Port Alexander





Natural Breakwater - Port Alexander



After our “Gut Bay” experience, we made our way south to Port Alexander located on the south tip of Baranof Island.  Waves created by “williwaw’s” (wind blowing down the inlets out into Chatham Strait) added to the excitement with 35 knot winds at various spots along our route.  Williwaw's are not forecasted and are generally unpredictable.  A Pod of whales passed us by seemingly unconcerned.  We arrived at the fishing village of Port Alexander, protected by a natural breakwater of rock spires.  People mingling around the docks greeted us with friendly hello's and big smiles.  Like many small fishing villages in Alaska, most folks are seasonal residents with only a few living in the community year-round.  This intriguing little village has many of the basic necessities:  a school, a library, post office, fire house, a burger shack, small gift shop, and a newly completed museum.   Unfortunately, the little grocery store burned down severeal years ago.  A boardwalk serves as the town sidewalk and road, connecting the various buildings.  The social scene takes place near the docks, where we visited with Dave, a local fisherman.  Of course, Leonard had to purchase another salmon (a whole fish for only $5).  Dave happened to be a retired music teacher and went from school to school on a floatplane flown by the school district pilot.  He told us that weather would sometimes prevent him from leaving port and he would end up staying at a school longer than anticipated.  What a stark difference between Seattle’s transportation issues and that of a remote outpost in Alaska!



Port Alexander



The Burger Shack



An Early Homestead





The Library



What’s That Noise!



Leonard Suiting Up



Gut Bay

We left beautiful Red Bluff Bay heading southward and stopped at Gut Bay for a “looksy."  As we turned the boat to head back out the inlet, we heard an unfamiliar sound when the port engine was put in gear.  We thought perhaps a fishing line, net, or a limb was binding the port prop.  We anchored in the bay and Leonard donned his diving equipment – a drysuit over a neoprene bodysuit, a diving mask & snorkel, and fins.  He took the cold, eerie plunge under the swim step to take a look but found nothing abnormal.  It was a good exercise, however, and now we have more items added to the “need to buy list” – a diver’s weight belt, a neoprene hood, and an air-compressor with a breathable hose.  Leonard’s scuba diving experience came in handy but it certainly would be easier with the proper equipment.  We headed back out the inlet to continue south, suspecting that the noise was a worn cutlass bearing requiring replacement.  A cutlass bearing is located on the end of the V-Strut that holds the prop shaft in place.  Planning to have the boat lifted out on a grid system for repairs and zinc replacements is now top of mind.  Gut Bay turned out to be a gut-wrenching experience.


Taking the Plunge



Leonard Washing Off



Nature’s Splender



Mountains and Waterfalls in Red Bluff Bay



Waterfall Cove



Red Bluff Bay



We continued our journey southbound in Chatham Strait along the east shore of Baranof Island peeking into several bays along the way, including Waterfall Cove with its towering waterfall that we could see from miles away, and Cascade Bay with its rushing falls tucked in a corner of the bay.  We anchored for the night at our next stop, Red Bluff Bay, a spectacular inlet guarded by several small islands and a large, treeless bright red bluff.  Within the bay we saw high mountain peaks, waterfalls, and snow fields.  The next morning we took the dinghy to the head of the bay and saw four brown bears (also known as Grizzlies) feeding at the river delta.  One young bear walked in our direction as we sat in the dinghy; we weren’t too worried since bears don’t perceive danger coming from the water.  After watching the bears, we took the dinghy back down the bay and stopped at the old cannery site along the shore.  We had great fun walking around the old rusted machinery left from the 1920’s and 30’s fish processing plant.  We even found pottery shards and a teacup.  It must have been quite a busy operation in its day.  Fish here still seem to be plentiful, they were jumping straight up out of the water, perhaps due to an active migration phase.  The bear no doubt appreciated the fish as did the eagles and other birds we saw.  Red Bluff Bay has such a variety of terrain and wildlife; we found it to be a splendid place.



Young Grizzly Bear



Cannery Ruins



Cannery Ruins



The Red Bluff



Best Kept Secret



Trail Leads to a Lovely Mountain Lake



Gravel Trail and Stone Steps



A Nice Rest Stop



We departed Sitka on the west side of Baranof Island and retraced our course through Sergius Narrows and Peril Strait, arriving at Appleton Cove on the northeastern side of Baranof Island to anchor for the night.  Left Appleton Cove the next day for Hanus Bay, where we had anchored several days earlier.  We had previously noted two small tour boats taking passengers ashore.  We suspected it was a fishing and/or bear watching expedition.  Sure enough, we found a well maintained gravel trail through a beautiful forest that followed the river to two lakes.  The river was teaming with spawning fish, especially thick just above the river falls.  There were so many fish, we could have used a net or bucket to scoop them up!  The eagles were picking fish out of the water but we didn’t see any bear fishing that day, I guess they had the day off or were tired of posing for the cameras.  We thoroughly enjoyed our trail hike,complete with stone steps, skid-free bridges and boardwalks, and even large flat rocks used as seats for rest stops.  There was no indication of who maintained this nice trail; our best guess is the Tongass National Forest Service.  It’s no doubt, a best kept secret for fishing and bear watching that's not generally visited by individual boaters.



River Falls



Spawning Fish



Non-Skid Boardwalks



Russian, Native Conflict - Sitka

Head of Indian River - Sitka Historical Park





Battle Site - Sitka National Historical Park





Trail & Totem - Sitka National Historical Park



Castle Hill - Historic Site

 We continued our sightseeing in Sitka for another couple of days visiting sites of interest:  the Sitka National Historical Park where a battle between the Tlinkit’s and Russians took place, and Castle Hill where clan houses once stood and later the residence for the Russian American Company manager.  Clan houses could be seen on Castle Hill in 1796 when the first Russians sailed into Sitka Sound.  The Russians, led by Alexander Baranov, manager of the Russian American Company, returned in 1799 to establish a trading post and built Fort St. Archangel on the site of the now Sitka State National Historical Park.  The Tlingit’s came to resent the Russians and in 1802 attacked and burned the fort.  Baranov returned in 1804 with the ship Neva with additional men and stormed Castle Hill but found that the Tlingit’s had withdrawn to a stronghold at the mouth of Indian River near the previous Russian fort.  After a six-day battle, the Tlingits left the area and didn’t return for nearly 20 years when the Russians had severely depleted the sea otters as had been done earlier on Kodiak Island.  After the battle, Baranov took over Castle Hill and built a stockade post; fourteen different managers of the Russian American Company lived on the Hill throughout the next 63 years.  We also visited the Sheldon Jackson Museum located near the Historical Park, which showcases an excellent collection of rare Native artifacts from all over Alaska representing the various tribes:  the Inupiat, Athabascan, and Yup’ik, the Aleut, Alutiiq, and the southeast Alaskan tribes of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian.  The Reverend Dr. Sheldon Jackson was a Presbyterian missionary and first General Agent of Education for Alaska.  He recognized the importance of saving historic and cultural objects; additional space for the growing collection of artifacts was needed so he donated and helped raise funds for the present museum which was built in 1897, the first concrete structure in Alaska.  The State of Alaska purchased the museum and grounds in 1984 from the Sheldon Jackson College (located next door), the school is now closed due to its many buildings in disrepair.  We were very impressed with the variety and numerous exquisite rare pieces in the museum, including the Raven Helmet that leader Katlian of the Kiks.adi Tlingit Clan wore in the battle of 1804 against the Russian fur traders.  The helmet was passed down through the Clan and came to the Museum around 1905.



Sheldon Jackson Museum



Tlinkit War Helmet of 1804



Russian Bishop's House





"Russian Bishop's House"





Reception Room, Bishop's House



During our stay in Sitka, we toured the “Russian Bishop’s House.”  The Tsar who authorized the Russian American Company’s monopoly in Alaska intended the church to be part of Russian America.  The Russian American Company built the Bishop House in 1842-43 (employing Finnish shipwrights) for  the residence of the first Priest and later Bishop, Ioann Veniaminov, known as “Bishop Innocent.”  The Russian Orthodox Church used the building until 1972 when it was sold to the US National Park Service.  The upstairs served as the Bishop’s residence with a library, chapel, and public reception area, while the downstairs served as the church offices, a school for the Creole, Aleut, and Tlingit children, and a seminary where Native clergy were trained.  We were fascinated with the construction features of the building:  sand and wood chips were used between the sub floor and floor planks for insulation; wood filler strips were put in the log joints and cloth was tacked to the logs then painted or wallpapered; dead air space was created between the first and second floors, again for insulation, and cloth was used to cover the ceiling and painted.  Some of the original furnishings are still in the House along with religious artifacts and items of historic interest.  The rarest of Russian artifacts included the only marker recovered of 20 known to have been buried, declaring Russia’s claim to Alaska which reads “Land of Russian Possession."



Example of Floor Construction





Chapel in the Russian Bishop House





Rare Marker Declaring Russian Possession



Sitka – Russian America of the 1800’s



Sitka, Alaska



Sitka Harbor



Communities of Sitka



We left Hanus Bay on July 11^th at 10:15 in the morning and arrived in Sitka at 5pm after transiting Peril Strait with strong wind and chop, then west through Sergius Narrows at slack water (the narrows can run 8-9 knots!), and then turned south along Neva Strait – another long day with beautiful weather.  Sitka is definitely worth a visit for its rich history and culture.  We visited the site of the Russian blockhouse from the early 1800’s and toured the Russian Orthodox Church with its many beautiful religious icons.  Bering-Chirikov’s expedition arrived in Alaska in 1741 but it was between 1799 and 1867 that the Russian imperial government, through the Russian American Company, maintained colonies in Alaska.  In 1802 the Russian-American Company (a lucrative fur trading business) sailed into the harbor occupied by the Tlingit village called “Sheet’ka” and set up their base of operations.  The Russians fortified the area by building a tall wall of sharpened logs connecting three blockhouses holding cannons which guarded Novo-Archangelsk (present day Sitka).  Czar Alexander required the Russian-American Company to support the Russian Orthodox Church’s missionary work.  The Company paid for clergy, and built churches and schools.  Baranov was the manager of the Russian American Company and the capital remained in Sitka until 1867 when the US purchased Alaska from Russia.  Geographic and economic factors led Russia to abandon the Alaska colonies, which marked the end of Russian America.  The Russian Orthodox Church continues to thrive in Alaska and still plays an important role in Sitka.



Reconstructed Russian Blockhouse, Original Site



Russian Orthodox Church