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Here’s a story that happened last year and I think it’s a wonderful example of the type of serendipity that happens with the David B, the crew, our passengers, and even people who’ve never met us, but influence our trips.  This story involves Captain Jeffrey and our guest Rosemary, who each shared their versions with me and I thought you would enjoy hearing it told from both sides.

Meeting Author Kim Heacox: A Story Told From Two Perspectives
Occasionally in the evenings, Jeffrey reads aloud to the guests. He says, “Getting read to connects the story to you in the way of the old-time storyteller. Stories are the way humans have connected with each other for thousands of years.” 

And one of the passages he likes to read even says so itself: “In nineteenth-century America and Europe… friendships and love affairs blossomed as men and women read to each other in summer meadows and winter kitchens.” 

More often than not, Jeffrey reads from the writings of John Muir. Southeast Alaska has so many connections to the early exploring and writing of John Muir that his Travels in Alaska is sort of a bible for Jeffrey. For added context, Jeffrey also often reaches for John Muir And The Ice That Started a Fire by Kim Heacox.. 

Emailing an Author
This story starts even earlier, when Jeffrey had read a passage from The Ice That Started a Fire aloud to another guest. This guest had spent much of his career on conservation and the federal protection of wild lands in America. Inspired by the connections and efforts of so many people to protect SE Alaska, Jeffrey did some digging and wrote to Kim Heacox, describing the conservationist he had read to:

“It was a really moving experience for me to be reading to him in particular about the connections from Wordsworth to John Muir to Carter and the formation of the parks and refuges and federal lands in AK… Thank you for writing this beautiful piece and thank you for your involvement in the preservation of the National Interest Lands as well.” — Jeffrey

And Kim Heacox even wrote back!

“I don’t revisit that book very often, and have forgotten much of what I wrote in there. That makes your message all the more heartwarming… I’m unfamiliar with the David B. Do you operate in Icy Strait and/or Glacier Bay? Give a ring if you ever do.” — Kim Heacox

Jeffrey filed that invitation away and then last year he finally had a reason to use it.

Enter Rosemary 
Our passenger Rosemary had read a number of Kim Heacox’s books getting ready for her David B trip. One of which was The Only Kayak, Heacox’s memoir of leaving a conventional life for a job with the National Park Service in Glacier Bay, where he met his wife, Melanie. 

When Jeffrey read aloud that first evening of the trip and explained why The Ice That Started a Fire meant so much to him, Rosemary said she’d read Heacox too. Jeffrey was happy that he knew he could finally call on that invitation.

So, Jeffrey emailed Kim again, asking whether he and Melanie might be willing to meet the boat in Glacier Bay and that one of our passengers was a fan. Fortunately, Kim and Melanie could be at the Glacier Bay visitor center in Gustavus, where they live, on the day before that trip ended.

“You must be Rosemary!”
As soon as the David B arrived at the dock, all the passengers went up to check out the Glacier Bay visitor center. Kim and Melanie actually pulled up to the boat shortly after that. Jeffrey got to meet them at last. Kim signed a book for Rosemary, but she wasn’t back yet.  Jeffrey left it for her, disappointed for her that she would miss the author even though he was thrilled to shake Kim’s hand in person.

Up at the visitor center, Rosemary had noticed a car near the dock by the David B that morning, but thought it was one of several loading and unloading for other trips. By the time she realized who was in that car, other folks had gathered around. The Heacoxes are celebrities at the visitor center with folks rushing over to meet them. Rosemary held back, not wanting to interrupt on anyone else’s time with them. Then it looked like they were leaving and she would miss her chance!

Rosemary and her husband started walking towards the car. And when she came closer, Melanie looked at her saying, “You must be Rosemary!” Rosemary says that absolutely made her day.
 

On Cloud Nine
They got to talk about Kim’s books, Melanie and Kim’s education work at their center in Gustavus, and how much the Heacoxes had enjoyed their morning visit to the David B. They had enjoyed a tour of the boat, learned about the boat’s history, and spent time with Jeffrey and Christine. While on the boat, Kim autographed a stack of his titles the boat carries onboard, gave a few more to keep, and even signed the tattered, well-read copy Jeffrey reads from to guests. He even got a signed copy of Christine’s book More Faster Backwards – Rebuilding David B. Sadly, Kim and Melanie then needed to leave for a group of teens and tweens waiting for them at the education center.

Rosemary says she was floating through the rest of that afternoon on cloud nine. When she got back on the boat, Jeffrey and Christine were waiting to hand her the book Kim had signed for her that morning, the one she’d missed by minutes at the dock.
 

“What a gift, and I thank Jeffrey and Christine for setting this up. Absolutely awesome, and awesome people.” — Rosemary

Rosemary also says, “Jeffrey and Christine are the nicest people. Patient, talented, creative… Every person’s needs are met. And Matt, the deckhand, too offering a hand over every slippery rock along the trail. A trip of a lifetime. “ It’s a trip she hopes to repeat again someday.

What’s amazing for Jeffrey is that this story brings it full circle from a single email years earlier, on a different trip, with a different guest, over the same worn paperback that he still reads to guests today.

Until Next Time Serendipity Smiles Upon You – Fair Winds,

Sarah
Reservations & Cat Staff

P. S. Our 2027 season is already half sold out. Don’t wait to reserve your own moment of serendipity on the David B! You can see our current 2027 and 2028 schedules here: https://northwestnavigation.com/schedule-and-rates

by Alan Sanders

Photography instructor, Alan Sanders shares a typical day in the life during one of our photography workshops. We hope it answers questions for the curious and whets your creative appetite to join us sometime soon! You can see more information about our photography workshops here.

“You wake up a little earlier than usual. That’s because it’s lighter than you’re used to in the morning. You make your way to the galley and pour yourself a cup of coffee, while reading Christine’s daily journaling prompt. You like how she always puts up suggestions of things to think about for the day. You say “Good Morning” to Christine, who is diligently preparing the morning’s pastry selection on her wood stove. Then you grab your camera and your coffee and head to the back deck to see what the morning has to offer. The day breaks with amazingly cool clouds hugging the nearby mountains. As you raise your camera, you think this will look best rendered in black and white.

You make your way to the saloon just as Christine is bringing out the day’s muffins, blueberry sour cream, your favorite. As you and your fellow attendees sip coffee and enjoy the muffins, the massive three cylinder engine comes to life and you realize Jeffery is getting underway. So begins another day on a David B photography workshop.

While cruising to the next destination, you work on images from the previous day. You look forward to the next Lightroom demonstration because you know you’ll be learning new Lightroom tricks. You also know that help is always nearby for any problems you might encounter.

When you’re about to finish another sumptuous breakfast (a frittata with spinach and mushrooms, plus potatoes and sausages and there is always fruit and granola), Jeffery comes down from the wheelhouse to say he’s spotted whales up ahead. Everyone grabs their cameras with their longest lenses and heads out on deck. Since you never know where whales will surface, it’s best to be on the top deck so you can easily move to either side.

There they are. Then you realize they are actually bubble netting close to shore. A rare sight that is truly amazing.

When the last whale leaves you spend time photographing the scenery.

As you get closer to the glacier there is a giant iceberg up ahead. Jeffery does a wonderful job of circumnavigating it so everyone gets a chance to photograph this amazing floating sculpture.

After lunch (split pea soup, salad, cheese and meat tray and fresh sourdough bread) it’s time to close the curtains and review everyone’s images. This is always a highlight. It’s interesting how everyone goes to the same places and photographs the same subjects but we all see the world differently. Consequently, we all learn from each other.

When we arrive at our destination it’s low tide so Jeffery and Matt prepare the skiff so everyone can go ashore. You spend quite a bit of time making photographs on the beach.

Once back on board you download and work on the day’s images, while nibbling on the hors d’oeuvres that Matt has brought out.

Soon it’s time for dinner (panko encrusted halibut, broccoli, baby potatoes, fresh sourdough bread and home made ice cream) and enjoyable conversation with your fellow travelers.

After a fun filled day with a boat full of like minded people, it’s time for bed as the David B gently rocks you to sleep.

You realize that this workshop is a perfect mix of beautiful scenery, photography learning, and stimulating conversation with a wonderful group of fellow photographers. As someone on a recent trip said; “you arrive as strangers but depart as friends”. Truly a life changing experience.”

P. S. If you are inspired to join us on a future photography workshop, just contact Sarah. You can see our current 2027 and 2028 schedules here: https://northwestnavigation.com/schedule-and-rates

 

It was perfect.

The wind was at our back for the first 24 hours. We timed the tides to get the greatest benefit. The wind calmed down to nothing for the exposed ocean crossing sections. (It was a little lumpy but doable.)  But, by far, the biggest victory of the trip north, ninety-two hours straight through to Ketchikan was that the main engine ran perfectly. 

Several months ago, you might remember seeing the pictures and the videos, the engine was still in pieces. Over the winter we rebuilt the reverse gear, adjusted the main bearings, poured new bearings for the connecting rods, tightened the wrist pin bearings, machined the crankshaft and installed a new flange on it, built a new air plumbing system, and a million other small fixes to make everything run. To see it in action, running that smoothly was amazing.

We made a lot of other small changes this winter too, like a new step in the skiff, fans to help dry wet foul weather gear, a rebuild of the inside of the oven box (rusted through from years of use in a salt water environment, not from Christine baking muffins.) We did a lot of good work.

When we began this life with the David B twenty-one years ago, transits to Ketchikan were not like this. In the early years, we made multiple stops along the way, going to towns to buy stuff to fix things when necessary, and patching things back together. Over the years it’s gotten easier, and we’ve gotten better at knowing what to do in the winter months to make the transit and the season smooth, but despite all that, I still spend a lot of spring worrying.

To see it all come together, and to have a perfect transit north, makes me excited for the season ahead. I made the transition to summer over ninety-two hours to Ketchikan.

Fair Winds,

Jeffrey
Captain of the David B

P. S. If you are inspired to join us, just contact Sarah. You can see our current 2026, 2027, and 2028 schedules here: https://northwestnavigation.com/schedule-and-rates

Glacier Bay National Park is one of those places that changes how you look at things. 

I’ve been traveling in Glacier Bay for years aboard the David B, and it still asks me to slow down. The light, the ice, the scale of it—it’s not something you take in all at once. It reveals itself over time. 

That’s part of why we created our Glacier Bay photography workshop. 

Aboard the David B, we move at a pace that allows for noticing. Not just passing by something beautiful, but returning to it. Watching how the light shifts. Waiting to see what changes. Giving yourself the time to make a photograph that feels like your own. 

This isn’t a trip where everyone lines up for the same shot. 

It’s a space to explore how you see—whether you’re just beginning with a camera, or you’ve been photographing for years. 

On this trip we’re joined by two wonderful photographers, Alan Sanders and John D’Onofrio. 

They guide, they answer questions, and they share how they approach their work—but just as importantly, they support you in finding your own way of seeing. 

We also go ashore in exquisite locations. 

These aren’t rushed stops. They’re moments to walk, to look closely, and to spend time in a place. 

You have time to wander with your camera, to pause to sketch out an idea, or simply sit with a scene. 

The pace allows for different ways of working—and for each person to follow what draws their attention. It’s often in these quieter places that your photographs begin to take shape. 

Part of what makes your experience different is how we move beyond the David B. 

Our skiff is stable and open, allowing us to travel into smaller inlets, along shorelines, and into places larger boats simply can’t reach. It opens up opportunities to work closer to the landscape, to observe wildlife, and to find quieter vantage points.  

There’s time in the field, and time to sit with your images. 

We make sure to spend part of each day in Lightroom, talking through editing choices and watching how an image begins to take shape. 

We also spend time sharing images together. 

Our show-and-tell sessions are relaxed and thoughtful, and often really inspiring. It’s a chance to see how differently each of us experienced the same place.  

One of my favorite parts of the trip comes at the end. 

You choose an image you’ve created, and we print it onboard. There’s something really meaningful about holding that photograph in your hands—something that came from your own experience in this place.  

Life aboard the David B is part of it too. 

With just eight guests, there’s space for conversation and for adjusting our days as conditions change or wildlife presents itself. And at the end of the day, we gather around the table for a meal and talk about what we saw. 

Glacier Bay rewards attention. 

This workshop is about giving yourself the time and space to meet it there—and to come away with photographs that feel like your own. 

 

Here is a video version of this email with even more photos to enjoy!

Sincerely,Christine
Owner – Chef & NaturalistP. S. If you are inspired to join us in 2026, just contact Sarah. You can see our current 2026, 2027  and 2028 schedules here: https://northwestnavigation.com/schedule-and-rates