Our arrival in Petersburg was around mid-May. The harbourmaster assigned us a nice slip with power.

Long been the home of the Tlingit, Petersburg is also known for its Norwegian culture. In the late 1890s, a Norwegian set up a cannery using ice from nearby LeConte Glacier. Fishing continues to be the main economical driver with fish processing plants and a sizeable fishing fleet (see below). Tourism has replaced logging to support jobs in the community.

The dock was full of fish boats, large and small.

The seafood processing plant beside the marina was never idle.

The weather was not great during our visit but we made the effort to see some of the town. False fronts, US and Norwegian flags and pickup trucks are common.

The local general store has a good gun selection, as you might expect in Alaska.

This home’s yard is fenced with doors.

Allegiance to the US and Norway seems almost even.

A Lutheran Church was prominent.

Colourful garbage cans with historical can labels are scattered about town.

Rosemaling decorates many buildings.

Several apartment buildings and large residences house fish plant workers. Up to 1100 work in the seafood processing plants in high season.

Monty, sporting his new toque, bought a crab trap which is different than our Canadian one which is illegal in Alaska.

It must be hard for Alaskans to save money as food prices are high.

We indulged in a pack of Smoked Black Cod for an appetizer and we wished we had bought more.

We braved the drizzle to wander along the extensive boardwalk system. Locals don’t use umbrellas but we broke with Petersburg tradition. Muskeg covers much of the Mitkof Island.

Even in this harsh environment, flowers bloom.

We noticed several ball diamonds along the route. They were muddy but must be the centre for large baseball tournaments in season.

We can’t be surprise that it was raining frequently during our stay. Average rainfall in Petersburg is 110 inches a year. That compares with 15 inches in Anchorage and 11 in Fairbanks. In May, the average temperature is 48.5 degrees and the 16.5 daylight hours and 5.9 inches of rain. A good pair of rubber boots like my brown Xtra-Tufs, referred to as “Petersburg sneakers” are common for any occasion. This pair is worn by a guy who does fibreglass repairs on boats. He was proud to tell me that he was getting a new pair for free as they guarantee their products.

A Petersburg eagle had just finished a meal sitting on this post. Maybe he was looking for a break in the rain, like us.

LeConte Glacier, the most southern tidal glacier in Alaska, was on our radar to visit but a recent report that ice bergs were blocking the entrance to the bay made it impractical to bother with that detour in our plastic boat.

We left day before the Little Norway Festival starting on May 17th, Norway’s Constitution Day. It is Petersburg’s biggest festival with food and crafts, a parade, pageant, music and dances. Petersburg had much more to offer but winds were favourable to carry on and weather for the festival weekend was unsettled, so we did not feel the desire to linger.

Al & Irene, ever cheerful and prepared for the weather, were ready to go north with us.

Next destination, 70 miles north, is Tracy Arm.

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