- Johanna

"A Very Exciting Way to Travel"

       “I don’t think I’ll ever be done with Alaska.” I first met Victoria Wilson Winnie when she was crewing on the Rainbow Connection. She was intriguing, with a sense for wildlife, and a very interesting British accent. She has been working with boats for a long time and has traveled all over the world.
            Victoria is a naturalist and a deckhand on the boat that the AGLP participants were on for an all day whale watch. She first started working on this boat last year. But, before she worked here, on the ocean in Alaska, she went to some pretty amazing places working on boats.
            She’s from England originally. “I left England, about 25 years ago,” said Victoria, “And started working my way around the world, on all different kinds of boats; sail boats, diving boats, fishing boats, and then I ended up here in Alaska.” Victoria’s been to all the country’s in Europe, she’s been to Africa, the islands throughout the Indian Ocean, and plenty more.
            “Mainly I perceived it as a wonderful way to travel,” said Victoria about how she got interested in boats. “You can leave a port say, in Italy, and sail trough the Mediterranean, and into the north coast of Africa. And then when you get off the boat in a port in Africa, you’re likely to meet another skipper, of another boat who says ‘Well, I need crew.’ So you hop onto a different boat.”
            “So, it’s a very exciting way to travel,” said Victoria. She was just excited to see the whales as we were on the whale watch. I think that’s amazing, that it can be your job, everyday, but you still get super excited about it. That’s passion. And, after talking to Victoria, I realized how much passion she really has for adventure.