The Continuing Voyages of Spirit: Sitka Interlude

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Awaiting parts for the watermaker and the failed seawater washdown pump we decided to just enjoy the Sitka Summer Music Festival for a few days. Wednesdays are performances in local cafes and restaurants and this evening’s concert was in the Westmark Hotel. Arriving early, and with reservations we had a good table to view and hear the Cypress String Quartet play another of the 16 Beethoven String Quartets. By the beginning of the performance the place was packed and we invited a single lady, Dorothy Weicker, to move her table closer so we could talk. The music was great but the food service was slow and the food was mediocre at best. Patrick sent his entrée back, it was cold and tasteless by the time it arrived. The kitchen staff managed to ruin a piece of halibut and the concert was over before the food arrived after a wait of 1 ½ hours.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

We decided to pass on the noontime Bach’s Lunch concert, especially since the rain had returned. The day was spent doing laundry and pre-plumbing the hoses for the new washdown pump to improve maintenance and access.

Eliason Harbor is a working port full of photo opportunities.

The mountains provide a dramatic backdrop to Eliason Harbor

Purse Seiners getting nets ready

This longliner was built in 1913 and has had only four owners

The cormorants seem unafraid of us in the calm harbor water.

Friday, June 3, 2016

The watermaker motor contactor arrived and was installed, with success. The old part, when removed, was partially melted and it looked like a loose connection had caused arcing and failure.

The rain continued heavy and we were drenched by the time we walked to the Sitka Performing Arts Center for the evening concert. The music was great, but by the time we left, the rain was even harder as we walked the mile back to the boat.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

We decided to go fishing at Biorka Island today to test out our gear and left at the late hour of 0807. We managed to get one King salmon before returning to the dock at 1515.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Spirit departed the dock in Eliason Harbor at 0445 with two members of the Cypress String Quartet as guests. Tom Stone is one of the Violinists and Ethan Filner is the Violist. Arriving at Biorka Island at 0635 the lines were soon in the water and by 0830 we had 4 King Salmon on board, 2 each for Tom and Ethan. We lost several more for us, and had to return to the dock before noon so they could practice for the evening concert at St. Peters by the Sea Episcopal Church at 1730.

St. Peter's by the sea

Monday, June 6, 2016

The washdown pump had arrived, so it was installed and tested. The rain continues.

New wash down pump installation

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Another early departure for Biorka Island, we were underway by 0455. Fishing was slow in 3-5 foot swells, and we only managed to catch one Coho Salmon, early this year. Nonetheless, it was a nice fish. Returning to the dock at 1235 we picked up the repaired navigation computer and attended the free concert at Stevenson Hall. Since we were taking Cecily Ward, the First Violinist in the Cypress String Quartet and her husband Mark Wilshire fishing the next morning, we opted out of the late evening concert.

Rainbow over Sentinel Rock, Sitka Sound

Wednesday, June 8, 2106

Our guests arrived on time and Spirit pulled away from the dock at 0515 for Biorka Island. There was still a sizeable swell off of the island, but we put the lines in by 0700 and by 0900 we had landed 8 King Salmon, 2 each for all of us, as well as a lone Coho Salmon. We were back to the dock by 1205 and the fish were sent to the processor. Since arriving at Kalinin Bay Spirit has landed a total of 16 King and 2 Coho Salmon. We have a total of 6 more King Salmon between our two licenses, so we will continue to go to Biorka Island to fish.

The evening concert was another café event, this time at” The Mean Queen”, a pizza and salad operation that has been open for only six months. It is owned jointly by the Owner of the Channel Club and Mary, who had been our server several times in the past at the Channel Club. The pizzas were great and the music was even better, since they played to a standing room only audience and we were at a table right next to the quartet. Mary even gave us a ride back to the harbor after the place calmed down following the performance.

Evening Performance at The Mean Queen

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Another day at the dock, doing laundry, cleaning the boat and picking up our processed fish to put in our own freezers on board. We need to start eating the food we brought from Anacortes so we will have room for more fish, a good problem to have. We can offload the fish when we get to Petersburg and have it shipped from there when we return to Anacortes and Bellevue in September.

Dinner was at Ludvig’s Bistro, where the only table we could get was not available until 8:30 PM. The food was good, worth the long wait since we did not get seated until just before 9 PM.

Celebrating 44 years of marriage at Ludvig's Bistro

Friday, June 10, 2016

Another 0500 departure from the dock with Spirit, heading back to Biorka Island. The day was a bust, with lost gear, small fish we released and nothing to show for a full day as we returned to the dock. After leftovers from Ludvig’s for dinner we headed to the Sitka Music Festival concert at the Performing Arts Center where we listened to two more of the Beethoven String Quartets.

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Several members of the Cypress String Quartet, along with Zuill Bailey, the artistic director of the music festival and also a world class Cellist in his own right, his two sons and his manager from El Paso joined us as we headed out for another day of fishing before the final concert of the quartet in the evening. Fishing was slow, with only one King Salmon brought on board.

The concert that evening was bittersweet. The music was good, but the realization that this was the final public concert of the Cypress String Quartet after 20 years and three trips to Sitka made it also poignant. We have taken them fishing all three years they performed in Sitka and have grown to appreciate their artistic talent (15 CD’s and performances all over the world). They have commissioned 30 pieces over the years and they performed one of those on Friday night. Getting to know them personally has also been special as well.

Cypress String Quartet beginning their last public performance

We did a group photo at the end of the concert with everyone who had gone fishing with us.

Sunday, June 12, 2016

No fishing today, so we went to the Mean Queen for Sunday Brunch, which is pizza and salad, washed down with Bloody Marys. We walked back to the boat in the rain and took a nap! The rain quit and the sunset was spectacular over the harbor.

We are moored right next to Sunset

The view from our cockpit

At 13:30 PM the sun is just setting down the main dock

Monday, June 13, 2016

Spirit left Eliason Harbor at 0500 for fishing via the Western Channel. As we headed out the swells increased and we altered course for Biorka Island. Alex Benson from Wild Blue joined us. The lines went in the water shortly after 0700 and after three hours we had two king salmon and two coho salmon in the ice chest, along with a large black rockfish. The wind and swell increased and at noon we turned back to the harbor, arriving at 1345. The fish were sent to the processor and after cleaning the boat we relaxed in the now sunny skies and watched another great sunset.

Since the sun was out, we managed to get a few random photos around town.