Juneau Longshoremen Larry Englund, Francisco Velasco and Daniel Churchill haul in the tag and heaving lines, attached to one of the ship’s heavy mainlines. Capital City Weekly photo.
Though the work can be arduous, and the hours long, both Iver Nore and Dennis Young enjoy it.
“I like being outside,” Nore said, though admitted this past summer wasn’t exactly the most fun with all the rain.
“I just love it,” Young said, though he knows firsthand how dangerous the work can be. During his first summer in Juneau, one of the main lines he was hauling snapped, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees. “It was the first time the orthopedic surgeon had ever seen an ACL in three pieces. Those lines are that dangerous. Every time I fear for my life.”
Young explained that it’s a very physical job. He said that with low tides and other factors like larger main lines, three men can be pulling upwards of more than 250 pounds.
“You’re tired after pulling eight lines,” Nore said. “When there’s four ships in, your arms are pretty well rubber when you’re done.”