False Pass: The Truth

False Pass (or "the Pass," as it's known by Alaskan fishermen) is named for its Isanotski Strait (the Russianized name for issannakh, the Aleut word for "pass"), the narrow water which separates the mainland from the islands and provides the first route along the southwest coast between the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. It was named False Pass because when English-speaking people with deep draught sailing vessels attempted to pass through, they found that while they could easily enter the southern entrance to the pass (which is deep and wide), the north channel into the Bering Sea was narrow with shoals. Since their vessels were entirely powered by wind, they found it difficult to steer in this narrow part with its strong tidal currents. So they called the strait "False Pass." With the advent of engine-driven boats, the north entrance to the pass can easily be navigated by all boats under 150 ft. long, so now it's anything but false--thousands of boats make it their way from one ocean to another every year. In this photo, we're standing on the east end of Unimak Island (above the town), looking out over the pass at the mainland of the Alaska Peninsula.