Partaking in 4th of July festivities in the small community of Craig, Alaska.
We happen to be in Craig, Alaska, for the start of Fourth of July festivities. There are 1100 permanent residents, a small percentage of the fishing fleet, a few cruising yachts, and everyone is ready to party.
There is a north harbor for smaller craft, and south harbor with larger slips.
Frank Cordoba is the harbormaster. He’ll find you a slip, help with your docklines, and make sure you know the lay of the land.
A fishing derby for the youngsters is in full swing on Sunday.
Given the town’s leaning toward commercial fishing, this is a serious contest!
The kids are giving this their full attention.
We’re not sure who is more proud here.
The water is a balmy 57F (9C), and these kids are enjoying their warm up for the greasy pole contest.
Here’s the deal. Walk out to the end of the pole, grab the ribbon, and win $20. We watched for half an hour and witnessed a lot of splashes. Eventually one of the young ladies managed to make it to the ribbon.
We love to read local bulletin boards. They give you a real feel for what’s happening. This is one of our all-time favorite postings (which we have sent to our daughter, Sarah, as she is considering a dog these days).
We missed this "sale". Otherwise, our freezer would be a lot closer to full.
Prince of Wales Island is the third largest in the US, after Hawaii and Kodiac. It has hundreds of miles of improved and logging roads. If you rent a car and drive around, you’ll see lots of wildlife.
There is a wide variety of fishing designs here, most of which are under 50 feet (15m).
Both of these timber fishing vessels are set up for trolling. They are the same length. The double ender (right) has a lot less carrying capacity than the full stern design, but will be much more efficiently driven.
Here is an interesting take on a self-launching anchor.
There’s a small but well stocked market, a hardware store, combination book store and espresso bar, a couple of restaurants, and lots of friendly people.
You can even get your hair done without an appointment. What more could you want?
This is our last stop in an Alaskan town, From here we’re headed back south, to Canada, and then down the coast. Odds are we won’t be back this way for along time and we’ll miss the wonderful people, wildlife, and vistas. But new horizons and adventures beckon…
Posted by Steve Dashew (July 19, 2007)
