A Hit or Miss Start to the 2022 Season!

A Morning Swim Across the Channel

On Sunday, May 22, my boat Albatross with the McLean party aboard was the first to leave the dock. Two-thirds of the way through Olga Strait we spotted a large swimming animal ahead. “Is that a moose?” was the first question. Given we don’t have moose on the local islands the answer became clear. A big Southeast Alaska brown bear decided to vacate Halleck Island in favor of Krestof Island. We avoided getting too close, but with the aid of zooming in, got a splendid video courtesy of Greg McLawsen. After 30 years of running a boat in Sitka, this was a first for me.

AU Comes Full Circle

In 1993, my first year in Sitka, a 19-year-old farm kid from Minnesota became my deckhand. He’d just finished his freshman year in college. His flight to Sitka was his first time aboard a jet and he’d never seen the ocean. He proved remarkably smart, hard-working, and quick to learn. We had a wonderful time working together and soon developed silent synchronicity, knowing what each of us had to do without saying a word. That deckhand was Chuck McNamee. Three years later he became Captain Chuck. 15 years later he became my business partner Chuck. Recently we completed the full transfer of AU to Chuck and he’s now my boss.

This year another 19-year-old who just finished his freshman year has started the season as my deckhand. He’s Jack McNamee, the oldest son of Chuck and Jenny. He’s just as smart, personable, and hard-working as his old man. The difference is Jack grew up fishing Sitka every summer – no training required. Jack is also a licensed captain and clearly ready to take the helm. Full circle.

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