Barging In

A smaller barge that lives in Nanwalek.  It's owners also
own one of the stores so it makes a lot of grocery runs. 

The Helenka B fully loaded.  There's another small propane
truck hiding on the other side of the large truck.  You can also
see a semi-trailer behind the big propane truck (they used the
same truck to pull them both off).  And someone somewhere
just got a nice new minivan!

Anyone who followed our trip to Alaska several years ago is familiar with the Helenka B.  She's the former World War II minesweeper, turned commercial barging vessel I talked about in "De Barge, de Barge."  She's not, however, the only barge to service the community.  Being a community on the water, Nanwalek is very familiar with barges.  In fact, there are a couple who call Nanwalek home. They are much smaller than the Helenka B, but definitely have some advantages.  If you're bringing stuff over on the smaller barges, you pretty much only have to wait on the weather.  The drivers are pretty flexible and will usually make things work around your schedule when the weather allows them to.  The large barge (that's fun to say) doesn't have to wait on the weather, but it comes when it's ready.  If it doesn't have enough of a load for the owners to consider it worth the time and energy, it doesn't come, regardless of your sense of urgency.

They have to help the big trucks get up off of the beach.

The smaller barges can also be a little pricier, typically starting at $600 a trip and going up from there.  The same load may cost $1000 on the smaller barge and be as little as $200 on the large barge, but you have to be willing to work with its schedule.  Besides your sense of urgency, the size of your load will also determine which barge you choose.  If you're bringing over three propane trucks to fill up the propane farm, obviously you'll use the Helenka B.  She can hold all three propane trucks, another semi-truck trailer loaded down, the equipment necessary to pull those trucks off the boat and up the beach, and have room to spare for pallets of other miscellaneous freight.  She usually comes to the village about 3 or 4 times a year with the propane trucks and whatever else anyone has managed to add to the load.  Regardless of what it's bringing, it's always fun to watch.