Update Jan 19 10:05 a.m., from Capt. Peter Garay, about three hours after the Renda completed transferring her fuel load to storage tanks on shore in Nome:
Homeward Bound
Tomorow (Friday) the Renda and Healy depart Nome for the "homeward" bound leg of each ship's respective voyage.
For the Renda's crew this marks the end of nine long months of working in ice with no breaks, no vacations, no cell phones and no computers. In short, none of the modern day luxuries that most of us take for granted. This is a crew worn thin not unlike the sailors of yesteryear who would often times spend countless months and sometimes years toiling before the mast. The hard reality of life aboard the Renda is thus: It is a grinding existence rewarded only by Borscht, bread and a less than modest sum of Rubles. As to her living quarters, Renda is a floating steel cocoon whose hollow cavities are filled with weary-eyed seaman who like the Healy's crew share a simple wish. To return safely home.
If all goes well and she safely navigates her way back out of the pack it is probable that the only entry made in her log that will reflect the remarkable voyage she has just completed will be a short notation indicating the time along her track line coupled with the Latitude & Longitude of her position when Healy leaves her side as she exits the ice edge.
With that done the legacy Renda leaves behind will be this:
She (and her good crew) was the tanker who marked her place in our state's history books not by an oily wake, but instead by a deed well done.
This is a story of significant accomplishment about Alaskans and Russians working side by side with the United States Coast Guard.
While the role of the Renda is but a small one in a much larger picture her part was significant.
Update Jan 14 5:12 p.m., from Capt. Carter Whalen:
The Renda just made it into the final position.
Update Jan 14 10:27 a.m., from Capt. Carter Whalen:
Good morning. At 11 am this morning the Healy should begin moving ahead toward "The Parking spot," searching out the path of least resistance before Renda takes her place and marches forward. The mood is positive, the forecast for Sunday is favorable, the stage has been set.
The original approach for both vessels was to be from East to West in a sweeping arc. As a result of visual ice observations, the approach was initiated last night from West to East. That approach could be completed as soon as today. Many might ask, "Why has this taken so long? Both vessels have been near Nome for some time now." Patience has seen this mission through many challenges. Patience will afford this operation the best chance of success.
Update Jan 14, sometime in the morning, from Capt. Peter Garay:
Yesterday while picking our way through the hardened rubble field that we encountered eight miles south of Nome I sent my Friend Edward Itta in Barrow an E- mail asking him if there is an Inupiaq term for when the ice is uncooperative.
Why does the media present this as an epic adventure on par with the serum run of legend?
Where is the condemnation of the environmental advocacy groups of the very tangible risks of a major arctic spill? Where is the questioning of the necessity of the very real threats to the lives of the crews of both ships and the costs to the taxpayers resulting from the Healy being forced to remain on station after its scheduled deployment ended?
Everyone loves a good drama, me included, and nothing should diminish the bravery and fortitude of the men and women of the Renda and the Healy.
Unfortunately, the only reason this is happening is that someone in Nome forgot they live in Alaska. The media should remain mindful of that simple fact.
Of interest to me is to think back to 1963, while working on the Nome Teller Highway (renamed the Bob Blogett Highway), the common perception was that its purpose was to make overland transport from Grantley Inlet(a natural seaport) to Nome rather than barge in from vessels offshore Nome.
Now if the RENDA goes to Nome the obvious conclusion is that this roadway was built solely as a route to Teller. Not so bad, but I feel misled after these (almost)50 years. Or maybe they should tie up in Teller. Forgotten?
Thank you Captain Garay for the excellent work you and your fellow pilots do. Pilots are the professionals that help to insure that the waters of Alaska remain unspoiled as they deliver the ships, their cargo, crew and passengers safely to their destination.
A bowl of borscht, slice of bread, clove of garlic and a good cigar.....what more could a hairy arsed seaman wish for, did you say there are two gals aboard?
POints out the need for very large Finnish designed ice braker with a US nuclear propulsion system like they use on US subs and aircraft cariers. constructed in the US. But thay is more than the Alaska congressional deligation can wrap their minds around.
First it was onto Nome with the Iditarod dogs teams, then Iditabikes and now it's the new Ididatanker event. Throttle back those home thermostats until your Renda arrives Nomites. Good luck to all involved in this exercise.
It's 600 nautical miles from Nome to Barrow. Why not ship minimally refined basic heating oil directly from Producers on the slope to Nome and other Western communities during our ice free summer months. Can't be a whole lot more expensive than shipping oil down TAPS, tanker onto Washington State's refinery, ship it back to Dutch then onto Nome. Milage ....TAPS 800 mi., Valdez-Anacortes 1,275 nm, back to Dutch 1,700 nm, Dutch to Nome 700 NM for a total of 4,400 nautical miles. Just say'n.
Nice idea, getting fuel from the slope. No matter how you count these villages they still represent a very small market and that magnifies the overhead costs to the consumer. Is there any refining already done there? as far as I am aware all the stuff going down the pipe is crude oil. I guess a refinery could be built In deadhorse or somewhere but since the greens have opposed building new refineries anywhere else in the united state for many years I cannot imagine the legal mess trying to build one on the north slope would be, twenty years in court?
Now Natural Gas, is a different matter. It comes from the well in a generally useable form that requires very little refining and could be transported down the west coast via a low or no impact winter road. very little infrastructure would be required and delivery would remain possible most of the year.
The slope’s oil producers scrapped the idea of building a ~$250 million refinery to replace their existing one on the slope that couldn’t meet the low sulfur diesel standard when the State wouldn’t allow them to count it as investment tax credit (meaning State tax reduction up-front) rather than as maintenance (lower State tax over time). They opted to truck product from Fairbanks. A refinery’s a huge amount up front that likely never pencils out because of the small market.
You could put together a project to use Prudhoe NG or some that comes up to the Arctic coast from NPRA for Barrow’s use - though I don’t claim to know how much more could be delivered by the Barrow supply system. But NG doesn’t do much for the existing infrastructure that uses fuel oil/diesel for heating and diesel for power generation. Nor the vehicles that use gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel. That’s what the Renda is carrying.
Why build and even a minimal road to transport fuel by land when almost all the users are on the coast or navigable rivers? Water routes aren’t always as direct as one wishes but they’re remarkably cheap, both up-front and in operation.
Refining is done in North Pole by the Flint Hills Corp. As far as I have read, they only refine jet fuel. That leaves Alaskans with high fuel prices no matter where we live. I drive over the pipeline at least twice every day and am always annoyed at our fuel prices. Another problem is that Sulfolane got into the ground water of many homes in North Pole from the refinery. It seems that fossil fuels, while a neccessary fuel source always come at a higher price than we are willing to anticipate.
A bit overly dramatic don't you think. "Shackletonesque"? Hardly, they have a USCG Icebreaker escort. "Small orange ship"? Its over 300 feet LOA. 15 foot seas outside of Dutch harbor is the norm. I understand the importance of getting fuel to Nome for the winter but lets be honest here its not Shackletonesque. As a matter of fact there is an entire fleet of fishing vessels less than half the size of the Renda who deal with those conditions on a regular basis. 15 foot seas? Thats gear setting weather!!!
And a side note: Real smart sending a dozen cigars onboard a fuel tanker!!
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