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

ALASKAN SONG'S CREW

 The Key to a great charter is a good crew.   We are  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!  Our 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 third 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 they 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 23, 22 & 20 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 & 2008 were her fist full charter seasons in Alaska.

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

FOR NANCY'S SAMPLE MENU CLICK

DECKHAND/STEWARD MATTHEW BREINICH  grew up in the small town of Chalfont in Bucks County, southeastern Pennsylvania. He graduated from Central Bucks School District in 2005 and moved to Bellingham, Washington to attend Western Washington University in 2006. He has recently graduated (March 2009), completing a degree in Outdoor Recreation, with an emphasis in the Sciences and Environmental Education.

Matthew is excited to join the crew of the Alaskan Song and spend the summer exploring the Alaskan coast with her and her guests. Matt grew up sailing a 26' Bristol sloop with his family offshore of Cape May, New Jersey. In recent years he has pursued his passion for the sea by crewing on a 110' schooner ("Argo"), sailing around the Mediterranean and trans-Atlantic to the Caribbean. He is also the holder of professional sailing and maritime safety certifications.

His interests and hobbies include rock climbing, mountain biking, skiing, music(ian), pottery, and, of course, sailing. He has recently become the owner of a 1966 26' Pearson Commander sailing sloop in which he enjoys sailing and exploring the San Juan Islands. He has long been passionate about the outdoors and sharing it with others. He has held positions as a camp counselor, climbing guide at Mt. St. Helens, and interpretive guide on Mt. St. Helens. Matt is also an Eagle Scout.

Traveling to explore the natural wonders of America has been a life-long adventure for Matt, beginning as an infant with his family up to the present. He looks forward to continuing that adventure with you this summer in the "Great Land" of Alaska

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