We came close to a collision today- and not with a boat! As we at started out across Akun strait, our attention moved from studying the small breaking waves to a sudden loud roar. The small plane that flies from Dutch Harbour to Akun was hurtling towards us not that far above the water. Whoosh and he was past leaving Sarah and I amazed and amused. It was a bold hello from the pilot and one that had me bursting into spontaneous giggles regularly for the rest of the day!

What a day it was. We enjoyed most of it in the community of Akutan, chatting to some of the 80 people who live in the village, visiting a small museum in the library, eating ice cream and driving through the massive Trident fish processing plant which employs hundreds of seasonal workers. The small cluster of bright houses linked by a wooden boardwalk had a happy, friendly feel to it. The locals again showed us great kindness with gifts of halibut chowder, canned salmon and seagull egg pie ( a delicious rich egg custard). Yesterday we relaxed in a steam bath (a wood fired sauna) and were offered a bed by nurse Wendy. It was Wendy’s quad bike “ambulance” that took us around the fish plant.

It’s always sad to leave these communities and I felt guilty leaving after just 26 hours but it’s due to get windier tomorrow from the NE and we wanted to cross some passes while we had good visibility and only a light headwind. It turned into a beautiful evening and we just kept going making the most of calm seas, sunkissed islands, and a helpful push from the tide at times. We launched at 4pm and landed on a steep boulder beach on Tigalda island at just before midnight, watched by a fox, a seal and an otter as the last pink glow lit up the sky.

Tomorrow? We’ll see how windy it is and it won’t be an early start!