Alaskan Rock ‘n Galley Cookbook

Alaska Halibut Provencal
1 ½ lbs. Halibut fillets 2 T. white wine
1 T. olive oil 1 tsp. dried basil
½ c. onion, finely chopped ½ tsp. garlic powder
1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes, ¼ tsp. thyme leaves
drained
½ c. green or black olives, cut in half

Preheat oven to 375°. Place fish in a large baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Salt and pepper lightly. Bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile; heat oil in medium saucepan on medium heat. Add onion, cook and stir 5 minutes or until softened. Add remaining ingredients, simmer 3 minutes. Spoon sauce over fish. Bake 5 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serves 4.
La Donna’s Website: www.rockngalley.com

Ole & LaDonna Gundersen

For the past 16 seasons, Waterfall Resort has had the privilege of participating as the fundraising venue for the Waterfall Foundation Fishing Tournament. Nancy Murkowski, Chairwoman for the Waterfall Foundation, enjoys this annual event where guests can contribute to a worthwhile cause and have fun fishing at the same time!

“Somewhat” retired U.S. Senator/Governor of Alaska Frank Murkowski and his wife, Nancy, are long-time organizers of the event and always bring their warm welcoming Alaskan spirit to share with the camp. In addition, each year there is a U.S. Senator from Alaska in attendance.

The charitable Fishing Tournament benefits the Breast Cancer Detection Center of Alaska, (BCDC) [501(c)(3)] in Fairbanks, as well as other related medical charities such as the Ketchikan General Hospital and the Wrangell Medical Center Foundation and numerous other statewide women’s health organizations.

The Waterfall Foundation has raised $4.5 million with this Tournament and has hosted senators, representatives, and even a Speaker of the U.S. House three years running.

Each year, those attending this event have their own internal tournament for the largest King, Silver, Ling Cod, and Halibut closest to 100 lbs. Judge Henry Keen from Ketchikan caught the largest King for the 2009 Tournament. His winning King weighed in at 49.9 lbs!

This season, the Foundation raised over $300,000 at Waterfall Resort with the majority of the funding for the BCDC. A mobile highway van and 2 mobile units that fit into small bush planes have saved the lives of many women by providing medical services to the outlying areas of Alaska including the Aleutians and the Arctic.

According to Executive Director, Eileen Van Wyhe, over 80 people attended this season’s event. The charity’s 2009 live auction raised nearly $120,000. U.S. Senator from Missouri, Kit Bond, was the auctioneer for several valuable items including a traditional Alaskan mask, and walrus and ivory cribbage boards. Senator Bond fully engaged the audience in bidding up the ante, which resulted in a very lively auction with generous bidders.
This year’s sponsors included Alaska Airlines, Conoco Phillips, British Petroleum, Exxon, Southern Company, and various energy companies. Main sponsors include Brian Vanderbloemen of Duke Energy, Bob Brandt and Robbie Aiken of Pinnacle West, and Sam Kito of Kito, Inc.

Waterfall shares in the festivities and supports the cause that invites these guests to our Resort. Plus, a rousing roomful of friends shouting and clapping in appreciation for each other’s catch of the day makes for a fun and exciting Award Ceremony every evening!

Waterfall Resort is honored to be part of the Breast Cancer Detection Center of Alaska’s annual fundraising event and looks forward to their return to Waterfall August 7-10, 2010.

For more information on the Breast Cancer Detection Center, click on:
http://bcdcofalaska.org

For more information about the Waterfall Foundation, or if you are interested in participating in the 2010 Fishing Tournament and would like to receive an invitation, please contact Eileen Van Wyhe at: waterfall_eileen@yahoo.com.

For details about how a Fishing Tournament at Waterfall Resort could benefit your own charity, please call 800-350-3474.

Auctioneer Senator Kit Bond, MO and Organizer Assistant Kimberly Van Wyhe

Steve’s View 8/25/09

This season was a reflection of what Waterfall is all about. Whether you call it camaraderie, esprit de corps, or just plain togetherness, our staff, management, and ownership displayed an uncanny unity of purpose. Tradition and consistency are hallmarks of this organization but this season demanded more.

The challenging economic conditions of 2009 required that we examine our procedures and adjust accordingly.
Our goal was to improve efficiency through prudent cost control measures without impacting service to our guests. The operational discipline needed to accomplish this affected our crew in several ways. The response to these changes was remarkable.

The staff remained cooperative and cheerful throughout the summer and supported one another through all the peaks and valleys of this unique season and created a fun environment in the camp. Our guests frequently commented on the friendliness and professionalism of the staff. In my opinion, this was the best team we have assembled at Waterfall during my tenure as General Manager.

Of course the ultimate goal is to provide a satisfying and memorable experience to our guests. Hopefully, we accomplished that and you are planning to return in 2010.

Thank you to guests and crew alike for making 2009 a special season at Waterfall!

Waterfall Staff 2009

My first visit to Alaska was simply awesome. We were blessed with mild temperatures, calm waters and excellent fishing. Our guide, Wayne, took us to different spots and each spot produced exactly as he explained beforehand. When he took us to a spot that was kicking out silver salmon, we caught silver salmon. His deep water spot for bigger halibut produced two big halibut. He said certain shallower pinnacles held big lingcod and rockfish and that’s exactly what we caught off of them… it was uncanny!

My only regret of the trip was not being able to catch one of the beautiful king salmon like this 27 pounder caught by my friend, Dean. We caught the tail end of the king run and were fortunate to be able to hook some at all, especially when we were mostly fishing spots not considered prime king territory. I was quite envious when I saw that beast rise up from the depths like a silvery submarine. I guess that gives me a good reason to return!

Thanks to Waterfall for providing our group with the trip of a lifetime! The attention to detail and customer service is quite evident from the moment you step on to the receiving dock to the time you board the floatplane for the flight back to Ketchikan… Waterfall certainly took care of our every need!”

John Kim
San Diego, California

Dean Kim holds up his 27 lb. King

Pirate’s Cove
by Scott McKelvey

Pirate’s Cove, a popular sightseeing location for many of our guests and crew, is located on the southern side of Suemez Island and hidden behind what is known as Cathedral Rock. This little hideaway, surrounded by steep rock cliffs, is quite picturesque and offers a small beach in the back. Pirate’s Cove probably received its name due to the fact that when a boat is back inside the cove, it is completely hidden from any passing boats outside the cove.

The Beach at Pirate's Cove

Grilled Coho with Russian BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:
1 Whole Coho fillet with the pin bones removed
1 Sheet of foil (large enough to cover the bottom of the fish)

Russian BBQ Sauce:
1 C Mayonnaise
1 Clove Garlic, minced
½ tsp. Brown Sugar
2 Tbl. Catsup
½ C Distilled vinegar
1 Green pepper, minced
1 Pimiento, minced
1 Onion, minched
1 Tbl. Horseradish
1 Tbl. Parsley, chopped
1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Fresh ground pepper

Assembly:
Preheat grill. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for Russian BBQ Sauce. Put foil on grill and then place salmon skin side down on foil. Pour BBQ sauce over fish. Cook until center of fish starts to separate. Remove from grill and serve family style.

Chef Stu

By Steve Cockrell, General Manager

Your fishing adventure doesn’t end at our dock. It continues with our expert seafood preparation team working quickly and diligently to ensure the quality of your catch as one of the key benefits of your time at Waterfall! Our staff cleans and fillets each day’s catch according to your personal instructions. Your fish is then vacuum-packed, labeled, flash frozen and stored in your personal Fish Boxes for freezer storage and easy transportation through your airline connections.

Fish boxes accompany you as baggage on your flight home and travel under Alaska Airlines weight restrictions. If you are staying overnight in Ketchikan or Seattle, our staff will recommend convenient freezer storage facilities at these airports. If you catch your dream fish and want it mounted, our Staff will prepare it for shipment and refer you to an experienced Taxidermist. Either way, our guests always enjoy their “lifetime memories” … one way or the other!

King Salmon
Top Ten List
As of 8/8/09

Date:               Name:                           Weight:                               Hometown:
7/24/09       Brian Mayberry         60.5 lbs                            Sahuarita, AZ
7/15/09       Dan Rowe                      55.9 lbs                            Sammamish, WA
7/17/09       Martin Gilmartin       54.3 lbs                             Sedona, AZ
7/18/09       Robert Loiselle           53.9 lbs                             Cave Creek, AZ
7/1/09          Dylan Davis                  52.9 lbs                             Oklahoma City, OK
6/21/09       Barton Kilgore             52.0 lbs                            Longview, WA
6/30/09      Thomas Schendt         48.4 lbs                            Chevy Chase, MD
7/18/09       Roger Grimes              47.5 lbs                             Tucson, AZ
7/18/09       Frank Bongiovanni    46.9 lbs                            El Cajon, CA
6/29/09       Mike Cochran               45.9 lbs                            Santa Rosa, CA

Em Urbaniak, Derby Hostess

Floatplanes arrive and depart with guests on them just about everyday. We call it a “turnover” day, and dockhands stand ready to help with the luggage and fish boxes. Once the arriving guests are all checked-in, it’s time to go fishing!!

Upon returning to the dock at the end of each fishing day, the guests’ totes are unloaded. Everyone checks out each other’s totes (a very friendly competition) and then the totes are dragged to the scale to be weighed and strung for pictures. After the totes are examined, they are taken to the cutting house. Monster-size catch, like Halibut, usually are cut outside on the dock. Guests remain dockside to watch the cutters and to take those up-close “action” shots! Then it’s time for the guests to be off to the Dining Room for dinner and King of the Day Awards! Not to mention the “action” in the Lagoon Saloon afterward!

Your fishing adventure doesn’t end at our dock. It continues with our expert seafood preparation team working quickly and diligently to ensure the quality of your catch as one of the key benefits of your time at Waterfall! Our staff cleans and fillets each day’s catch according to your personal instructions. Your fish is then vacuum-packed, labeled, flash frozen and stored in your personal Fish Boxes for freezer storage and easy transportation through your airline connections. Fish boxes accompany you as baggage on your flight home and travel under Alaska Airlines weight restrictions. If you are staying overnight in Ketchikan or Seattle, our staff will recommend convenient freezer storage facilities at these airports. If you catch your dream fish and want it mounted, our Staff will prepare it for shipment and refer you to an experienced Taxidermist. Either way, our guests always enjoy their “lifetime memories”…one way or the other!