I met Jeff and Christine Smith for the first time through my friend Jack Mynatt who lives in Levenworth, WA and who went on an Escalante Trip that I led for the Austin Sierra Club. Because Jack's son, Aaron, was working as a crew member on the David B and because Jack was a family friend of Jeff Smith's folks, he kept me informed about this ambitious crew of young folks who were just finishing eight years of renovation work on an antique fishing tender built in Washington but rescued from salvage in Alaska where the boat had served for several years before being retired. When they offered a special 'friends and family' rate on their first trips as a commercial enterprise, I jumped at the chance. In the summer of 2006, I flew to Ketchikan, Alaska and, along with a couple of my friends from the LA area, joined the crew of the David B for one of their first commercial voyages through the 'Inside Passage' from Ketchikan to Bellinham, WA, where the Smiths live and where the David B is now berthed.

It was an excellent trip and Jeff and Christine proved that their experience, dedication and hard work for the eight years of renovation were very well invested. The scenery was stunning, the wildlife was fascinating and Christine kept us all very well fed with excellent and varied cuisine. Everyone had a really good time.

The next summer, 2007, I helped Jeff and Christine run three 4-day trips in the San Juan Islands, hiking and kayaking and cruising the islands in Puget Sound between Seattle and Vancouver Island, Canada. Again, everyone had a great time and enjoyed the experience tremendously. During that trip, Jeff, Christine and I discussed offering the boat cruises as part of the Austin Sierra Club Outings offerings. This Alaska trip is the first of these trips to be organized and approved through the National Sierra Club (which must give permission for watercraft outings).

If you would like more information about Northwest Navigation or would like to contact Austin Sierra Club members who were on one of the three San Juan trips last summer, feel free to contact me and I will put you in touch with people who were on those trips. [Chuck Byrd, (512) 292-6985 or ]

Northwest Navigation also has an excellent CD-based brochure which contains a PDF files and several video clips of dolphins, seals and whales captured from aboard the David B. There is no better way to get a feel for the trips they offer than to view the shots taken from aboard the David B while she is underway. I will upload the PDF file to this site once I figure out how to do that, until then, contact me and I will loan you my copy.

The photo to the left shows Aaron Mynatt in his domain below decks, in the engine room of the David B tending the rebuilt Washington Estep 300 hp diesel engine (converted to biodiesel). Aaron has another committment and will not be able to join us for the Alaska trip this year.

There is also a great deal of information about Northwest Navigation on their website at www.northwestnavigation.com . Check it out.

- Chuck Byrd, Austin Sierra Club Outings leader