From photographer Bill Hess, who blogs at Logbook Wasilla:
Last night, the whalers of Barrow gathered together in the Cornerstone Church for a non-denominational prayer service. At the end of a moving, spirit-filled gathering that included much gospel singing and special honors paid to the Alaska state championship Barrow Lady Whalers basketball team, the whalers sang their official hymn, "How Great Thou Art." The elder Wesley Aiken spoke a few words and then Molly Itta prayed in Iñupiaq for the safety and success of the whalers before they venture out onto the unusually thin and extra dangerous ice of an always dangerous and indifferent ocean.
See more of Hess' recent photos from Barrow and read a transcript of remarks by Barrow Whaler Captains Association president Eugene Brower at Logbook Wasilla.
Anchorage