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 in 1994
and spent two years circumnavigating North America with their three young sons,
Julian, Gabriel and Asher, ending in 1996. Richard has chartered in Southeast
Alaska from 1996 until now, moving to Alaskan Song in 2007.
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/FIRST MATE - Nancy Friedman
Our guests enjoy
the company and cooking of Nancy Friedman. Nancy was born in the US South, raised
there and 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 the 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; 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. Since
2006, Nancy and Richard are back together again as a yacht crew team. As an artist
and caregiver, Nancy brings intention, grace and an open heart to food, people
and life.
Richard and Nancy are joined by a third crew member.
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