Harbor Notes 2026

In July 2025, Brandon Calhoun officially became the new Harbormaster for the City & Borough of Sitka. Previously, Calhoun served as the Harbor Maintenance Supervisor. Sitka welcomes Mike Martello as the new Harbor Maintenance Supervisor.

For the 30-year-old Eliason Harbor (built in 1996, with a second phase in 1998), Sitka received grant funding from the State of Alaska. The 2025 state harbor matching grant is dedicated to the $1.1 million project, specifically to “general electrical maintenance and float repair, the goal being to extend the life of the harbor,” acknowledges Calhoun. Richard I. Eliason Sr. Harbor is the furthest north of Sitka’s harbors.

The Sealing Cove fish-cleaning floats were replaced in 2025.

Regarding the all-important Fishermen’s Work Float, repairs are being completed during March and should be done by early April. “It was a re-hab project,” says Calhoun, “so it was a major structural repair.”

In the cruise ship outlook, there are 69 ships expected to be lightering to CBS facilities in 2026, with the first being about April 26th and the last about September 30th.

The Harbor Website is “something we in the Harbor Dept. always do our best to keep up-to-date and this is done in-house.” CBS urges mariners to visit cityofsitka.com/departments/Harbors.

The GPIP (Gary Paxton Industrial Park) hosts the smaller cruise ships, and that schedule is on the website. The Harbor Department now has a Reservation Calendar that is available for the public to view at sitkadockspace.org.

New fees for Moorage and Transient Vessels go into effect on July 1st, 2026.

Calhoun says that the State of Alaska is rumored to be discontinuing the state matching grant, at least for 2026.

In conclusion, he says, “The Sitka Harbor Department will focus on providing the services our users need, and finding a sustainable, creative way to maintain our infrastructure.”