So Many Places So little Time

Aug. 23, 2009

Well we have made the decision to winter in Sitka this year. We are on the waiting list for permanent moorage (3 year wait) and should know within the week where our winter slip will be. Moorage here is quite different than what we are use to, all of the slips are Hot-berthed- which means when you leave your slip(even for one night) you must notify the port and they rent out your slip if someone wants it. So until you have a permanent slip you could be changing slips at any moment.

We have been in Sitka now for close to a month. We have seen friends from Seattle who have come through on the cruise lines, Don and Liz, John and Yoshiko. That was fun for us.

Fish at last! News travels fast in Alaska from one small town to another. While in Pelican we met a great couple Tom and Minnie who called ahead to Sitka to let their friends Lance and Ann know we were on our way. We have all become fast friends and have enjoyed each others company on many adventures already. Fish was first on our list so Lance and Ann took us along for a successful day of salmon fishing. Jim brought in a 17.5 pound Coho. Each of us caught either a Coho or a King so the freeze was filled.

Girls' nights out! I have had two fabulous weekend events with new friends here in Sitka. The first was the opportunity to spend the night with friends on a privately owned island. The night was filled with knitting, eating, talking and laughing. The second weekend adventure took us to a new log cabin in the Tongass forest out side of Sitka. The setting was amazing, the salmon were running upstream and the bear watch was on!! A sow with two cubs has been seen daily in the area unfortunately we did not see her. We were warned however to keep doors and windows locked.

Sitka is alive with activities and we are looking forward to taking advantage of all the events. Our cell phones work so give us a call.
Cheers everyone!!

Wild Hogs!!!

It is that time of year many of our friends go Hog Wild.

Jim and his brother Bill in Sturgis.

Jim's Pics 2

Push the arrow to start the photo slide show.

Enjoy!

For great reading while having your morning coffee check out the Daily Sitka Sentinel. Be sure to see the police updates.

Jim's Pics 1

Sitka

Nestled at the foot of magnificent glacial carved mountains facing the Pacific Ocean on Baranof Island, Sitka is located on the outer coast of Alaska’s Inside Passage and lies at the heart of the largest temperate rain forest in the world, the Tongass National Forest. With views of island-studded waters and forests descending to the water’s edge, Sitka is home to just under 9,000 people.
Sitka’s colorful past is a unique blend of native Tlingit culture and Russian history. In 1867, when the United States purchased Alaska from the Russians, the transfer ceremony was held in Sitka, and Sitka became Alaska’s first capital city.

http://www.cityofsitka.com/aboutsitka/Sitka%20Final%20Webpageedit2.pdf

Where Eagles Soar

THEY LAND!!! and that seems to be on our mast top!! Which means they grab hold of whatever they can find up there (wind instruments etc..) and crush them! After replacing the instruments we are now open to any suggestions for eagle proofing our mast top!

(some of my knitting needles seem to be missing)

Pristine Wilderness

7-19-09

July 17th we raised the anchor and headed for the Gulf of Alaska. It was another bright sunny day. Once in the gulf we were able to get a clear view of the Fairweather Mountain range, a breathtaking treat!

Our choices were to stay in the gulf and sail down the outside of Chichagof Island or thread our way through passages with steep dynamic mountains, lush green islands and rocks everywhere. Everyone we talked with said not to miss the "inside" and we are glad we chose this route.

The abundance of wildlife still stuns our senses; otters, eagles, deer, Brown bears, whales, seals, sea lions, and Lion's Mane jellyfish are everywhere.

There are many isolated anchorages to choose from here. We are at the end of Falcon Arm which is surrounded by steep dramatic mountains. We entered Falcon Arm by following a serpentine path around two opposing points of land, giving the impression that there is no entrance or exit once inside. We can not see but hear the rush of a powerful waterfall near by. The shoreline has just enough room for grass to grow providing good eats for Brown bears and so far we have seen a sow with cub, a lone bear, plus many deer. It is so quiet that last night we heard a harbor seal snort, grunt and blow bubbles like a 5 year old in a bathtub.

Our plan is to being Coho fishing. We have been told that lack of rain this year has kept the Coho out to sea longer than usual. Our fingers are crossed-well actually the hooks are sharpened.
Cheers,
CSJ