I arrived in Chignik less than 2 hours before I became friends with the mayor.  I had just settled onto a bench in the galley of the Kimberly, the boat I was staying on for the next few days and dozed off… when I woke up to the sound of voices and someone standing over me.

I looked up and saw an elderly man wearing a North Pacific Fuel company cap, a plaid shirt, smoking a cigarette staring at me as I struggled to sit up in the cramped galley.  I reached my hand out to offer a handshake as I introduced myself.

“Hi, I’m Mark…” I started to say, but he leaned in with his hand behind his ear.

“Eh!? What was that?” He said loudly. “I don’t hear so well, you’ve got to speak up.”

He introduced himself as Dick, and sat down at the table next to me.  He began to tell me about himself as he lit another cigarette.  He was 72 years old and had been fishing in Chignik since the 1940′s, although these days he simply works on the Kimberly as a tender for the fishing boats where they offload their catch.  When not on the boat, he is the mayor of Chignik and its 80 residents.

At first I didn’t know what to make of this chain smoking, deaf fisherman with his endless stories of the old days of fishing crab and salmon in the North Pacific, but over the next few months I actually came to appreciate him and our unusual friendship that resulted.   He was always good for a game of cribbage, where he would soundly beat me every time. and he let me use his office to get on the dial up internet, which is all the town had to offer.

I also enjoyed watching Seattle Mariners baseball games with Dick in his office, not only because it was great to watch some baseball, but also he kept me entertained as he muttered and cursed at the screen as each game ended with his Mariners losing.

Upon finding out I had no experience in the fishing industry, Dick showed me a few knots and handy things to know when working on a boat and helped me feel ready when the season began.  As a greenhorn, I appreciated having a friend in this tiny fishing village as I adjusted to this new world.  I would meet many more unique characters over the course of the summer, but Dick stands out as the first real friend I made in Chignik.