Two kayakers attempting to paddle the length of the Aleutian Chain suspended their trip late last week. The paddlers made it about 175 miles west of Unalaska, as the crow flies, to Herbert Island, one of the islands of the Four Mountains. After being pinned on Herbert for a week, the two gave up on crossing Samalga Pass. They hailed the passing vessel Pukuk and arranged an at-sea pick-up.
In an email, paddler Keirron Tastagh said the two were reflecting on what they’d achieved during the trip and making plans for another attempt in 2015.
The kayakers attempting to paddle the length of the Aleutian Chain have made it to Nikolski. Eleven days after leaving Unalaska, the duo from the Isle of Man were enjoying the luxuries of civilization on Monday afternoon.
“In Nikolski, they love the whiskey down here," says George Shaw. “We literally got off the water yesterday and we were looking for this guy, and we found him straight-away on the beach and within two minutes had a whiskey in our hand having a drink a with him and then the next minute we were in his house, eating reindeer. So quite a good experience in Nikolski.”
The Aleutian Islands may be the birthplace of kayaking, but they’re not a hot destination for modern-day paddlers. Giant waves, unpredictable weather, and an abundance of treacherous passes make navigation difficult for boats of any size. But the adventure - and danger - are motivators for two kayakers trying to paddle the length of the Aleutian Chain.
It’s snowing in Unalaska’s small boat harbor as Keirron Tastagh and George Shaw stuff the last few dry bags into their sleek blue and yellow sea kayaks. They’ve been waiting for this moment for years.
It was a mixed bag for the Raiders at the Class 3A Western Conference in Anchorage. The boys opened with a 50-38 win over Bethel on Wednesday, followed by a 59-34 loss against Barrow on Thursday. The team rallied and managed to come back for a 45-37 win against the Kotzebue Huskies, only to lose the final game of the tournament by two points to the Nome Nanooks.
That placed the boys fourth overall in the tournament. They also won the sportsmanship award. Players JJ Fernandez and Andrew Seman made the 10-person All-Tournament team.
The Unalaska boys basketball team opened with a strong performance at the Class 3A Western Conference in Anchorage.
The Raiders soundly beat Bethel in an upset on Wednesday. They won the game with a score of 50-38. JJ Fernandez was the team's lead scorer, with 20 points. On Thursday, they face off against Barrow.
Meanwhile, the Lady Raiders struggled in their first game. Kotzebue won the match 50-14.
Continuing their winning streak, the Unalaska boys basketball team took the number one spot at the Kotzebue Klassic this weekend.
The Raiders had a strong start, vanquishing the Noorvik Bears 70-50 on Thursday. On Friday, they had another decisive win against Point Hope, with the final score being 63-42. They wrapped up their performance at the Anchorage tournament by defeating Kotzebue, the host team, in a 64-38 game.
Unalaska’s basketball teams are competing in the Kotzebue Klassic this weekend, and the boys came away from their first match with a win.
The Raiders faced off against Noorvik, beating the Bears 70-50 at the Anchorage tournament. That puts them on a winning streak after last week’s victory against Nikolaevsk.
The Lady Raiders did not fair so well. Point Hope beat them in a 63-21 game.
Local fans packed the Unalaska City School gymnasium this weekend for a rare set of Raider home games.
On Friday night, the boys basketball team destroyed the Nikolaevsk Warriors. The Raiders started strong and then maintained a wide lead through the game, beating the Warriors 82 to 25. Andrew Seman was the game’s high scorer, with 24 points. On Saturday, the Warriors had to forfeit to the Raiders due to two injuries on their team. The two schools then scrimmaged, with some Raider players joining the Warriors to boost their numbers. The Unalaska team beat the combined team 69 to 38. Andrew Seman was again the top scorer, with 27 points.
For the Unalaska City School basketball teams, the Donlin Gold Classic resulted in a series of heartbreaks.
Coming off their narrow loss against Bethel on Thursday, the boys team struggled in the two remaining matches of the tournament. The Raiders faced off against the Nome Nanooks on Friday, losing 31 to 47. On Saturday, the Raiders managed to rally some in their match versus the Galena Hawks. Unalaska led the game at halftime and managed to keep the game close through the third period. However, Galena gained control in the final minutes, ultimately beating Unalaska by nine points. The final score was 49 to 58.
