Tsunami Marine Debris on Outer Coast Beaches

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In terms of "hard to get to" the outer coast of Yakobi Island is up there. Nearest road is way far, don't even think about it. The state ferry goes to the little town of Pelican. But then what? Rent a boat or kayak. Most kayakers and boaters opt for the calm and safer inside passage, so they never see the outer coast of Yakobi. "Too exposed". True enough, all the marine cruiser guidebooks are liberally sprinkled with 'dragons be-there' warnings including the lack of safe harbors and the need for 'local knowledge'. The existing harbors are exposed or the entrances are cluttered with poorly charted rocks. All of which is great as far as I'm concerned. It is a stunning coast and nearly empty of people. Designated wilderness next to breathtaking seascapes of exposed bedrock points and bouldery beaches. And about a zillion islands of all shapes and sizes.... Lets go...

We had a week and wanted to circumnavigate the island, spending most of our time on the outer coast. But the weather was marginal, and the outside ocean was still churning from a gale the day before. Getting out of Lisianski Strait onto the big ocean looked a bit dodgy, so we anchored a night in Lost Cove and explored a bit. Next morning the ocean was not much better so I put my companions on shore and let them bushwhack overland to the cabin at Greentop. My friend who is in the Seattle Mountain Rescue squad said it was the hardest 1/2 mile hike she had ever done... but they got there. I took the boat around the point and I think they probably had a better time hiking than out in the swell.

Next day we kayaked out to one of the islands that faces the open ocean, landed on the calm back side and hiked around it. Right away we started finding buoys, styrofoam and plastic bottles. There is always some, but this was a bit more than I'd seen in previous years. As the week progressed we worked our way up the coast, hiking beaches and woodlands and kayaking in the protected bays and islands. The photos show some of the marine debris we found. Was some of it from the March 2011 tsunami in Japan? Maybe. They say the currents aren't expected to deposit the bulk of the debris until early in 2013. But big styrofoam floats and big buoys sit high on the water and the wind would really move them along. I suspect some of this debris is from the tsunami and it 'sailed' here. We found three of the big buoys pictured below and a week later I found 3 others nearby. In a typical year I might find one or none. And items with handwriting on them - a commemorative life ring and a ball. Typically the things I find are impersonal fishing related floats. Lots of photos to tell the story below.

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Photos

What does it say?
My friends found this on a beach on the island in the background.

Comments

[Nathan Borson]

Lemon nudibranch!
Sorry I missed that; I've never seen one!