#2013-36 July 4th Celebrations in Sitka

It's been a busy three weeks and the Blog has taken a backseat while the crews have been fishing like crazy. We'll be updating the Blog, going back in time, over the next few days.

July 4th in Sitka, like all Alaska communities, is a BIG deal.  In Alaska, fireworks begin on July 3rd, about 11PM, an hour or so before  July 4th. It's a huge show, with fireworks launched from at least four different locations around the community.  It's so big that the Coast Guard issues a special Notice to Mariners alerting vessels of the safety zone near the launch sites.  In Eliason Harbor, we are in the center of three displays: from the east at the high school, from the south in downtown, and from the west at the airport!  The fireworks are extensive and lengthy, continuing past 1AM. See the video of just one display below. In the afternoon, the town closes down for a big parade.

Fireworks from the Airport.

Fireworks from the High School

For the past 3 weeks or so, while hooking some 400 pounds of salmon, we've been hooked on cookies.  The Sitka Cookie Kids walk the docks selling fresh, homemade cookies, and these aren't like your mother's cookies....they're better!  The Wild Blue crew is one of the Kids best customers.  The cookie selections are chocolate chip, rice-crispy squares with M&M's, and backpack style oatmeal with fruit chewys, our favorite.  We interviewed these future business tycoons for the Blog below.

Our chef for the week has been Willie of Willie Bird Restaurants and Willie Bird Turkeys, Santa Rosa, California.  Willie has prepared some really tasty dishes for a top notch epicurean experience.  And not once did we dine on turkey!  

Willie describes our July 4th dinner.  

Next week we leave Sitka and head south in the Gulf of Alaska along Baranof Island's west coast.  We'll see what the Gulf deals us and plan to be in Craig on about July 14th or 15th.  Hope to Blog then.