About AKBOATYOGA
About AKBOATYOGA
Who We Are...
My name is Sara, my partner Dylan and I purchased a Spencer 53 Sailboat in November of 2015. This is our story of restoring her to her former glory. She had been abandoned for almost 20 years and not taken care of properly.
We first met while working at the ski hill in town as lifties (ski lift operators). We began dating and eventually a common goal of ours was to purchase a sailboat together. Then we just had to wait for the right one to come along, and it sure did!
Meet Dylan:
Some people say I'm kind of a big deal. By some people I mean me. I grew up in Maine far from the ocean, down in my best friends garage creating things that went fast and some things that exploded.
I went to The Landing School of Boatbuilding and Design and completed their composites course.
Right out of that school I moved to Alaska to start my boatbuilding career. That was short lived as 2008 economy crisis sank us. Since then I have continued to work on boats. I also dabble in landscaping, gardening, sailing and collecting boats.
I like whiskey and free food.
Meet Sara:
Hello All! Might as well start from the beginning. I grew up in small town inland in Michigan. The Magical Mitten as some refer to it. I would be considered a "troll" as I am from under the bridge (to the upper peninsula). I had some opportunity to spend time on boats on the lakes while growing up, but never for very long. The closest I had to a sailing experience in The Great Lakes State was a horribly failed attempt at Wind Surfing on Higgins Lake one summer. That's hard work! I've been a swimmer my whole life and have always felt a deep connection with the water.
I had been working at a YMCA as a lifeguard for a while and it was there that I was introduced to the wonderful sport of rock climbing. I immediately fell in love and became obsessed. I started going on regular trips to the "red" in Kentucky (Red River Gorge).
Juneau Alaska
Southeast Alaska
Juneau Alaska
Southeast Alaska
Where We Live
Juneau, Alaska is the very unique place where we make our home. There are no roads in or out, which means everyone has to arrive by plane or boat. We are smack in the middle of the Tongass National Rainforest. The largest temperate rain-forest in the world. So it rains. A lot. We also have typically mild weather. Coming from Michigan and Maine, it's almost easier. The swing between summer and winter temperatures isn't nearly as extreme. Southeast Alaska is very different from other parts of this massive state though. We are in our own little coastal nitch here!
Because we live where we do, we get to enjoy the many benefits of being right in the middle of everything. We have the water, the mountains, and the forest all right out our front door. We get to camp, hike and bike all over the place. There are also these fun Forest Service cabins scattered around too and they all have something different and beautiful to offer.
There are more miles of trail then road here. I've been here 5 years and Dylan 8 and there's still trails we have not hiked yet. Any given weekend there is a lot of different activities we have to choose from.
On top of all these benefits, this place had fed me more meals then I can count! We have eaten many many kinds of fish, along with crab, kelp, deer, moose, berries, greens, and fiddleheads. It is so rewarding to harvest and eat your own food on a regular basis.
