M/V Dreamcatcher Crew

About the Skippers

The skippers are members of the Hulse family and share a deep commitment as owners of their company. There are parts of Alaska that can be accessed only by vessel; their love of that "special Alaska drives them to deliver the experience of a lifetime for their clients. Their 30 plus years of experience commercial fishing and marine research work gave them not only knowledge of the marine environment, but also the ability to operate and fix anything on their vessels from the keel up. In addition, Rob and Scott both hold USCG Master Licenses and are certified divers. Rob as a USCG certified instructor for the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association, teaches marine safety, survival, and vessel drills to Alaskan mariners and school children.

Rob Hulse

Rob's love affair with Alaska began in 1966 when, at age 8, his family moved to Alaska. He grew up hiking, hunting, fishing, and navigating Alaska's wild rivers. His early experience long lining for halibut fostered a love for the Alaskan marine environment and gave him a taste for commercial fishing. Since 1979 he has been actively involved in commercial fishing. By the age of 20 he was serving as guide for clients from around the world on 14-day Alaska Wilderness River Trips on such remote rivers as the Kobuk above the Arctic Circle.

During his teaching years, Rob was nominated for the BP Teacher of Excellence Award, Disney Teacher of the Year Award, and received the Golden Apple Award from his local community. As an educator, Rob ran marine outdoor camps and science trips to Florida and Hawaii. For 20 years, he co-coordinated down hill ski treks for students along with 33 years of coaching hockey. His competitive hockey teams participated at USA Hockey's National Tournament, along with tournaments and games though out the United States, Canada, Germany, Holland, France, and Belgium. In 2006 he was named the Region IV Coach of the year. He was the Head Coach of Team Alaska at the Arctic Winter Games three times. In 2006 he was named the Region IV Coach of the year.

Today, he devotes himself to his passion for Alaska waterways as a fulltime Skipper and Naturalist, titles his background certainly qualifies him for. He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Star, for 30 years. His two daughters grew up on the family vessels and still spend time on them as time allows.

Scott Hulse

Like his brother, Scott embraced Alaska at an early age, developing a love of fishing, hunting, skiing, snow machining, and rafting. At an early age he discovered a unique talent-catching fish when no one else could get a nibble. During high school he often accompanied his brother as oarsmen on raft expeditions across the state. Scott dabbled in photography early in his career, but once he stepped foot on the family's first boat, marine adventure became his life. He has engaged in crabbing, shrimping, halibut, and scallop fishing throughout Alaska.

Scott's love of boats led him to co-found Sea-State 1, building commercial vessels and pleasure boats for use in Alaskan waters. His practical experience had taught him what would and would not work in Alaska's harsh marine environment. Though he has stepped away from the business due to the demands of his family's two vessels, he still consults on various projects.

He began fishing in the Alaskan winter months, which led to the family business of Alaskan Weather Vane Scallops. Scott and his wife Karen have five children, all of whom are active in sports. Karen helps out with the charter office work as time allows and his four sons and daughter have helped work and maintain the family’s vessels. Scott has also been a Coach of Team Alaska at the Arctic Winter Games, taken youth teams to state championships, winning two, and founding the Alaska Glacier Bears Hockey Association.

The Crew

Star Hulse

Star, Rob's better half, began her marine career when the family purchased their first vessel in 79'. Before the first salmon season was over she was working the deck, picking fish, and lacing on the coverings of 150 shrimp pots for the upcoming season. By the second season she was at the helm, while her husband worked the deck running dungeness crab and shrimp pots.  It took two daughters finally to reduce her time on the vessel. Having now retired from 29 years of teaching, she has again joined the crew of Dream Catcher, bringing her years of experience to bear during each charter. Star wears various hats on board, such as being our photographer, leading beach walks, and helping with kayaking.

Dick Sturdevant

Dick began working with the Hulse family in 2004 fishing for scallops. During that first season, his work ethic, cheerful attitude, and personable nature so impressed the family that they enticed him to stay. Four years later, all hope he will remain with them for many more years to come. Dick has fished from the Gulf of Alaska to Dutch Harbor and has an abundance of knowledge to share. As a licensed Coast Guard Skipper, he shares duties on board with the Hulse brothers. He even worked alongside Rob and Scott as they remodeled Dream Catcher for her new life-taking visitors to remote areas of the state.

Trisha Hulse

Trisha grew up on boats, sometimes by choice and other times because her father gave her no choice! By the time she was 4, she was in rolled up Helly Hanson rain gear, elbow-deep in octopus, helping bait commercial halibut hooks. As soon as she could pull the starter cord on an outboard motor, she was driving skiffs.

White water rafting was a part of her life by age 6, and she is now an accomplished oarsman. By age 10 Trisha was hunting along side her father, fishing, cleaning fish, and giving the boys a run for their money in any outdoor activity. At a young age, Trisha developed a love for downhill and cross-country skiing, hockey, and hiking. Throughout her teenage years she worked at fishing on the family boats and assisted with the mechanical work on board.

During college, she left the state to pursue a degree in Art while playing D1 Ice Hockey, until an injury sidelined her. In college she began Sea Kayaking.

Though she now has two daughters of her own, she still plans to join us as a crewman on Dream Catcher when time allows. She will be teaching kayaking, leading kayak tours, and guiding voyagers on hikes during trips.

Katie Hulse

Katie like her sister was pressed into marine life at a tender age. Not that she fought it; she just accepted it as a way of life. Katie loves the outdoors activities Alaska has to offer. She likes white water rafting, hiking, skiing, hunting, and fishing. Due to her many shipwright skills, whenever possible, she assists her father with vessel maintenance projects.

After earning her Education & Art Degree, she teaches at Eagle River High School, working with at risk students and coaching volleyball. Even with a family, Katie plans to be on board as time allows. She helps with kayaking and hiking to create a spectacular Alaska adventure for our guests.

Chef Karen Ferguson

Karen’s love of life is matched only by her love of cooking. Her smile is infectious on board and will brighten any over cast day. A life style that has seen her live around the world broadened her culinary skills to embrace the foods of many cultures.

The only problem with her main entrees is controlling the amount eaten so there is room for the deserts. Her tastefully whipped up creations keep her crew and guests eagerly awaiting the next meal.

As a lifetime military wife she has lived all over the world with her husband Furgie. They put some deep roots down in Alaska while stationed there, and becoming close friends of the Hulse family She has one daughter who has settled down in Alaska and another who is stationed in Germany. Though she will be living in Korea for the next two years her summers will be spent on Dream Catcher.

The Office Staff

The Admiral

More than 40 years after moving his family to Alaska, Max Hulse is still active in the family business. He runs the office end of the Charter and Fishing operation and runs the family seafood business, Wayward Sea Food, LLC. In his spare time, he loves to hunt in the wilderness and travel throughout the United States with Esther.

The Vice Admiral

With a Masters Degree in Library Science, Esther Hulse worked for the Anchorage School District until her retirement. Now she does the bookkeeping for the fishing business and does her best to keep the family on the right tack. Without her management skills, the men of the family would be fast aground, for they never like to step off the boats or leave the fishing grounds to tend to the office work.

Location

Alaskan Dream Ventures is based out of the quaint fishing community of Homer Alaska. The town of Homer, situated on the shore of Kachemak Bay in southern Alaska, is famous for its pristine setting and majestic views of glaciers and mountain ranges. Eagles flock there during the winter and congregate on the beach, while fishermen converge at the local watering hole.

Early Years of the Business

Max Hulse moved to Alaska, attracted by his love of hunting and fishing. In the summer of 1966, he hooked up an Airstream Travel Trailer to his International 4WD Travelall, tied on the canoe, then loaded up the family to leave the lower states behind. His wife, Esther, served as co-pilot on the Alaskan Highway, which in those days was 900 miles of dust, chipped windows, and the longest free roller coaster ride on the North American Continent.

Max worked as a principal for the Anchorage School District and used his summers to pursue everything the Alaska wilderness had to offer. A decade later, he had put his hand to almost every outdoor job except commercial fishing. So with a 14’ skiff, he and his son Rob started fishing for halibut in lower Cook Inlet. Within a few years, they purchased their first boat, a 47’ Sun Fjord. Soon, Max’s younger son Scott joined the business.

Commercial Fishing

For more than three decades, they have seined and gillnetted for salmon, long lined for halibut, sought out dungeness, king, and tanner crab, and fished for shrimp and scallops. With their current 79’ fishing vessel, “Wayward Wind,” they harvest Pacific Weathervane Scallops.

Research Expeditions

During the early 90’s, they outfitted a Research Vessel named “La Brisa” and added a commercial charters business venture. They engaged with companies like NOAA, Conoco/Phillips, National Forest Service, BP, NGA, University of Alaska, TerraSound, International Telecom, Western Geophysical, and others.

During those years, the “La Brisa” cruised the Gulf of Alaska, the North Gulf Coast, Prince William Sound, Kodiak Island, the Aleutian Chain to Dutch Harbor, and the Bering Sea. Their work in the Beaufort Sea included jobs from the Mackenzie River Delta in Canadian Arctic waters all the way to the Arctic Ice Pack.

Adventure Charters

Having remained a family business all of those years, the Hulse family enjoyed the marine research work and commercial fishing. But as the seasons passed, they wished to slow the pace and just enjoy lingering in the remote Alaskan areas where they worked.

The result was Alaskan Dream Ventures. They still do research charters and have an active commercial fishing business, but now they are able to share the adventure by taking visitors to the places they love. This venture also enables the Hulse family to fulfill their own dream: just enjoying all that the Alaska marine environment has to offer.

The M/V Dreamcatcher
PHOTO: Click on image to enlarge

Visitors to the incredible state of Alaska can have the trip of their lifetime aboard our 85’ vessel, the “Dream Catcher.” Our years of commercial fishing and chartering have taken us to locations that few ever see and most can only dream about. Join us now on the “Dream Catcher” to explore beyond the horizon and catch your own dream.