Without far to go today, we were able to sleep in this morning.  It’s hard to believe that this is our final day underway!  We cruised out under cloudy skies with spectacular views of Mt. Edgecombe the dormant volcano that forms the backdrop for the town of Sitka.  Sitka is a beautiful town.  It is protected by small islands to the west and is nestled on the shores of Baranof Island with mountains rising abruptly behind the town.

While Sitka does receive a fair amount of cruise ships and visitors, it is further out of the way and maintains its authentic SE Alaskan fishing town feel.  We fueled the boats and docked amongst the fishing fleet before heading out into the misty afternoon to explore town.

Sitka has an interesting cultural heritage.  The site was a native Tlingit village for centuries before the Russians arrived in 1799.  Both cultures still have strong influences on the town and life in Sitka.  The juxtaposition of orthodox churches and totem poles is quite fascinating.  Once at war with one another, the two cultures seem to coexist peacefully today.

This has been a wonderful group to cruise with and we hate to see them go.  We have had a great trip though and we are all heading back with great memories and a renewed inspiration for exploration and adventure.  There is so much to see out here and we have barely scratched the surface.  With any luck, we’ll be back to cruise again in these waters in the future.  Until then, fair winds and calm seas to all!