¿nally was able to sell it to &KULVWLDQ/LQW, the current owner,
who wanted to restore it.
There’s no word on whether Lint has encountered the vessel’s
ghost, &DSW )ULW] (OIYLQJ, a Swedish immigrant and the ferry’s
few years ago, a Russian immigrant in his 60s with iffy sailing/
original captain and owner. So, is Capt. Elfving returning home to
navigational skills, 5LPDV0HOHVK\XV (pictured), stopped in As-
Astoria aboard the Tourist 2? Time will tell.
toria on his way to complete what could possibly have been suicidal
trip around the world via Cape Horn, South America, in a 24-foot San
Juan sailboat, 3LHU3UHVVXUH. Sailing under an American Àag, he aims
to break a solo-sailing record.
After setting off, he got blown off course and wound up in Hawaii.
Several months later, he sailed safely to Sausalito, Calif., still deter-
mined to continue his journey.
His almost 900 Facebook followers heaved a collective sigh of re-
lief. Armed with a satellite hook-up on his boat, they had been able to
follow his almost daily (sometimes harrowing) posts from the middle
of the ocean, which pinpointed his location, as well.
His boat repaired, re¿tted and restocked in Sausalito, he set off
again — this time winding up more or less drifting to American Sa-
moa. Anxious as he was to continue his journey, he realized the Pier
Pressure needed too many repairs to make the trip, so he sold the boat
ust about a year ago, the Ear mentioned that Rolls-Royce in Samoa and Àew back to the U.S. in search of a used Contessa 26
was seriously thinking about designing and employing sailboat (http://bluewaterboats.org/contessa-26).
GURQHVKLSVon the high seas. Some are illustrated, courtesy of
And that’s how we arrive at full circle — he’s back on the North
Rolls-Royce.
Coast, and as determined as ever to sail around the world and break
A new 6.6 million euro project, funded by Tekes of Fin- that solo-sailing record.
land, is moving forward, gCaptain reports, that will bring to-
“On the land I love people,” Rimas told the Ear, “at sea, I love
gether “universities, ship designers, equipment manufacturers, to be alone.” But he sure isn’t lonely. His dedicated, opinionated and
and classi¿cation societies” to explore what needs to be done often critical Facebook friends “have become a big part of my big ad-
to make autonomous, unmanned ships a reality (http://tinyurl. venture, in the big sea of life,” he said. Want to follow along and join
com/RRdrone).
the fun? Just “friend” him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rimas.
“This project is a fantastic opportunity to establish the Finn- meleshyus Rimas is getting anxious, a local pal reports. “He’s getting
ish maritime cluster as the world leader in maritime remote restless for the sea — we drove by the ocean on the way home, and he
control technology,” Rauli Hulkkonen, chief adviser of Tekes about jumped out the window he wants to get back out there so bad.”
proclaimed.
All he needs now is a another boat — and the money to buy one. But
Good for Finland. Not so good for maritime jobs.
he’s overcome worse obstacles. The saga continues ...
LAST STOP?
didas wants to jump on the ocean clean-up bandwagon
according to Gizmag.com (http://tinyurl.com/trashoe).
Working with Parley for Oceans to “come up with cre-
ative solutions to spread the word about the crisis facing the
world’s oceans ... Adidas will produce a line of IRRWZHDU
with uppers made of yarns and filaments recycled from
RFHDQ ZDVWH DQG GHHSVHD JLOOQHWV used by illegal fisher-
ies,” the article says.
“Marine life activists Sea Shepherd ... retrieved the nets
during a 110-day-long poaching vessel hunt that ended
somewhere off the West African coastline.” A prototype shoe
is shown, courtesy of Adidas.
The article also provided this little nugget: In 2010, Elec-
WUROX[ created a limited-edition YDFXXPFOHDQHU from plastic
ocean debris, “Vacs from the Sea” (pictured inset, courtesy of
http://tinyurl.com/vactrash). Made of trash to pick up trash?
Ingenious. Sadly, they’re too expensive to mass produce.
A MAN OF THE SEA
T
RESTLESS FOR THE SEA
A
DRONING ON
J
J
DPHV 6FRWW µ&DSWDLQ -LP¶ %HUQDUG has written a new
book, “7KH$GYHQWXUHVRID<RXQJ0HUFKDQW6DLORU´
(http://tinyurl.com/CapJimB). He is pictured, along with
the book’s cover.
The book is actually a prequel to “$ODVND )LVKLQJ
$GYHQWXUHV”
(http://tinyurl.com/jimfishes), and both
books are available at Amazon.com and Godfather’s
Books.
“The story begins ... where Jim joined the Sailors’ Union
of the Pacific, had a couple of 10 cent glasses of beer next
door at the Anchor Inn, and visited Sailor Jack’s Tattoo Par-
lor so as to qualify as a true seaman,” 'DYLG.LQJ of Asto-
ria and Portland wrote. Just a few of the captain’s youthful
adventures include winding up in a Panama prison and en-
during a terrifying South China typhoon.
At 85, Jim (aka 6OLFH) has racked up a long career as a
merchant mariner, Warrenton fishing charter operator and
fishing tour guide in Alaska. As another enthusiastic re-
viewer said, “Slice is a man of the sea, and can surely tell
the tales of the sea!”
O
SNIPPETS
ops: The Ear fervently hopes no one went toddling off to
Marysville, Wash., to see the 6WRQHKHQJHUHSOLFD(http://
tinyurl.com/maryhenge), mentioned in a June 26 story, “Un-
henged.” It’s actually in Maryhill, Wash., as 6HHODK3ROLQJ so
astutely pointed out. The Ear is the one who is unhenged, appar-
ently, and is sitting in the corner.
Tastes like ...: KOIN News 6 reports that, at last, EDFRQ has
a healthy taste-alike
(http://tinyurl.com/al-
gacon). Oregon State
University researchers
have patented a new
strain of “succulent
red marine algae called
dulse” they claim tastes
just like bacon when
it’s cooked. Some of
the seaweed is pictured
inset, courtesy of OSU.
It took 15 years to de-
velop this marvel which, sadly, you will likely never see at the
grocery store — it would cost about $90 a pound. Heavy sigh.
Yikes!: Want to scare your socks off? The North Coast is
abuzz over 7KH1HZ<RUNHU’s lengthy article “7KH5HDOO\%LJ
One” (http://tinyurl.com/yorkershaker) about the impending
earthquake/tidal wave doom the &DVFDGLD 6XEGXFWLRQ =RQH
will one day send our way.
A detailed history of the earthquakes along the zone is de-
tailed, but the main objective is to point out how woefully un-
prepared the Paci¿c Northwest is to deal with such a catastrophe
— an objective which is bolstered by quotes from both Gear-
hart and Seaside of¿cials. Read it and weep. Then get ready.