Magoun Islands to Sitka

After two glorious days of sunshine, the familiar Southeast Alaska drizzle returned—perfect timing for a return to one of our favorite ports: Sitka.

clouds, water and mountain textures

you know you are getting close to sitka when you see the cruiseship terminal

It’s a short hop from the Magoun Islands, just 8 nautical miles, so we timed our arrival for 10:30 a.m. to beat the inbound traffic and snag a good slip. The Harbormaster was cheerful and efficient, assigning us a roomy spot on Float 2. With wide fairways and a port-side stern-in tie, docking was a breeze. Plugged into 50-amp power, we were ready to hit the town—umbrellas in hand.

First stop: The Galley at the Longliner Hotel. We’d been dreaming of this meal since our last visit in 2016, and it was just as good as we remembered. A quick wander through LFS (because it’s impossible not to stop in) led to a fun surprise—running into Todd and Melinda from Empress. We're hoping to rally the gang for a dinner meetup while everyone's in town.

We continued into the heart of Sitka and were struck by how much busier it felt—cruise ship crowds packed the sidewalks and storefronts. Clearly, tourism has boomed since our last visit, and it’s great to see the local economy thriving.

After a stop at the Harbormaster’s office to pay up, we headed back to the boat, made some tentative plans for our stay, and enjoyed a quiet evening aboard, listening to the rain tap the deck.