SITKA
I woke up early this morning and let Jim sleep in. I got dressed and went downstairs for some coffee and to enjoy the scenery as we cruised into Sitka. We have only approached Sitka from the Pacific Ocean into Crescent Bay on past cruises, so I was anxious to experience gliding on the glassy waters into Sitka Harbor from the north into this small Russian village this time. There was a low lying fog hugging the islands as we passed through. Along the way we passed several fishing boats that had their cranes working hard spreading their nets in the water to gather their fresh fish that day. The fishermen would wave as we went by them. It was a very nice greeting so early in the morning. I stood out on the bow of the Yorktown with my coffee and my camera until Jim finally joined me and we went inside for our light breakfast.
Sitka is the oldest non-native settlement in Southeast Alaska. It is full of Russian and Tlingit history. Sitka means “behind the island or by the sea” in Tlingit. Sitka as we know it today was founded in 1804 by the Russians and was the capital of Russian America for 63 years. It was known as the “Paris of the Pacific”. Once Alaska was sold to the United States, most of the Russian residents left and returned to Russia.
Our included “shore excursion” in Sitka was a tour of Totem Heritage park. When we disembarked the ship, the heavens opened up on us and the rain poured down. Even though we all had our umbrellas and hats on, we still got soaked. But that didn’t stop us from enjoying our time here. Inside the visitor center there were many original totems on display that are now protected from the weather and harmful elements they would normally be exposed to. Among the displays inside were also Tlingit blankets woven from goat hair with very intricate black and white native patterns. There were baskets that had been hand woven by the women in the tribes and samples of beautiful items that had been sewn meticulously interweaving beautiful beads and fur into the patterns. As I walked outside, I noticed an island across the channel with a white and red lighthouse on it. And, yes, I had my camera in hand to capture the moment.
After our tour, we were given the option to be taken back to The Yorktown or to be dropped off in town. We opted for the second and were dropped off near the Heritage Visitor Center where we took off with our umbrellas above our heads to explore the city. We had a very enjoyable lunch of crab melt sandwiches at the restaurant inside the Westmark Hotel up the street from the Visitor Center. After lunch we walked down through some of the local shops and passed the St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Church in the center of town. St. Michael’s green dome was graced by a bald eagle perched proudly on the cross on the top of the dome as we walked by. Across from the heritage Visitor Center under a wooden cover was a Tlingit ceremonial canoe, painted in bright red, black and white on display.
Alyssa gave a talk on humpback whales after dinner. Her enthusiasm is contagious when she talks about whales in general. She is ¬studying marine life at Western Washington University and also working on a 3rd and 4th grade curriculum on orca whales for the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, WA. When both David and Alyssa talk in the evenings, they have fabulous examples to share with us and actual specimens of their topic for the day. We saw everything from baleen from inside a humpback whales’ mouth to grizzly bear claws to the fur of most of the wildlife. Their talks in the evenings were very interesting and informative.
When we left Sitka, we followed the same path we had traveled in the early morning hours through Peril Strait around Baranof Island and west into the Chatham Strait where we would then turn west into Frederick Sound and travel to Tracy Arm Fjord and the Twin Sawyer Glaciers tomorrow.
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