4 CREW:

Captain Greg Payne and Chef Megan Belair

After running several very successful charters aboard ALASKAN STORY in Summer 2019, Captain Greg Payne and Chef Megan Belair are planning to become the new Owner Operators of ALASKAN STORY.

Having grown up on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, Greg has always had a connection with the water. He developed a love of travel at a young age and brought the two together with a near 4,000 mile move to Alaska in 2007. Engaging with the wildlife of Alaska, and teaching visitors about Alaskan wildlife, was his first maritime job – and one that he would revisit time and time again.

After a few years crewing on luxury yachts in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, Greg found himself back in Alaska, again on the water. He earned a Captain’s license in 2011 and has been advancing since. From charter fishing and wildlife tours to running private yachts, Greg has become a confident and proficient mariner. He still enjoys traveling but he and Megan have made a home in Juneau, Alaska. He enjoys fishing, hiking, camping, running and ice hockey.

Megan grew up in a sleepy town in Massachusetts where she developed her love of outdoor adventures. Her formative years were spent at a university in Boston where she studied marketing and then years in the service industry. She left her cubicle career in Boston in 2012 and has never looked back. She came to Alaska by way of Colorado where she enjoyed her time skiing with her best girlfriends. Prior to joining ALASKAN STORY, with her move to Alaska with Greg, Megan worked in Tourism Management and honed her skills in customer service. She has a passion for food and enjoys spending time in nature, fishing, boating, and yoga. She never turns down a good book recommendation and knows how to mix a wicked cocktail.

Greg and Megan are excited to join ALASKAN STORY and can’t wait for the adventures ahead.

Stewardess Catherine McElligot and First Mate Ryan Hollow

Ryan and Cath met and fell in love in Alaska two years ago; Ryan worked summer seasons as a glacier guide in Juneau and Catherine worked managing logistics as a helicopter radio dispatcher at Temsco where she met Megan who was office manager.

Catherine had grown up working on her family cattle ranch in northeastern Oregon. Her upbringing “working the cattle chutes and driving grain trucks instilled a rock solid work ethic, based on strong family values and the rewards of an honest days work.” Cath managed a fine dining restaurant and lodge outside Lassen Volcanic National Park in the Southern Cascade Mountain range. She has worked as a ski guide in Montana and at the Alyeska resort in Girdwood, Alaska. “The opportunity to explore the ocean environment of Alaska is a dream job for us and our goal is to use our skill set to make certain every guest’s experience is truly once in a lifetime; or at least until they return to the Alaskan Story.”