Chris Van Laar Burgoyne
1965
Boating Through Life………………
I am loving the stories of our classmates – our young lives and how they’ve played out through time. I know we all feel the same – how did this happen, I am still 20 inside, if I knew I’d live this long, I’d have taken better care of my vehicle! Life is long and very short as well. And good!
AFTER HIGH SCHOOL – The hot summer at Zuma Beach. Adventures with Kirk Lamb and Rick Bensemon. In the fall, Patty Frey and I went off to church college in Iowa. There I majored in art and had every intention of transferring to UCLA after a year, BUT life happened. Literally. Stacey Christine was born and I was a married woman living in Independence Missouri. I began boating on the Missouri lakes - great for small boat sailing - with my big belly, husband Mark, and St Bernard. Continued in college at the University of Missouri and then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania (my husband’s home state), therein receiving my teaching degree. As for the second boat, that was a hand-built canoe by Mark – paddling the Pennsylvania Rivers. The next boat was in ’68 with pack horses carrying our “Yellow Submarine” (inflatable boat) to Upper Twin Lake in the Sierras.
Teaching jobs ($10,000/year) in Juneau, Alaska – sign me up! This peaked my adventuring nature and brought Mark and I back to the west coast. A ferry boat carried our little family and our Winnebago up the Inside Passage. By now we are in Juneau in the early 70’s, with me teaching kindergarten and Mark as Director of Special Education for the State. A great deal of adventure, hippie life style, log cabins, smoked salmon, gun totting, skiing, pot lucks on the beach, ice climbing and a planned pregnancy. Our daughter, Chelsea Sky was born in 1974. I was now grown up enough to have a baby! Boats – kayaks, Boston Whaler, and an Albin 25’ sailboat used to move us from the state capital 200 miles south to the then fishing village of Ketchikan, known as the “Rock.”
Thirteen years on “the Rock” was a whirlwind of life, friends, jobs, and more adventures! I taught kindergarten, first and second grades in an “open concept” school – a popular‘70s educational model. Our life style was mostly without TV and movies, but filled with cooking, and eating, gardening, pottery, fishing, smoking/canning salmon, and hiking. Add to this, kids, school activities, and back country skiing for all of us right outside our door. Our Albin 25’ carried us to Vancouver when Chelsea was two and Stacey nine, helping us to decide a bigger boat was needed. We bought a Rawson 30’ sailboat that became our vehicle around the SE Alaska islands for hunting, and scuba diving. We lived in rubber boots and wool jackets. It rained 166” a year (no umbrellas for Alaskans). We fantasized about sailing around the world, however that adventure remained in the queue, and we bought a fishing lodge. I think we just needed a change. We pulled my parents into the deal in 1978 to buy and live in a huge cannery bunkhouse which we renovated, built a dock, and created a world class fishing experience – George Inlet Lodge – mile 12 South Tongass. The lodge is still running today and is a tourist experience for passenger ships docking in Ketchikan. We needed to make money, along with working at the start-up Lodge, so I began running a federal grant program providing resource coordination for families with kids having disabilities from 1979-1987. My commute to work was in float planes to logging camps and villages. Now back to boats. In 1980 we bought The Hemming Bay – a Delta 50 - for Mark’s Alaska Salmon Charter business. This became an ad-hoc benefit to our fishing lodge providing a new dimension to our life. The “Black Swan” arrived when our daughter Stacey (17) was diagnosed with leukemia. We tried to conquer the disease but Stacey died anyway at age 19 – a lovely tall blond creative woman who we never stop missing. Stacey came home for the last time as a college student from the Fashion Institute of New York, in Manhattan. In the Norwegian tradition, she received a Viking burial - her cremated remains were nestled amongst pine boughs and flowers set adrift to burn down and sink into the sea. Eventually, our marriage could not handle the stress of the disease and death so we parted but remained parents and friends. “Keep on living until you can live again.”
Chelsea and I moved to Seattle via ferry boat in 1987. I accepted a fellowship at the University of Washington, as Chelsea attended middle school. I married a second time to a good friend, and that lasted four years of travel – Mexico, Java, Bali, Guatemala - then we parted. I used my Special Education Masters to work at a school district. I switched to Public Health, running the same Fed grant funded program I had in Alaska. Concurrently, I started a photography business on a platform of travel, and fine art. It was great fun receiving awards and showing around the world. However, when I placed my awards in front of the bank teller, not so much. So, off to more adventures - to Glacier Bay, Alaska with double kayaks and three friends. We found hotel-size ice bergs, rain, gray, and a huge awareness of brown bears. This became a top-tier wilderness adventure. After that, I signed as “crew” on a 39’ sailboat headed for the Marquesas and Tuamotu Archipelago.
Finally, John, my most recent husband and I, share our love of sailboats and kayaks. We lived on our 47’ Benateau (sailboat) for four years in Seattle, visiting NW ports of interest, and helped a friend take his 47’ Jeanneau (sailboat) from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas on the 2008 “Baja Ha Ha.” My daughter, Chelsea, now 41, lives in the East Bay and is a master mechanic for BMW Berkeley. She loves adventuring and extreme sports (motorcycles and dirt bikes) maybe a “chip off the old block”, so to say.
John and I decided to sell the Benateau and buy waterfront property on Whidbey Island, while maintaining an apartment in the city. Our leisure time is now in France, Mexico, and the United States. My retirement job is at the Seattle Public library and John teaches college, and is writing his doctoral dissertation. We just ordered the last boat (well, maybe) a Zodiac Futura Mark II for zipping around the San Juan Islands.
“All you have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to you.” Gandalf - as in Lord of the Rings. For what is left to all of us – let’s dance!!!! See you in October!
I am loving the stories of our classmates – our young lives and how they’ve played out through time. I know we all feel the same – how did this happen, I am still 20 inside, if I knew I’d live this long, I’d have taken better care of my vehicle! Life is long and very short as well. And good!
AFTER HIGH SCHOOL – The hot summer at Zuma Beach. Adventures with Kirk Lamb and Rick Bensemon. In the fall, Patty Frey and I went off to church college in Iowa. There I majored in art and had every intention of transferring to UCLA after a year, BUT life happened. Literally. Stacey Christine was born and I was a married woman living in Independence Missouri. I began boating on the Missouri lakes - great for small boat sailing - with my big belly, husband Mark, and St Bernard. Continued in college at the University of Missouri and then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania (my husband’s home state), therein receiving my teaching degree. As for the second boat, that was a hand-built canoe by Mark – paddling the Pennsylvania Rivers. The next boat was in ’68 with pack horses carrying our “Yellow Submarine” (inflatable boat) to Upper Twin Lake in the Sierras.
Teaching jobs ($10,000/year) in Juneau, Alaska – sign me up! This peaked my adventuring nature and brought Mark and I back to the west coast. A ferry boat carried our little family and our Winnebago up the Inside Passage. By now we are in Juneau in the early 70’s, with me teaching kindergarten and Mark as Director of Special Education for the State. A great deal of adventure, hippie life style, log cabins, smoked salmon, gun totting, skiing, pot lucks on the beach, ice climbing and a planned pregnancy. Our daughter, Chelsea Sky was born in 1974. I was now grown up enough to have a baby! Boats – kayaks, Boston Whaler, and an Albin 25’ sailboat used to move us from the state capital 200 miles south to the then fishing village of Ketchikan, known as the “Rock.”
Thirteen years on “the Rock” was a whirlwind of life, friends, jobs, and more adventures! I taught kindergarten, first and second grades in an “open concept” school – a popular‘70s educational model. Our life style was mostly without TV and movies, but filled with cooking, and eating, gardening, pottery, fishing, smoking/canning salmon, and hiking. Add to this, kids, school activities, and back country skiing for all of us right outside our door. Our Albin 25’ carried us to Vancouver when Chelsea was two and Stacey nine, helping us to decide a bigger boat was needed. We bought a Rawson 30’ sailboat that became our vehicle around the SE Alaska islands for hunting, and scuba diving. We lived in rubber boots and wool jackets. It rained 166” a year (no umbrellas for Alaskans). We fantasized about sailing around the world, however that adventure remained in the queue, and we bought a fishing lodge. I think we just needed a change. We pulled my parents into the deal in 1978 to buy and live in a huge cannery bunkhouse which we renovated, built a dock, and created a world class fishing experience – George Inlet Lodge – mile 12 South Tongass. The lodge is still running today and is a tourist experience for passenger ships docking in Ketchikan. We needed to make money, along with working at the start-up Lodge, so I began running a federal grant program providing resource coordination for families with kids having disabilities from 1979-1987. My commute to work was in float planes to logging camps and villages. Now back to boats. In 1980 we bought The Hemming Bay – a Delta 50 - for Mark’s Alaska Salmon Charter business. This became an ad-hoc benefit to our fishing lodge providing a new dimension to our life. The “Black Swan” arrived when our daughter Stacey (17) was diagnosed with leukemia. We tried to conquer the disease but Stacey died anyway at age 19 – a lovely tall blond creative woman who we never stop missing. Stacey came home for the last time as a college student from the Fashion Institute of New York, in Manhattan. In the Norwegian tradition, she received a Viking burial - her cremated remains were nestled amongst pine boughs and flowers set adrift to burn down and sink into the sea. Eventually, our marriage could not handle the stress of the disease and death so we parted but remained parents and friends. “Keep on living until you can live again.”
Chelsea and I moved to Seattle via ferry boat in 1987. I accepted a fellowship at the University of Washington, as Chelsea attended middle school. I married a second time to a good friend, and that lasted four years of travel – Mexico, Java, Bali, Guatemala - then we parted. I used my Special Education Masters to work at a school district. I switched to Public Health, running the same Fed grant funded program I had in Alaska. Concurrently, I started a photography business on a platform of travel, and fine art. It was great fun receiving awards and showing around the world. However, when I placed my awards in front of the bank teller, not so much. So, off to more adventures - to Glacier Bay, Alaska with double kayaks and three friends. We found hotel-size ice bergs, rain, gray, and a huge awareness of brown bears. This became a top-tier wilderness adventure. After that, I signed as “crew” on a 39’ sailboat headed for the Marquesas and Tuamotu Archipelago.
Finally, John, my most recent husband and I, share our love of sailboats and kayaks. We lived on our 47’ Benateau (sailboat) for four years in Seattle, visiting NW ports of interest, and helped a friend take his 47’ Jeanneau (sailboat) from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas on the 2008 “Baja Ha Ha.” My daughter, Chelsea, now 41, lives in the East Bay and is a master mechanic for BMW Berkeley. She loves adventuring and extreme sports (motorcycles and dirt bikes) maybe a “chip off the old block”, so to say.
John and I decided to sell the Benateau and buy waterfront property on Whidbey Island, while maintaining an apartment in the city. Our leisure time is now in France, Mexico, and the United States. My retirement job is at the Seattle Public library and John teaches college, and is writing his doctoral dissertation. We just ordered the last boat (well, maybe) a Zodiac Futura Mark II for zipping around the San Juan Islands.
“All you have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to you.” Gandalf - as in Lord of the Rings. For what is left to all of us – let’s dance!!!! See you in October!
Click on photos to enlarge them
Chris at the helm
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Burgoyne Benateau, our home for four years
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Chelsea and Chris
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Camping on Mount McKinley
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Chris and daughter Stacey (1985)
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This pic does speak to Chris's unbounded adventure in life. Here she is at the Seattle police range this year testing a Sig P228 as carried by the United States Navy SEALs as the M 11.
The George Inlet Lodge which Chris and her parents owned and ran as a guest house fishing resort in 1980 and sold it in 1990.
Heli-Skiing on 40th Birthday
Boxing Practice with her fighting posse
A selfie whilst trying on a new pair of eyeglasses
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Winning the "Adams Cup", State of Alaska
Glacier Bay, Alaska, where Chris made yet another chilling leap into adventure.
Chris at her first fine art opening
She was honored at the Benaroya Hall as an international artist/ first in her category.
Chris, her daughter Stacy and Great Dane Gimlet (Pennsylvania, 1970)
Living in a log cabin
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Comments
OMG! You definitely get the "Adventurer of a Lifetime" award, Chris. Of all the stories submitted thus far, yours is the most incredible. I would never have guessed back in high school that you would end up being so adventurous. The teacher part yes, but a boating enthusiast, no. Pretty narrow-minded of me, huh? I'm so terribly sorry about Stacey. I cannot imagine the pain you suffer. I don't know if I would be as strong. I really envy all the wonderful adventures you've had, but know you really worked hard for them and although you make it sound easy I know you must have had some serious struggles to accomplish all you have. My best to you and your family. I look forward to meeting you (we never really knew each other in school) and hearing more about your wonderful life. BTW, is that a picture of you on that Wheaties box? See you in not too many days.
Jeff Davis
Jeff Davis
I love every minute of your story except for your daughter's tragic death (my heart goes out to you). ... The Benateau looks like the perfect place to live when one loves the sea, and the George Inlet Lodge looks like a good place to visit (am glad that you and your parents ran it for 10 years), but to go to sea on daily cruises and not to fish. Congrats on the art award.
Louis Kraft
Louis Kraft
Hi Chris Van Laar! What a treat to read your life story! Jeff and I can't wait to seek you out at the 50th and talk about the PNW, SJ Islands, Alaska, and boats. We just might have some adventures up there together inour futures (see my story). See you soon -- hope to have a chance to catch up.
Mary Mudd Quinn
Mary Mudd Quinn
WOW! What a life after high school. You have braved the wilds of Alaska in boats and float planes if my memory serves me correctly. Never a dull moment in your life. You have been through many trials and tribulations of life and are stronger today for it.
I think I would vote for you to be the “QUEEN” of Alaska.
Looking forward to seeing you and John at the 50th.
Dick Eyster
I think I would vote for you to be the “QUEEN” of Alaska.
Looking forward to seeing you and John at the 50th.
Dick Eyster
Just so you know (and Pete will back me up on this), I had not read your story and had no idea you might quote Tolkien before I wrote my story. I got quite a kick out of knowing you are a LoTR nut like me. Don’t ask how many times I’ve read the books, “times beyond count” as Bilbo might say. I see that life in the north woods and on the water seems to have suited you quite well. I’m very happy to know it. Of course, my heart breaks for the loss of your daughter, but I’m so glad to read how you've overcome the grief and had such a thrilling life, counting what you have as dear as what you lost. And I was tickled to learn that what we did (or didn’t do) after H.S. was an “adventure”. I had no idea ;-) See you soon. XOXO Kirk
Kirk Lamb
Kirk Lamb