Sitka By The Sea

 The early morning brought more fog but we made our way regardless and once we rounded the corner into Neva Strait it subsided a bit. We were both really excited to be heading into a town after weeks of no cell service and nothing open. By 11a.m. the harbormaster had hot birthed us into a fishing boats slip and we were tied up and ready to see everyone and the town. We had some lunch and later on Lucy and Bill stopped by and we caught up and visited for a while then took a walk down the dock to their boat. Lucy told us how two other American Tug boats they knew were in town and a group of 10 of us were going to dinner that night. Thrilled to be around other humans we of course excepted the invite. Everyone got along great and it was if we had all known each other for a long time. After dinner we hit the famous Pioneer Bar for a nightcap then back to the Tidings of Joy for more gab. It was a great night. 

En Route to Sitka

Fishing Boat 

En Route to Sitka

Sitka Harbor

Docked in Sitka

Bill & Lucy 

Downtown Sitka

Dinner Group

Pioneer Bar

Pioneer Bar

Since it was our first morning with no travel since Glacier Bay we slept in and went really slow enjoying our coffee and taking in the view of the harbor before deciding what to do. Eventually we headed into town to explore and see the shops. At some point Lucy texted and we met up with her and Bill at Ernie's pub for a drink then walked up to the top of Castle Hill where we had a great view of town and the harbor. This is the site where the land transfer between Russia and the U.S. took place. Lots of Russian history here. Later that evening we met Chuck and Margaret for pizza at Mean Queen. 

Interesting House in Sitka

Ernie's Bar

Cathedral Downtown Sitka

Salt Tasting at Alaska Salt

Top of Castle Hill with Lucy & Bill

View from Castle Hill

Mean Queen

The next day our sightseeing continued and the 6 of us (Chuck, Margaret, Bill, Lucy and us) walked through town to Totem Park and then onto the Rapture Center. Totem Park is what is sounds like a pretty green park with nice paths that have a lot of old totems around to look at. It was a beautiful park and a nice walk. Through the park and up the street is the Rapture Rehabilitation Center where they rescue eagles, owls and any other birds that have been injured (mostly by man), rehabilitate them and then send them back into the wild. While they are recovering and rehabilitating the public is able to see them and a ranger walks you through giving information about the birds and the center. It was both sad and interesting. After our long walk 16,000 steps we were all tired and retired to our own boats and had a quiet evening. 

Walk to Totem Park

Walking Through Totem Park

Me & Lucy Totem Park

Jeff & I Totem Park

Totem Park

Totem Being Built 

Totem Park

Stream in Totem Park

Raptor Center

Eagles in Raptor Center

Raptor Center

After much sightseeing we needed to have a chore day. After being away from port for so long with no water or cell service we needed to do things like: laundry, boat washing, blogging, cleaning the boat, catching up on emails and phone calls and reprovisioning. This was our day for that. Later that day Jean from Big Red asked us to dinner with the group at the Channel Club. They had a van they would send to the marina to pick us all up and bring us home after. How nice. So our group now down to 8 because Eileen & Dan left went to dinner. The company, food and views were all great and it was fun to be socializing and feel somewhat back to normal after the year of covid isolation. 

The next morning the chores and errands continued. We went to the hardware store, marine store and office supply store. We also attempted to go to the farmers market which by the time we got there was pretty much over and nothing was left. Oh well. We then continued onto the Cathedral and the Sheldon Jackson museum. Another action packed day. I got 22, 000 steps. We also managed to face time with our friends Randal and Michelle and then walked back into town for live music for 4th of July weekend. The band was fun and it was full of young people. The wind was gusty and cold and finally we retreated to the Pioneer Bar for one last beer before heading home for the night. 

St. Michaels Cathedral 

4th of July Street Fair

Outdoor Concert

Dancing Outdoor Concert

Pioneer Bar

Yesterday was the 4th of July and a holiday we always love and look forward to. We were told a couple of days ago that they barge with all the fireworks on it got stuck in Canada and wouldn't be here until the 10th so no fireworks for us. Oh well. It's been years since Jeff and I have seen fireworks on the 4th and we don't mind at all. Instead we walked to town with Bill & Lucy and watched the parade with them and Chuck and Margarett. It was really cute and sweet and Jeff managed to get a lot of candy. After we walked to the Bishops House for one last bit of touring and then went over to Chuck and Margarett's boat to visit. 

Tomorrow we leave Sitka after 8 fun filled days. It's a great fun town and we were so happy to see our friends and hope we can see everyone again before we leave Alaska. 

Walking to Parade

4th of July Parade

Parade

Walkers in Parade

Coast Guard Fly Over

Watching Parade with Lucy & Gang

Parade

Bishop's House

Bishop's House

Bishop's House

Round the Outside

 With Glacier Bay a stern we started our route south towards Sitka. For a very long time we had been watching YouTubers Ran Sailing from Norway. When they came to Alaska they went to this tiny place called Elfin Cove and it's been on my list ever since. According to the guidebooks and their videos it seemed like a magical enchanting place surrounded by trees so that's where we headed. Unfortunately Troller season hadn't opened up yet and the  one public dock was full of fishing boats leaving no space for cruisers like us. Sadly we did a u-turn and proceeded around Cross Sound into Lisanski Inlet towards Pelican. As we approached we hailed the dockmaster on the radio and then tried the phone number with no luck. We slowly meandered along the docks looking for any open space. Finally I shouted to a fisherman on his boat asking if he knew where to go. Fortunately there was a space right next to him and he and three other fisherman caught our lines and helped me secure the boat. Super nice. After getting set up we headed up the ramp into town which is one long wood boardwalk. It's adorable and everyone smiled at us and said hello. 

Elfin Cove - Full Dock

Cross Sound

Pelican Harbor

Pelican Harbor

Skiffs in Pelican

Pelican 

Walking in Pelican 

Downtown Pelican 

Pelican 

Pelican Harbor

Pelican 

Sea Plan - Pelican Harbor

Pelican Harbor 

The next morning we woke up to pretty thick fog and decided to delay our departure till 0800 giving the fog a chance to lift. Today we were finally going to be doing some ocean cruising - something I was really looking forward to. It's been such a long time since we've been in open ocean. When we cruised up to Alaska in April we crossed the ocean a couple times but for very short stints and not completely open. We made our way out of Pelican with patchy fog and into Lisanski Strait which took us out to the ocean where we made a left turn south en route to Klag Bay. The seas weren't too bad - 3-5 footers but nicely spaced where we could still walk around and not get tossed too badly. The cruise was uneventful and before I knew it we were in Klag Bay anchored and ready to launch the dingy to go to shore to explore the old abandoned silver and gold mining village that was here and operated from 1905-1930's. We threw on our xtratuffs and set off. 

Heading into the Fog

Lisianski Strait

Ocean Crusising

En Route to Klag Bay

Entering Klag Bay

Klag Bay Anchorage

Old Mining Site

The Boats

Klag Bay Anchorage

Old Mine

Old Mine

Mining Building

Old Mining Docks

Going Outside 

We both found the old mining site really interesting and were happy we had the chance to walk around it and explore all that was left. The next morning we set out in sunny skies and minimal fog towards Kalinin Bay our final stop before heading into Sitka. The ocean part of our cruise was calm and  uneventful and soon enough we were in Salisbury Sound and heading into Kalinin Bay. We found it a bit overwhelming because not only was there another boat in the anchorage there were 7 other boats. Thus far we have been really lucky to have most anchorages to ourselves. Maybe twice we have been with one other boat so Kalinin found really crowded. Fortunately it's a large anchorage with plenty of room for lots of boats. We found a good spot affording us enough swing room and privacy from the other boats. Shortly after we got set up Jeff spotted a mama brown bear and her two cubs eating grass on shore. We were so excited spending hours looking at them through the binoculars. Pure Alaskan entertainment that never ever gets old. 

Salsbury Sound

Entering Kalinin Bay

Kalinin Bay

Mama & Cubs in Kalinin Bay

Mama Brown Bear

Kalinin Bay

The next morning brought more fog and some big winds were due to arrive later in the day so we unanchored and got out early. We were excited to be going to Sitka a town neither of us have been to and also where our friends Chuck, Margaret, Bill and Lucy were. We hadn't seen them since Petersburg and were looking forward to a nice reunion and catching up.