Homer ready to fish, but frozen harbor won't cooperate

Homer Tribune ...adn ^ | March 16, 2007 | SEAN PEARSON

[george76]

ANCHORAGE ON TRACK TO SET RECORD FOR COLDEST MARCH

Most winters, Norm Anderson merely has to climb aboard his boat in the harbor and make sure his oil-pan heater is still keeping the engine warm before he turns over the F/V Sea Otter for a winter king fishing excursion.

"The ice is killing me," Anderson said. "I've had to cancel close to 50 trips this winter because I just can't get out of the harbor."

A frozen harbor is nothing new around Homer. In fact, Homer Harbormaster Steve Dean said it's actually fairly normal. The difference this year, however, is how late the ice is sticking around.

"Its a little later in the year for ice to be socked in the harbor," Dean said. "It usually happens sometime in December or January."

Anderson agreed, noting that he has been chartering since the mid-1990s and fishing the area for more than 20 years.

"Certain years, it just freezes up and you deal with it," he said. "But this one has lasted for a while, and it's costing me tens of thousands of dollars."

And for those looking for a reprieve from the imprisoning ice, National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist Sam Albanese with the Anchorage office has some bad news: The low temperatures should last for days more.

"Right now, you guys in Homer are quite a bit off normal, with your low temperatures and high temperatures running around 15 degrees colder than usual,"

"Currently, both our response harbor tug and our skiff are completely frozen in," Dean said.

With more than six inches of ice surrounding some boats, some owners are walking around their boats and between floats on the frozen harbor surface.

[george76]

I read recently that the polar bear population is way up.

[ASOC]

We purchased one of those COSTCO portable greenhouses sevral years ago, so we go from the house to the greenhouse to an open greenhouse then to the garden.

Maybe spuds will work in the raised garden beds this year.

[george76]

Very Nice.

Homer wants fish!

.

[RightWhale]

Out on Fort Wainwright the community gardens use raised beds with black visqueen laid over the top. That is about the maximum that can be added to the growing season and the rabbits and moose both appreciate the work you do.

[potlatch]

Or maybe not!!

[Doe Eyes]

And those idiots are saying the Sun is getting hotter!

[devolve]

Looks like Slick Willie is "in the tank"!

At a NYC fundraiser he was screaming about the NYT not pushing Hillary as per his orders.

[potlatch]

Good, you can catch me up on the news today.

I like Woodstock flying above the text like that, very cute!

[mad_as_he$$]

6 pointer.

[Eric Blair 2084]

You folks are not taking this terrible global warming threat serially enough. It's really happening. I just read it in Sports Illustrated. If they say so it must be true.

[grey_whiskers]

It was -16 this morning; -5 now. The weatherman now says this will last through the weekend again. I have seen it -30 here in March, but not for many years. This is almost like the old days when we were headed for an Ice Age. Last summer wasn't good for the gardens either, too cold all summer.

That's OK, Right.

We hit 97 today in Phoenix.

It sucks.

Cheers!

[grey_whiskers]

Homer is such a beautiful city. I may have to have some halibut I caught there this past summer!

Did you have Buttwhackers process it for you?

Cheers!

[MBB1984]

Sure did! Buttwhackers did a great job. We did a charter with Captain Pete. We had a great time. My only complaint was all the spiney dogfish we caught. Those things were everywhere and it was hard to catch halibut with those things grabbing the bait so quickly. I understand the English use those things for their fish and chips.

Another treat was seeing Augustine and Illiamna from the ocean.

[VOA]

"D-mn this global warming and all the pain and suffering it causes!"
(/sarc)

[george76]

Thanks for the fish

I have not seen this before ( I think ? )

[george76]

Global warming is preventing fishing...even in mid-March.


grrr

[Grampa Dave]

Gorebull Warming strikes again.

[RightWhale]

I was in Phoenix one day. It was about 105 and then it rained.
Rained good. The streets filled up with water. The rainwater didn't drain off since they had no drain culverts, but it was gone within a day by evaporation. Sure was humid for a while.

[george76]

The poor fishermen can not even go fishing in March.

thank you al gore...

[Nathan Zachary]

"I like most of AK. Homer however is full of liberal idiots. Not completely full, but there are a lot of tree huggers there."

It aseems they range all along the west coast from California through Canada and into Alaska.