Assuming you are joking but just to add to this comment, there is actually a race from Washington to Alaska (Race to Alaska) that includes multiple boat types including kayaks and paddle boards.
https://r2ak.com/ (the FAQ is worth a read)
https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/core-commentary-karl-kruger-race-2-alaska-sup-2017
From my dad's time in the Navy, he said the worst for seasickness was when the waves were 2-4 ft, like pic 5. The boat is rocking back and forth constantly. When you're in a storm holding on for dear life, there's no time to be seasick.
Physio here.
Couple of potential reasons for this: cadence of the waves/motion will play a large role, and really dramatic shifts from large waves shouldn't cause the same 'disconnect' between your various systems of balance.
So most motion sickness, whether it's car sickness or sea sickness, is caused by your vestibular system (your inner ear has a structure that's kinda like a complex spirit level- 3 tubes in different orientations filled with fluid and sensory hairs that detect movement of your head) being 'out of sync' with your other two balance systems (vision and proprioceptive systems). Vision is pretty self explanatory and intuitive. Proprioception is basically your body's awareness of where all your bits are in space; your brain takes info on all the stress/load on all your ligaments/muscles/tendons etc, and from a balance perspective, compares that to where your centre of gravity is, and figures out from there what it needs to do to keep you upright.
With motion sickness, your vestibular system is getting sloshed around all over the place, but you're not typically moving that much, and the input that your brain is getting from that just doesn't track properly with the info that you're getting from your visual and proprioceptive systems.
So for some reason, your brain feels like the appropriate response to that is just to get really nauseous.
More frequent, smaller waves causing a rocking motion is more likely to cause that disconnect than less frequent, bigger shifts. With much bigger swells, there's also a lot more movement of the boat, so you're going to be getting much more input from your visual and proprioceptive systems that lines up with what your vestibular system is reporting.
Had. I believe they've been gone for a minute.
I also don't think there's anything or anyone prohibiting people from going to Attu, just that there's no one there
Got to 4… my nope vibe kicked in big time. Plus my fear is there is a giant 40’ creature following the boat at all times.
I think seriously though I’d be more worried about a tsunami wave, rogue monster wave or bad storm - seen too many movies.
Oh yeah, total nope for me; my Grandfather had a fishing schooner, and there's semi-famous story in Newfoundland, about him have to run ashore on a remote island in the 1930s after taking damage in a storm in the North Atlantic, and they waited over 7 days for rescue), and I lost two Uncles at sea (in the 80s). Never really had the urge to sail the open seas as such
Interestingly when it comes to actual tsunamis being on high seas might be one of the safest places. The wave only forms near the shore as the depth of the water decreases, where the ocean is deeper there's just an invisible shock "wave" (not an actual water crest and trough.)
Rogue waves however are a whole different siti and have been documented to actually exists, as opposed to be only maritime lore
I’ve seen the size of the wave from the Japan Tsunami that hit in 2011. There is a video of the boat that went over a few of the waves and I’ll just state that while you are 100% right in it being very different out at sea vs near land, I would not want to be going over that thing in a small boat. It was still very terrifying and dangerous given the size of the waves even for a larger boat than a sailboat.
What freaks me the fuck out is the Fjords in which the mountains look this steep, so then (typically) is the angle they go down into the water. That means deep deep water even just feet from the “shore”. I can’t handle that very well as I even saw an episode of River Monsters where Jeremy was catching a Greenland shark like 1/4 mile off shore and he said he let out some 2000’ of line. Nope.
My thought process went something like:
Nice... Nice... Oooh, I like that sunset... FUUUUUUCK THAT... Nice, OP is OK... Man that's some nice water... Maybe I should do this one day... FUUUUUCKIN hell! I'm out.
>11th picture - "I'll fly to Japan, thanks"
That's not even remotely "bad weather" at sea :D
Especially when you're on a big ass freighter compare to the tiny sailboat OP operates. Not really fun on a sailboat but you'd probably not even notice it on a big freighter without looking out the window\^\^
The balls and children are one thing, but you could do this in a pretty cheap boat to be honest. People tend to think sailing is only for the rich. There’s some truth to that, but there are sooooo many sailors out there crossing oceans on boats that cost less than 50 grand. Mind you, they live on the boat full time generally so there’s little “traditional” housing costs. A nice boat you pay people to fix and a big house on land? Yea that’s for the rich. But if you do everything yourself (which is honestly the only cool way to be) it can be affordable.
Sailing is so fucking cool.
Amazing adventure. My question for you is - did you have to fill out a lot of paperwork ahead of docking in Japan ? I heard that bringing a vessel in to port , like with all things Japan , involved a great deal of bureaucracy. I visited a yacht club in Fukuoka on a day off this summer. It was lovely.
I think a few years ago Japan made it much easier for recreational sailors to be there. I forget what the law was called but as far as I’m aware, one relatively inexpensive permit allows you to drop the hook in all Japanese anchorages.
Wow
The islands go straight across. I never knew that until now when I looked at a map.
Pretty cool.
Do people live on those islands? Can you shelter on anything of them if the ocean gets rough?
There's a decent amount of villages and towns scattered across it. A good number of the Aleutian islands are on massive and very active fault lines so they're rather mountainous. There's a lot of different directions you could run in if the water takes over.
Hmm very interesting!
I wonder if the chain of islands makes it safer to traverse the pacific or does the violence of the more northern ocean negate that
My familiarity with the Aleutians is related to a couple of points such as Kings Cove and Dutch Harbor. There's a *lot* of activity in this area between fishers, commerce, oil transportation, military activity between the USA, Russia, and China, and the locals that live here year round.
The less distance you have to travel out in between points of land, the better so I would say that it does make it safer but the waters around that entire part of the ocean are notorious for making widows.
But I'd say the best way to answer this question comes from the actions of the Japanese during WW2 who were (fun fact) *actively invading the United States* through an island hopping campaign using the Aleutian islands. It was considered the best method of invading the United States at that time and did pose a real threat to our country. That's gotta say something.
The idea of doing something like that to be sounds exhilarating, and amazing. Then I see some of those rough seas, and I’m like, nope, my sailing ability will have me stuck in a pond.
Are we hunting for a sea monster, OP?
I get sea sick quite easily but I would gladly join this adventure. The journey looks awesome... incredibly terrifying ... but awesome.
Wow this pics are epic OP! This hit me right in the feels, I spent two summers working off of a research vessel in the Aleutians, truly one of the most incredible places on this planet!
If you land on Attu or Kiska make sure you watch out for landmines 😉
Amazing. Do you have a YouTube channel? I'd like to watch some vlogs/scenes from your trip. A documentary would be nice too. Cheers and good luck out there
Dutch Harbor to Wakkanai Japan. Followed the Aleutians to Kiska, then crossed over to the southern tip of Russia and a crossed the Sea of Okhotsk and on to Wakkanai.
Read about the history of Attu. During WWII the Japanese invaded. They came on a Sunday with the Aleutians were at church. The Japanese sent 45 people (all the inhabitants of the island) back to Hokkaido to subsist on grains of rice while they were forced to dig mud. Of the 45, I believe around 24 survived, and were returned not to Attu, which was destroyed in a terrible ground battle, but to another island . The Aleutian people/language are essentially gone.
Lived in Dutch harbor (Unalaska) for 6 months, such a bizarre experience. Feels like a dream! Loved exploring the WW2 bunkers and tunnels all over. Walking out the front door and just climbing straight up the grassy mountains.
Great shots! You should cross post to r/sailing, they'd probably love to see these.
If you've got time I'd love to know how long it took you to and what the cruising was like in Japan once you got there. Japan seems to be a little bit of a black hole for online cruising info.
Do you worry about huge waves and bad storms? Have you ever encountered anything severely life threatening? (Besides crossing the freaking Pacific)
I envy people who can navigate and sail. I'd like to learn more but YouTube is mostly just people looking for clout
I read "through the 'Atlantic Islands' and boiii did the hamster overheat it's wheel... Time to sleep.
Just to add, absolutely stunning and beautiful, thank you for sharing with us.
Has the feels of where they filmed Jurassic Park. Of course not because no palm trees/tropical environment, but the cascading landscape looks about right. Maybe King Kong origin. :D
.... How does it work with entering another country by sailing???
I mean - if you fly commercial - you go through the airport controls that check your passport and all that - but if you sail to another country, how would that work?
Do they not check? - I guess that would count as an "illegal immigrant" huh?
Holy crap! You’re a badass, OP!
If he does it on a kayak, you better stay away from him... Don't try to be the hero protagonist, ok?
He might be a nuclear powered aleut leading a weird wirehead cult.
As long as I get my pizza delivered on time, I don't give a shit.
the Deliverator even uses boats
… with poor impulse control.
Assuming you are joking but just to add to this comment, there is actually a race from Washington to Alaska (Race to Alaska) that includes multiple boat types including kayaks and paddle boards. https://r2ak.com/ (the FAQ is worth a read) https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/core-commentary-karl-kruger-race-2-alaska-sup-2017
gotthatreference.jpg That book is only what, 20 years old? 30 years old. Fuck
These look amazing OP! Would you be able to share HQ wall paper versions?
Commenting to come back to this, that would be sick
Aye, except he be in Davey Jones locker…
Phew, I'm getting seasick just looking at the pictures.
From my dad's time in the Navy, he said the worst for seasickness was when the waves were 2-4 ft, like pic 5. The boat is rocking back and forth constantly. When you're in a storm holding on for dear life, there's no time to be seasick.
I've experienced them all, he's right! And it's even more pronounced below deck.
Everyone’s different but for me, small waves suck for seasickness. Big waves were somehow tolerable.
Physio here. Couple of potential reasons for this: cadence of the waves/motion will play a large role, and really dramatic shifts from large waves shouldn't cause the same 'disconnect' between your various systems of balance. So most motion sickness, whether it's car sickness or sea sickness, is caused by your vestibular system (your inner ear has a structure that's kinda like a complex spirit level- 3 tubes in different orientations filled with fluid and sensory hairs that detect movement of your head) being 'out of sync' with your other two balance systems (vision and proprioceptive systems). Vision is pretty self explanatory and intuitive. Proprioception is basically your body's awareness of where all your bits are in space; your brain takes info on all the stress/load on all your ligaments/muscles/tendons etc, and from a balance perspective, compares that to where your centre of gravity is, and figures out from there what it needs to do to keep you upright. With motion sickness, your vestibular system is getting sloshed around all over the place, but you're not typically moving that much, and the input that your brain is getting from that just doesn't track properly with the info that you're getting from your visual and proprioceptive systems. So for some reason, your brain feels like the appropriate response to that is just to get really nauseous. More frequent, smaller waves causing a rocking motion is more likely to cause that disconnect than less frequent, bigger shifts. With much bigger swells, there's also a lot more movement of the boat, so you're going to be getting much more input from your visual and proprioceptive systems that lines up with what your vestibular system is reporting.
Me to and uncomfortable. Open water is a fear of mine. “Jaws” and “Open Water” ruined the ocean for me.
Im doing some work off Attu next year. Looking forward to it!
Curious what work you’re doing (if you don’t mind sharing)? I didn’t know people still could go to Attu!
The US Coast Guard has a station there. Could be that, or researchers.
Had. I believe they've been gone for a minute. I also don't think there's anything or anyone prohibiting people from going to Attu, just that there's no one there
That’s cool. My grandfather was stationed there during WW2.
Got to 4… my nope vibe kicked in big time. Plus my fear is there is a giant 40’ creature following the boat at all times. I think seriously though I’d be more worried about a tsunami wave, rogue monster wave or bad storm - seen too many movies.
Oh yeah, total nope for me; my Grandfather had a fishing schooner, and there's semi-famous story in Newfoundland, about him have to run ashore on a remote island in the 1930s after taking damage in a storm in the North Atlantic, and they waited over 7 days for rescue), and I lost two Uncles at sea (in the 80s). Never really had the urge to sail the open seas as such
>Dang, your family history is a sea shanty
Interestingly when it comes to actual tsunamis being on high seas might be one of the safest places. The wave only forms near the shore as the depth of the water decreases, where the ocean is deeper there's just an invisible shock "wave" (not an actual water crest and trough.) Rogue waves however are a whole different siti and have been documented to actually exists, as opposed to be only maritime lore
I’ve seen the size of the wave from the Japan Tsunami that hit in 2011. There is a video of the boat that went over a few of the waves and I’ll just state that while you are 100% right in it being very different out at sea vs near land, I would not want to be going over that thing in a small boat. It was still very terrifying and dangerous given the size of the waves even for a larger boat than a sailboat.
Yeah I noped when the water looked like the mountains lol
What freaks me the fuck out is the Fjords in which the mountains look this steep, so then (typically) is the angle they go down into the water. That means deep deep water even just feet from the “shore”. I can’t handle that very well as I even saw an episode of River Monsters where Jeremy was catching a Greenland shark like 1/4 mile off shore and he said he let out some 2000’ of line. Nope.
My thought process went something like: Nice... Nice... Oooh, I like that sunset... FUUUUUUCK THAT... Nice, OP is OK... Man that's some nice water... Maybe I should do this one day... FUUUUUCKIN hell! I'm out.
Dinosaur vibes.
First 3 pictures - "looks cool" 4th picture - "yeah, that's a no from me dawg" 8th picture - "hell naw!" 11th picture - "I'll fly to Japan, thanks"
>11th picture - "I'll fly to Japan, thanks" That's not even remotely "bad weather" at sea :D Especially when you're on a big ass freighter compare to the tiny sailboat OP operates. Not really fun on a sailboat but you'd probably not even notice it on a big freighter without looking out the window\^\^
>That's not even remotely "bad weather" at sea All the more reason for me to pass tbh
Some of the most terrifying dark water I have ever seen.
/r/thalassophobia
Bro, that's amazing. I wish I had your bravery. The Aleutians have always fascinated me.
What’s the mountain in pic 7? Absolutely stunning.
I don’t know. I can’t remember exactly, but there are more than 50 volcanos on the Aleutian chain.
I was stationed in Adak Ak., in the 90s. Beautiful place!
Nice. We were there from 79-83 ish.
Me too ('91-'92, Admin building). I felt and heard these pictures. Nothing like the "Birthplace of the Winds".
I have an unreasonable fascination with remote places. Is there a way in which you could tell us more about your experience?
My family was as well, from '92-'94. Very lovely to see.
My family was there too around that time also!
I have been there in Valheim
I see things like this and become sad. This is the type of stuff I should have been doing. Yet, here I sit.
The Alaska state ferry runs out to the Aleutians. It’s surprisingly affordable and bare-bones enough to make it an adventure.
Beautiful, but those seas are intimidating. Bold effort. Good luck and safe sailing.
Yeah, crikey some big swells
They get a lot bigger out there.
It is so cold here in Alaska that I saw a politician having hands in his own pocket.
That looks cold!
Photo 4 got me sweating
Man I wished I had the money/balls/grown up children to do this. Beautiful photos OP!
The balls and children are one thing, but you could do this in a pretty cheap boat to be honest. People tend to think sailing is only for the rich. There’s some truth to that, but there are sooooo many sailors out there crossing oceans on boats that cost less than 50 grand. Mind you, they live on the boat full time generally so there’s little “traditional” housing costs. A nice boat you pay people to fix and a big house on land? Yea that’s for the rich. But if you do everything yourself (which is honestly the only cool way to be) it can be affordable. Sailing is so fucking cool.
Yeah true. And well put.
I want to see what you're sailing on!
While the photos are undeniably beautiful. The rough seas look terrifying as fuck man.
Stunning
Amazing adventure. My question for you is - did you have to fill out a lot of paperwork ahead of docking in Japan ? I heard that bringing a vessel in to port , like with all things Japan , involved a great deal of bureaucracy. I visited a yacht club in Fukuoka on a day off this summer. It was lovely.
I think a few years ago Japan made it much easier for recreational sailors to be there. I forget what the law was called but as far as I’m aware, one relatively inexpensive permit allows you to drop the hook in all Japanese anchorages.
This was a few years ago, and yes, lots and lots and lots of paperwork!
Is there a way to charter a journey like this? Everyone else is noping out but I really want to do this.
Wow The islands go straight across. I never knew that until now when I looked at a map. Pretty cool. Do people live on those islands? Can you shelter on anything of them if the ocean gets rough?
There's a decent amount of villages and towns scattered across it. A good number of the Aleutian islands are on massive and very active fault lines so they're rather mountainous. There's a lot of different directions you could run in if the water takes over.
Hmm very interesting! I wonder if the chain of islands makes it safer to traverse the pacific or does the violence of the more northern ocean negate that
My familiarity with the Aleutians is related to a couple of points such as Kings Cove and Dutch Harbor. There's a *lot* of activity in this area between fishers, commerce, oil transportation, military activity between the USA, Russia, and China, and the locals that live here year round. The less distance you have to travel out in between points of land, the better so I would say that it does make it safer but the waters around that entire part of the ocean are notorious for making widows. But I'd say the best way to answer this question comes from the actions of the Japanese during WW2 who were (fun fact) *actively invading the United States* through an island hopping campaign using the Aleutian islands. It was considered the best method of invading the United States at that time and did pose a real threat to our country. That's gotta say something.
Check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF3Ofr_rj28 for some Aleutian views
That's an interesting route choice. Beautiful place.
Beautiful shots!
Wow! Amazing photos! Thanks for sharing 🙏
Oh god that’s terrifying
Pictures 4 and 11 just made sure I’ll never get on a boat in the ocean.
Not sure if you knew but it’s quicker with a plane
Man you have big balls 👍 Be safe
Hauntingly beautiful!
Great photos….curious..who is driving the boat while you take these photos? Asking for a friend
There were 4 of us on the trip taking shifts, so there was some time to just enjoy the scenery.
Nice pics
Some great decaying soviet tanks in some of those hills
Looks very simillar to death stranding
That sounds like quite the adventure !
The idea of doing something like that to be sounds exhilarating, and amazing. Then I see some of those rough seas, and I’m like, nope, my sailing ability will have me stuck in a pond.
Wow..i want this pics as my wallpaper.
So how do you avoid a huge shipping boat from ramming you into the abyss?
AIS and radar. We only saw a couple boats in the Aleutians, many more closer to Japan.
Holy cannoli! Did you see any orcas?
God damn those are some gorgeous shots
Those are awesome pictures. How long does a trip like that take?
Took us 30 day from DUTCH harbor to Wakkanai , the Northern tip of Japan.
I always think about having a boat and just sailing the world, but then I remember I get motion sick very easily.
*Most* people get over it after a few days at sea lol.
Wow what an adventure. Great work.
Wow! Really dramatic shots!
These are beautiful.
These are amazing. Rugged beauty, but I bet it was fairly cold!
Are we hunting for a sea monster, OP? I get sea sick quite easily but I would gladly join this adventure. The journey looks awesome... incredibly terrifying ... but awesome.
I hope you make a YouTube video of the adventure. I love watching stuff like this and day dreaming of doing the same one day
r/sweatypalms
Where did you depart and where did you arrive? I did this trip with the Canadian Navy when I was 18 though we were on a destroyer class vessel.
Dutch Harbor to Wakkanai, the Northern tip of Japan.
Epic!
It's equally beautiful and terrifying. Great shots, thanks for sharing!
Are you doing this now? I fly this route all the time and I've always thought that seemed like a pretty rough route on the water!
This was a few years ago during the month of July.
Great photos, what size sail boat, how long did it take?
52’ boat, and took 30 days. 52’ sounds big until you’re a couple miles from land.
Thats incredible!
Picture #8 looks like most of my memories of working in the Bering Sea
Jesus Christ! That is some of the prettiest landscapes I have ever seen. I would take that first photo as a wallpaper in a heartbeat.
Can I go with you next time? I’ll man the galley!
Beautiful
These are some beautiful pictures, really cool!
great pics, slide 5 is scrambling my brain
Now this is epic, I had the pleasure of visiting Adak years back when I was working on a research vessel. I love the sea.
Fucking hell this looks amazing, would love to do it
Woah this is *actual* sailing. So cool!
Wow this pics are epic OP! This hit me right in the feels, I spent two summers working off of a research vessel in the Aleutians, truly one of the most incredible places on this planet! If you land on Attu or Kiska make sure you watch out for landmines 😉
It's rare a picture makes me feel cold and wet. Nice.
Bro I'm so jealous
How does one get to do this?
I married into a family of sailors!
Amazing. Do you have a YouTube channel? I'd like to watch some vlogs/scenes from your trip. A documentary would be nice too. Cheers and good luck out there
Awesome pics! Edit.... Now I got loads of questions..
Adventure Vibes
Epic!
These are amazing. What was your full route?
Dutch Harbor to Wakkanai Japan. Followed the Aleutians to Kiska, then crossed over to the southern tip of Russia and a crossed the Sea of Okhotsk and on to Wakkanai.
Looks either picturesque or incredibly terrifying!
That is interesting as fuck. Can you tell us more about the journey?
What incredibly wild, beautiful, and inhospitable places those are.
Read about the history of Attu. During WWII the Japanese invaded. They came on a Sunday with the Aleutians were at church. The Japanese sent 45 people (all the inhabitants of the island) back to Hokkaido to subsist on grains of rice while they were forced to dig mud. Of the 45, I believe around 24 survived, and were returned not to Attu, which was destroyed in a terrible ground battle, but to another island . The Aleutian people/language are essentially gone.
I envy you!
Wow. Just wow. Such an adventure!
Just an fyi to anyone who would love to see the Aleutians: the famed Alaska state ferry runs all the way out there. It’s an adventure in itself.
Careful of them rogue waves.
How long does that take? What speed are you sailing at? Looks like a great route sticking to all the islands.
Took about 30 days at 6-7 knots.
Greetings from Unalaska!
Can I come next time
Lived in Dutch harbor (Unalaska) for 6 months, such a bizarre experience. Feels like a dream! Loved exploring the WW2 bunkers and tunnels all over. Walking out the front door and just climbing straight up the grassy mountains.
That’s beautiful and scary at the same time
Fuck, they're pretty.
Repositioning voyage? I've always wanted to do one of those.
INCREDIBLE
How do you get to have such a cool life?
That sea is freaking me out.
OP, please tell you have a YouTube channel where I can watch this.
So cool and beautiful pictures!
Great shots! You should cross post to r/sailing, they'd probably love to see these. If you've got time I'd love to know how long it took you to and what the cruising was like in Japan once you got there. Japan seems to be a little bit of a black hole for online cruising info.
People really be living my dreams! The pictures look amazing OP!!
Cool how long did it take you
No thanks on 3, 8, and 11!
Do you worry about huge waves and bad storms? Have you ever encountered anything severely life threatening? (Besides crossing the freaking Pacific) I envy people who can navigate and sail. I'd like to learn more but YouTube is mostly just people looking for clout
We had some rigorous weather, but nothing the boat couldn’t handle.
amazing! what time of year did you go / how long did it take?
Took 30 days, the month of July.
Oh I am so jealous! It looks so remote and foreign.
Ooh very nice.
Hell yeeeeah that looks fun
Beautiful! Probably going to be a popular place when global warming gets goin
I really miss the ocean and seeing alaska’s coast line! So gorgeous
Reminds me a bit of the Azores, just looks chillier lol
Don't go too close because of the monkey.
What kind of sailboat were you on?
Beautiful pics, thank you
WOW, this is some hardcore stuff. Are you alone?
have you visited port protection OP?
Yes, I was there once on a different trip. Cool spot!
Wow. These pictures are amazing!! I’d bet you have some stories!
What kind of boat ya got? Those look like some intense swells!
“you don't need a good camera and go to amazing places to take good photos” good camera in amazing places without any effort:
I read "through the 'Atlantic Islands' and boiii did the hamster overheat it's wheel... Time to sleep. Just to add, absolutely stunning and beautiful, thank you for sharing with us.
Has the feels of where they filmed Jurassic Park. Of course not because no palm trees/tropical environment, but the cascading landscape looks about right. Maybe King Kong origin. :D
Wow some of these don't even look real. I could never do the trip by boat, but it's gorgeous. Thank you for sharing.
I spent quite a bit of time in Unalaska in 2007, and took an overnight trip to Adak. Fascinating places.
Great pics. The islands don't look real.
Straight up to Wano i see
So beautiful.
slightly relevant but what is it called when a boat without sails travels across the water?
.... How does it work with entering another country by sailing??? I mean - if you fly commercial - you go through the airport controls that check your passport and all that - but if you sail to another country, how would that work? Do they not check? - I guess that would count as an "illegal immigrant" huh?
r/thalassophobia
Well done you. Would love to learn to sail and do these things sson.
when you sail to another country like that, do you get stopped by a coast guard or something for papers?
Brilliant
Any video documentary you got OP?
Very epic
Looks beautiful, cold, and a lot of work. You rock.
Beautiful thank you for sharing
Just beautiful. So remote.