Working Sailboat Hauls 15,000 lbs of Lumber to Remote Alaska Village

An actual working sailboat in the 21st century.

We loaded our 80-foot steel schooner in Wrangell and hauled about 15,000 pounds of lumber, roofing, and supplies across Southeast Alaska to Port Protection.

Most of this load is for a community boardwalk project, along with materials for cabins and homes. Out here, freight is part of life. Supplies don’t just show up easily, and every load takes planning, timing, and a little figuring it out as you go.

This run meant using the city crane by the minute, balancing weight across the deck, working around rigging, watching the tides, and making the roughly 50-mile run with a full deck.

The Gypsy was designed as a freight-capable sailboat, and this was one of the bigger loads we’ve carried so far. Even with 15,000 pounds on board, she handled it well and ran efficiently all the way over.

In this video you'll see:

-Loading heavy lumber with the city crane in Wrangell
-Balancing thousands of pounds on deck
-Running with the tide through Sumner Strait
-Using a sailboat as a real working freight boat
-Delivering supplies to a remote Alaska community
-Unloading the load by hand in Port Protection

Wrangell to Port Protection, Alaska.
This is real life on the Alaskan Gypsy.⛵️