By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
A Sitka company hopes to offer wilderness activities such as paddleboarding and kayaking at the head of Silver Bay under a state permit in the next few years.
The State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources has issued a preliminary decision to authorize a 10-year lease to Halibut Point Marine Services LLC for .4 acres of state-owned tidelands, currently used by the McGraw family for a private dock and cabin.
“The applicant plans to use state-owned land to renovate and use an existing cabin, dock and float as a staging point for commercial day tours,” the state DNR notice says.
Chris McGraw, manager of Halibut Point Marine, said plans are in the works to replace the private dilapidated cabin on the existing footprint and use the dock to offer day trips on paddleboards and kayaks, under a new company, Adventure Sitka.
“With the growing visitor industry, it’s a good opportunity, a good location to do shore excursions,” he said.
The 20x40-foot cabin was built in 1972 on state tidelands and was used by McGraw’s grandparents during summers. But it’s used rarely now. The dock has been recently replaced and is in good shape, McGraw said.
The general plan calls for taking up to 20 passengers from the Halibut Marine dock to the area, for a tour experience in Silver Bay involving paddleboards or kayaks. If the McGraws are using a model similar to other excursion companies, the customers would be dropped off downtown afterward, and the company could pick up new clients.
There are no plans for using the uplands for the business, he added.
“We don’t have anything set in stone,” he said, noting that the company has not yet been granted a permit for commercial use.
But McGraw said there is a need to provide more experiences, such as tours, to accommodate the growth in the cruise market.
“We’re trying to develop something to increase shore excursions which helps promote the cruise industry here,” he said. “I think as our cruise ship traffic increases there needs to be new shore excursion products to give passengers new activities.”
Cruise ship numbers are predicted to drop slightly next year, to 210,400, with a “good increase” expected in 2021.
Given the lengthy permitting process, McGraw said he doesn’t expect to be able to offer the shore excursion to cruise passengers until at least 2021.
Those wanting to comment may submit them to 400 Willoughby Ave., P.O. Box 111020, Juneau, 99811-1020, or by email to jacob.hall@alaska.gov.
