Sealing Cove Harbor sits on the southeast shore of Japonski Island, just over O'Connell Bridge from downtown Sitka. Opened in 1983, this city-operated small-boat harbor is home primarily to commercial fishing and charter vessels, with an on-site launch ramp and fish-cleaning floats.
Sealing Cove Harbor occupies a protected lagoon on the southeast side of Japonski Island, directly across O'Connell Bridge from downtown Sitka and a short walk from the Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport. The harbor was developed in 1983 as a $2.95 million State of Alaska construction project to expand Sitka's already substantial small-boat harbor system. During dredging, workers discovered the remains of the Japanese vessel Kaisei Maru, a sealing schooner, which gave the harbor its name.
The facility consists of two main floats: Float D (400 x 8 feet) and Float E (344 x 8 feet), both offering 30-foot stalls alongside depths of approximately 10 feet MLLW. A log-boom breakwater shields the basin from the main channel, providing reliable shelter from passing vessel wake and prevailing southeast weather. The location on the lee side of Japonski Island gives Sealing Cove considerable natural protection, particularly from southeast and south quadrant winds that dominate Sitka Sound's storm season.
The harbor is managed by the City and Borough of Sitka Harbor Department, whose office sits adjacent to Thomsen Harbor at 617 Katlian Street. Harbormaster staff are on duty seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. All transient vessels must register with the harbormaster within eight hours of arrival. Transient moorage is available at the same system-wide rates as other Sitka harbors.
On-site amenities include a boat launch ramp (one of two in the system; the other is at Crescent Harbor), fish-cleaning floats undergoing upgrades in 2025, and access to the harbor system's work float and tidal grid for vessel maintenance. Freshwater is available dockside. Electrical shore power (30-amp and 50-amp service) is available where meters are installed. Sealing Cove does not have a dedicated fuel dock; the nearest marine fuel is Petro Marine Services at Statter Harbor.
Pump-out service is provided system-wide via a mobile pump-out boat that travels to the vessel. The three fixed pump-out stations are at Crescent, Thomsen, and Eliason harbors, but the mobile service covers Sealing Cove. The harbor earned Alaska Clean Harbor designation alongside the full Sitka system in 2016.
Sealing Cove has a working-harbor character: the majority of permanent tenants are commercial salmon trollers, halibut long-liners, and crab vessels, with charter and private recreational boats filling the remainder. Summer brings additional transient yachts on the Inside Passage corridor. The harbor is within walking distance of a grocery store, marine supply store, restaurants, and the historic downtown core of Sitka.
Fuel and shore power available at Sealing Cove Harbor.
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