The Sailing Vessel Bandon sits dockside in Seward, Alaska. She’s an Island Packet 350, a boat capable of ocean voyaging.
For the past four years, we’ve been spending our summers living in our Lance camper, our C-Dory 22 Angler in tow as we tour Alaska exploring small towns, hiking, fishing, boating, berry picking and nature watching. These have been the most rewarding summers of our lives.
In the summer of 2011, we fulfilled a long held goal when we took sailing lessons in Seward. The experience was everything we had hoped it would be and more. We were hooked. For the next eight months we read as much as we could possibly read about sailboats and sailing. We could have spent eight years engaged in this kind of research. Although we still don’t know much about boats, we’re going to learn. Our lives seem to be comprised of a series of seat-of-the-pants-you’ll-figure-it-out-as-you-adventures (and misadventures). The sailing vessel Bandon is more than a boat; it is now our home. This past summer, 2012, we lived aboard, getting our home ready for blue water sailing.
For the time being, we will keep the C-Dory. Neither too large nor too small, it is exceptionally fuel efficient, runs quietly, and trolls beautifully. We love fishing for salmon, halibut and rockfish on Resurrection Bay, and The Gillie is the boat for the job.
During the winter, we live and teach in Point Hope, Alaska, an Arctic village of about 700 residents, most of whom are Inupiat (Eskimo). It’s cold, to be sure, and the heart of winter is dark. The Arctic winds can be downright terrifying. In November 2011, we had three days of hurricane force blows that sent the windchill plummeting to negative 80 degrees F. But we have a cozy, well insulated house, and we love living up here. Our students are nice, and at the end of the workday and on weekends the lack of things to do (no movie theaters, nowhere to go, really) lends itself to a lifestyle that suits us. Barbra is working on a master’s degree in technology, and the lack of distractions is perfect. Up here, we are afforded an abundance of that most precious commodity: time. Time to write, to sort through photographs, to cook, to visit with friends, to talk…
During summers, the focus of our blog will increasingly turn towards sailing, fishing and nature watching. Of course, we’ll continue to cook and bake, and we’ll sample wines, beers, Scotch and bourbon, too, and those subjects will account for some of our posts. But for us, sailing – and everything that will go with sailing – represents a steep learning curve. We want to create a record of that journey for ourselves and for interested readers.
And, this being Alaska, there will probably be photos of bears and whales and puffins… not to mention a few of those impossibly cute sea otters.
Thanks for reading.
Jack & Barbra
We’ve always said that the best two days of owning a boat is the day ya buy it and the day ya sell it
I’ve actually liked the days in between the best. Loving your stories of Alaska. Been to Bristol Bay yet? Best Salmon in the world.
I ask because my aunt taught in Dillingham in the 1950s (died in a plane wreck in 1959). I wrote a book about her life there . . . (http://www.unmpress.com/books.php?ID=10922890215057&Page=book)
We would love to go to Bristol Bay, but haven’t been there yet.
Well, if you go, stop by the Bristol Inn and say Hello to my friend Verna Lee (she runs the hotel).
Thanks, Sandra!
How exciting!! My sister is really into sailing and will be so jealous! Looking forward to reading about you adventures….it’s like an escape from daily life!
I live on the Kenai Peninsula, so if you ever need a break, come on over and I’ll meet you for dinner. There is a fabulous brewery/stone oven pizza place in town I cant get enough of. We can swap salmon recipes and Alaskan ocean and fishing stories.
Hi Janet. Thanks for reading. The pizza place sounds great! We’re on the Kenai each summer… Nice trout on your gravatar!
Thanks, that was one of many Kenai River Dates with my husband.
This may be an odd question, and I understand if you don’t want to answer this, but do you know much about the culture and daily life of the Inupiat people up there? I am very interested in the culture and have found very little about it, both online and at my local library. I have been to Alaska, but wasn’t there long enough to get a chance to do more research. I would appreciate anything you could let me know, but again, I understand if you don’t want to answer. Thanks.
I guess I should elaborate on that. I’ve found a lot of basics online and in books. Summaries of rituals, culture, and lifestyle. What I’ve found says a little about a lot of things, and I guess I’m more interested in knowing more details about everything. Perhaps I need to visit the museums in Alaska and read books by people who know more, but right now that isn’t an option. Thanks again.
I am not an expert on Inupiat culture or daily life, but I really enjoy reading books and talking to people in order to learn as much as I can. I’ve really enjoyed reading Art and Eskimo Power which is the story of Howard Rock’s life. He was born and raised in Point Hope and went on to experience a pretty interesting life. Let me know if there any specific things you would like to learn. I may be able to direct you to some interesting books. Before we moved up here, I had a difficult time finding information as well.
Thanks! I will start by seeing if I can find that book, and some of the others I’ve found online. Right now I am not thinking anything too specific. Mainly I’m looking for more detailed information on anything to do with it. Thanks again.
Wow! what a lifestyle – sounds amazing.
All the very best to you
Scottie27
Thanks! Hope you’ll try fishing some time!
Hello you two…Thinking about you.:-)
Hey! What a surprise! Hope all is warm and cozy on the Kenai!