Who We Are

The Yakutat Charter Boat Company has been in operation since 1998, owned and operated by Mark and Kristy Sappington. Mark has been chartering in the Yakutat Bay waters since 1993. The Yakutat Charter Boat Company is dedicated to providing the best services possible in professional, friendly and knowledgeable sport fishing charters. The Yakutat Charter Boat Company started as a challenge. Although Mark and Kristy dreamed of operating their own charter boat company for years, they both had good positions working for other lodges in Alaska.

Mark began working on boats at the age of 12 in Redondo Beach, California and was the youngest in his class to receive his 100 ton captains license at the age of 19. He worked another 6 years in the waters of the Santa Monica Bay operating commercial fishing and charter boats, whale watching boats and sight seeing tour boats. In 1986 Mark began working as a charter boat operator for Waterfall Resort on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska and did so for the next 4 summers while earning a bachelors degree in business from California State University of Long Beach. Kristy joined him to work at Waterfall Resort in 1988 while completing a masters degree in fine art at CSULB.

In 1993 they came to Yakutat and for 5 years they worked for the Yakutat Lodge. Mark got the charter boat operation at the lodge off the ground and developed and organized it into a 4 boat operation. He was then given an ultimatum, to stop dreaming about starting his own business or leave his position at the lodge. Instead of signing a paper agreeing not to start a charter boat company in Yakutat, Mark and Kristy chose to leave the security of the lodge and make their dream a reality.

Two children already and a third to come, The Yakutat Charter Boat Company began with a "Vengeance", a 30 ft. Alumaweld boat completely equipped with state of the art electronics and top of the line fishing gear. With Mark's outstanding reputation and the support and encouragement of some of the fine people of Yakutat the Yakutat Charter Boat Company had a fantastic first year. Mark's plan was moving along as he had written it out, creating a strong sense of purpose, destiny and freedom. The second year brought with it their second boat, a 30 ft. aluminum hulled Perigren, "Manifest Destiny," or "Destiny," for short. "To extend the boundaries of freedom to others."

Captain John Alder joined the company in 1999 bringing with him over 25 years worth of experience in Coast Guard, Crew boat, Tug boat and Charter boat captaining not to mention a sh-load of really good music!