Jack Finnegan hopes to provide tours to potential customers who traditional vessels cannot accomodate. (Photo courtesy of Jack Finnegan)
Ketchikan business leads the way in accessible tourism in Southeast Alaska
A 2021 Path to Prosperity Business Competition winner addresses long-standing challenges for potential tourists
Tripp J Crouse / Spruce Root
In the summer of 2020, while Ketchikan's tourism industry stood still during the pandemic, charter boat captain Jack Finnegan confronted a long-standing challenge.
As the accessibility point person for Baranof Fishing Excursions, he often faced the frustrating reality that some traditional vessels simply could not accommodate some customers.
"If someone uses a powered chair, there's no safe way for us to transfer them from our dock onto the vessel," Finnegan said. "Or someone might have limited use of their upper appendages, or maybe they're an amputee without a prosthetic. It's unfortunate that there are certain folks we just couldn’t accommodate."
That realization, combined with unexpected idle time during the pandemic, sparked the idea of Fishability Alaska, an innovative charter business set to launch in 2025 and aims to make ocean-going experiences accessible to people with disabilities and their travel companions.
Finnegan's path to this venture wasn't direct. Born in Wisconsin, he first came to Alaska in 2008 on a vacation with his father and brother, thinking he'd "see Alaska" and check it off his bucket list.
But when friends invited him to work a season in Ketchikan in 2012, everything changed.
What was supposed to be one "grand adventure summer" turned into a permanent home, where he also now serves on the city council, coordinates education at the community theater, runs a monthly storytelling event and raises a family.
Photo courtesy Jack Finnegan
His maritime career began with leading wildlife and sightseeing trips, during which clients drove their own inflatable boats. This experience helped him gain the valuable seat time — or sea time — needed for his captain's license.
Nine seasons followed with Baranof Fishing Excursions, where his background working with people with disabilities — including time as a recreation therapist at an adult daycare center and as a house coordinator for adults with developmental disabilities — made him the natural choice as the company's point person for accessibility questions.
"Electric wheelchairs tend to have a really low threshold (a simple and safe way to help wheelchairs cross over rough surface), sometimes an inch and a half or less," Finnegan said. "Even little bumps on the rear deck might be difficult for some of those powered chairs to clear. We're doing everything we can to eliminate anything that might interfere with someone's experience."
The cornerstone of Fishability Alaska will be a custom-built 37-foot landing craft, which is currently being built at Homestead Skiffs, a local boat-building shop.
The vessel features innovations explicitly designed for accessibility, including a fold-down bow for beach landings, double-wide doors that meet the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requirements, and flush deck-to-cabin transitions to accommodate wheelchairs and mobility devices.
The boat will also be equipped with specialized gear for various needs, such as grasping cuffs for people with limited wrist mobility, chest-mounted rod holders for wheelchair users, amplification systems for those with hearing impairments, and modified binoculars with side cones for people with light sensitivity.
Multiple sources have supported the venture. After hearing a radio ad on KRBD, Finnegan applied to Spruce Root's annual Path to Prosperity Business Competition in 2021. The three-day business intensive helped him develop his concept into a viable plan, leading him to win the competition and giving him access to $25,000 in grant funds which he used to pay for deposit for boat construction, adaptive equipment and business training and coursework.
(The other winner of the Business Competition was Kasaan Arts, Museum and Canoes on Prince of Wales Island. Owners Bonnie and Stormy Hamar applied in hopes of expanding the museum.)
Finnegan was able to use the same business plan to qualify for financing through Spruce Root's loan program. The loan was used to pay for the vessel construction. The project has also won People's Choice awards at the Innovation Summit in Juneau and the Alaska Travel Industry Association convention.
The market potential is significant — 1.2 million Americans with disabilities travel by cruise ship annually.
Currently, only two attractions consistently appear in accessibility searches in Ketchikan: a lumberjack show and a tour boat. While both are accessible, neither offers the customizable fishing and wildlife viewing experiences Fishability Alaska will provide.
The business plan extends beyond serving the summer tourism industry. During the off-season, Finnegan plans to work with local nonprofits to serve community members and Elders with disabilities. He also sees potential in supporting Ketchikan's growing mariculture industry, particularly in kelp farming operations. Within three to five years, he projects creating six to 10 local jobs, including additional captains and crew members.
Finnegan sees accessibility as an increasingly critical consideration for all businesses and communities.
Photo courtesy of Jack Finnegan
"There are parts of our port which are not accessible, which I cannot independently solve," he said. "Whether a person's business or community is focused on the needs of those with disabilities right now or not, it's going to become a focus. It's better to start thinking about it now."
Most meaningful to Finnegan is the potential impact on mental health. As he's learned from conversations with local disability advocates, "[there are] benefits to the mental health of individuals who otherwise don't have access to this experience ... giving them the opportunity to get out there on the water the way that anybody else can without even thinking about it — [is] its own benefit that's beyond measure."
Spruce Root is proud to support Jack Finnegan to make Fishability Alaska a reality. Finnegan plans to start offering tours out of Ketchikan starting in 2025. To find out more about the business and book a tour, visit www.fishabilityalaska.com.
To learn more about Spruce Root’s loan program, Path to Prosperity competition, or other services, please email grow@spruceroot.org or visit www.spruceroot.org/intake.