Get to Know Dick and Betty and the Fishing Feenstra Family

Ours has been an incredible journey of boats fish and Alaska grandeur.

THE FAMILY:

Dick was born in Holland, and Betty in Seattle. We have been married over forty-one years. We have three sons, Steve, Hank and Pete, and five and-one-on-the way grandchildren. We raised our family in quiet rural Washington State, and always near or ON the water.  

THE ADVENTURERS:

We started our fishing career long before there was a catchy name like the “deadliest catch.” In 1969, we wrote our wills, farmed out the kids, bought a very old 28’ boat and a case of sea-sick pills, and followed another kid to Alaska. There we would learn to Gillnet for salmon on the southern end of the Alaska panhandle, with Ketchikan as our home base for two seasons.

Two years later, we built a new larger boat and traveled across the Gulf of Alaska to fish Prince William Sound and the Copper River Flats. We were the “new kids in town” in Cordova, then Seward and later Valdez, and the latter would become our beautiful seasonal home for the next thirty-plus years.

Within just a few years, we moved up to other fisheries including Salmon Seining that required larger boats, larger crews and greater debt load!

Betty and the boys fished nearly every summer, and as they got older, the boys joined Dad during the rest of the year as well. With Dick as captain and teacher, they learned to pot fish, longline, drag, trawl and seine, and the art of repairing and mending all of the above!

THE SAILORS:

From Valdez, Dick’s quest for Crab,

Salmon, Cod,  

Herring and Halibut led him to the Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska, the Aleutian Chain, Prince William Sound, back to Southeast, and a little side trip to Mexico chasing Tuna.

During these years, we all learned the skills of professional fishermen, navigators, and sailors; and three of us, Dick, Betty and Steve, earned Master Seaman’s licenses.

THE BUILDERS:

Throughout these years, we have owned and/or built over a dozen
boats.

In an effort to diversify, we took another side trip into the charter business. We designed, built and outfitted a beautiful 80’ sea-going charter yacht  for showing visitors, friends and guests the glorious scenes of our beloved Alaska, which we had become intimately acquainted with in all our travels.                     

After the success of the charter yacht, we continued building eighty-plus foot, custom-built ocean-going yacht vessels of steel for the rugged, fearless, blue-water sailor.

THE FISHERMEN:

Currently all three sons are involved in the commercial fishing industry, and are or have operated their own vessels.

Oldest son, Steve owns and operates the “Miss Roxanne” for Salmon Seining and Longlining for Halibut and Black Cod in Alaska; and operates the “Chasina Bay” for Crab.

Son Hank operates the “Zealot” (which Dad and Mom built in the 90’s as the “Speculator”) for Crab also, and crews for Longlining; he also built and owns a smaller Crab boat for inside waters, the “Someday.” Youngest son, Pete has operated several vessels, has owned and fished the “Zoë Rose” in Alaska, and is currently on deck with older brother Steve.



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