ALASKAN SONG
ALASKA YACHT CHARTERS Since 1996
                    Crewed Yacht Charter - The Personalized Cruise Alternative

ALASKAN SONG CREW
 

The Key to a great charter is a good crew.   ALASKAN SONG has a crew that works well together, bringing a spirit of  camaraderie, humor and mutual respect to their efforts on behalf of our guests.  While ALASKAN SONG is a unique and lovely boat what really makes the charter experience is the crew!  ALASKAN SONG's crew includes your Captain, Chef and Steward.

CAPTAIN - Richard M. Friedman was born in 1950 and raised in West Hartford, Connecticut.  Affable, competent and experienced, Richard has been on the water for over 40 years, since he first sailed as a young boy on Long Island Sound.

As a young man, Richard served as cook and engineer aboard commercial fishing boats in Alaska. For 10 years, starting in 1972, he fished salmon, tuna and herring on the Pacific from Santa Barbara to the Bering Sea.  For five years beginning in 1978, he captained his own purse seine boat as a  commercial fisherman in those waters.

In 1984, having made a transition to a desk job, Richard secured his U.S. Coast Guard Master's License and began running both power and sailing  charters in Washington and British Columbia during the summer cruising season.  He and his wife, Nancy, purchased a sixty foot yacht,  Explorer in 1994 and spent two years circumnavigating North America with their three young sons, Julian, Gabriel and Asher.  In 1996 he and his family brought Explorer through the Panama Canal to the west coast. He has been chartering with Explorer in Southeast Alaska from 1996 until 2006.

Richard is an engaging, warm and entertaining skipper, drawing especially on his passions for  natural history, anthropology, history and literature. He is an avid bird watcher, a dedicated photographer and an enthusiastic sport fisherman.  He has completed a college level class with the Alaska Naturalist Institute, a department of the University of Alaska Southeast in Sitka and is certified as an Alaska Naturalist.  Richard is fluent in Spanish

With experience from the remote waters of the Aleutian Islands to the rocky coast of Maine, he can comfortably navigate any waters.  In addition, he astounds folks with his ability to fix almost any mechanical, hydraulic, electrical or plumbing problem. Richard has long standing interest in cooking, an appreciation of great wines and an intimate knowledge of the seafood of Alaska.  Captain Richard is a lover of fine wines.  During your charter Richard will uncork a carefully chosen selection of the world's wines.

Richard's warm, hospitable nature, lively curiosity and broad maritime experience assure all of ALASKAN SONG's guests of an informative, safe, and enjoyable charter.

 CHEF NANCY FRIEDMAN  returns to Alaska for her second full season as chef and hostess.  Born in the Deep South, raised there as well as in the Pacific Northwest, Nancy came to Bellingham, Washington to study theater at Western Washington University.  She worked and cooked in several restaurants.   

In 1983 she and Richard met and married the following spring.  As a couple the Friedman's have been exploring the waters of the Northwest and the world by boat ever since.  Nancy learned to use the bounty of seas with ingenuity and style.   

Nancy is known as a creative and entertaining hostess. Like all good chefs, Nancy's life informs her culinary creations.  Picking up dishes and stories from around the world and bringing them to the table aboard Explorer; tastes and cultures combine in a way that is sure to delight and surprise.  She has a wide ranging and eclectic culinary repertoire.    

Nancy and Richard worked together on several different yachts as charter crew before their three boys now age 21, 19 & 18 were born.  The plan has always been for them to serve charter guests as a couple...but that has had to wait until their boys were old enough.  22 years later, Nancy and Richard are back together again as a yacht crew team.  Nancy  made her Alaska debut on our old boat, Explorer, for one month in 2006.  2007 was her fist full charter season in Alaska.

As an artist and caregiver, Nancy brings intention, grace and an open heart to food, people and life. 

For a Sample Menu Click

DECKHAND/STEWARD SETH WILLIAMS    Seth returns to Alaska for his second season on Alaskan Song.  Born on northern Vancouver Island, raised in The Philippines and later in Washington State, he graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in outdoor recreation and tourism.  Seth is a Wilderness First Responder and has worked in Japan at a U.S. Navy recreational facility, teaching sea kayaking, sailing and guiding hikes up Mt. Fuji. 

His hobbies include, rock climbing, sailing, photography and much more.  He is learning the art of film making which he applies on a weekly basis, making a DVD for our guests to take home at the end of each cruise.

He has an easy and relaxed way about him, yet is a hard worker, able hand, and with his wide travels and thoughtful way, an interesting fellow to converse with.  2007, his first year on Alaskan Song, keyed yet another interest for Seth....cooking!  In addition to keeping the boat spic and span both inside and out, guiding our guests, and taking turns at the helm Seth has learned and helped out the chef in the galley as well, gaining culinary skills.

Seth's presence on board makes life easier for everyone else.  Helpful, upbeat, unflappable, smart, funny and kind, we are happy to have him coming back with us for 20008!