I’ve been busy with projects on the boat (more about that later), so its been a while since I’ve been out sailing. Sunday was a nice day for a sail, so we went for a pleasant daysail around Sitka.

While spring has arrived in Sitka and all the snow has melted, as you can see from the clothes being worn, it is really not all that warm yet.

Yesterday was the start of herring season in Sitka, and all the fishing boats that had recently come in and filled up the harbor suddenly left.

The ice usually melts during the day. This part of the harbor is close to a stream of fresh water, making it freeze easier than the rest of the harbor.

The harbor is filling up with boats getting ready for the herring season. This is looking across part of Eliason Harbor from Japonski Island.

After almost a week of very pleasant weather, where I unwisely tempted fate by painting outside, we got some snow.

Sitka’s harbors are filling up now that herring season is close. My new next-door neighbor in the wooden boat is Ocean Gem, which was bought in Prince Rupert and brought to Sitka.

While its been relatively warm all week, the nights still get chilly at times, as you can see from the little bit of ice in the water. There is also a stream that comes into the harbor nearby, which means the water is less salty and therefore freezes at a higher temperature than it otherwise would.

As the tide went down, so did the sun, so I got the zincs on the propellers and propeller shafts changed before low tide arrived. Wading in the water wasn’t warm, but let me get most of the work done before nightfall.