Safe in Sitka

Last night we anchored in Kalinin Bay at the entrance to Salisbury Sound.  The guide books are correct.  The anchorage is well-protected but also well-used.  We are the fourth boat to drop our anchor and as the evening progresses several more boats slip into the safe harbor. 

The weather can't make up its mind.  Clouds move in and the rain starts then within minutes the sun returns.  We celebrate our successful navigation of Chichigof's west side with a glass of scotch and "bergie bits" that we had scooped up in Glacier Bay.  The wind kicks-up late in the evening and blows without stop most of the night. 

This morning we pull our anchor at 7:30 with a strong north wind blowing.  We debate about resetting the anchor and waiting-out the winds in Kalinin Bay but finally opt to continue on our journey.  Our route takes us back into Salisbury Sound for about six miles where we will be exposed to the Pacific.  With luck, the north wind will be blocked by the land mass and whatever seas we encounter will be at our stern.  With Plan B in mind (return to anchor), we set out and our journey is smooth.  From Salisbury we head south into Neva and then Olga Straits before reaching Sitka. 

We are in a moon phase that has significantly less effect on the tides.  Just a week ago, we were experiencing tide swings that exceeded 25 feet.  Today the tide will swing just 5 feet.  As such, the tidal currents are also lessened which reduces the need to time our transit in Neva and Olga.  The flood current meets where these two passages come together.  If current weas an issue we would want to arrive at the entrance to Neva at the end of the flood tide so we could ride the ebb tide out of Olga.  As it is, we arrive an hour before the turn and push through the end of the flood tide in Olga.

Sitka Harbor

We arrive in Sitka and place a call to the Harbor Master.  We are assigned a slip in Eliason Harbor on the end of Dock 9.  The wind is pushing us north along the dock and the current is pulling us away from the dock.  Add to that, we are on the outside of the dock and there is another boat already moored here.  It takes a couple of tries, but we are soon tied-up just in time for lunch.

Sheldon Jackson Campus

Sheldon Jackson Museum

We walk into Sitka and learn that Sunday is not the best day to visit town.  Our favorite restaurant Ludvig's is closed (also closed on Monday).  We have such fond memories of having dinner here two years ago that we can't help but be disappointed.  We continue into town where many of the tourist stores are open but we are more interested in visiting the fabulous museum at the end of town on the Sheldon Jackson Campus.  This campus served as a boarding school for Native Alaskan's for many years and on our recent visit to Hoonah we learned that this is where Marj (Native Eskimo) went to high school.  The school became a local college and then fell into disuse.  When we were here in 2015, we met Carol Odess who was instrumental in helping to transform the campus into a Summer Music and Arts Camp.  Carol hails from Alabama but she and her late husband spent many summers fishing in Sitka and this has become her second home.  Carol gave us a tour of campus including many tutor style building that were being restored.  This year, as we walk through the campus we note the extensive restoration has continued.  We continue to the Sheldon Jackson museum to discover that it too is closed.  

   Aha!  This is open!!.  We enter the visitor center just as the historical film is beginning and take seats in the darkened auditorium.  We are presented first the Tlingit view of local history and then the Russian view.  Sitka was the site of an extensive Russian Settlement and there was significant conflict between the Russians and the native population.  There is a lovely exhibit of totem poles and carving techniques in the Visitor's Center.  We then head outside where there  

Our next stop is the National Park there is an amazing collection of totem poles.
is a beautiful trail through the woods with totem poles tucked in along the path.

We head back to the boat for an early supper and an early to bed.  We are both tired and looking forward to a night at the dock.  Our plans for the next several days are in flux.  There is a large low pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska working its way north.  The weather forecast for the next several days does not sound conducive to comfortable boating.  Up and down the coast, winds are forecast to be 25-35 knots with gusts to 50 knots.  Seas will range from 8 feet to 15 feet.  We are seriously considering staying right where we are until this all blows over.  Maybe we will get to Ludvig's afterall