Meet the Crew
Clay Duda
Captain & Owner of the Irish Mist
Clay Duda has been fishing the waters of Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet for nearly a decade now, but if we’re being honest, when he first arrived in Homer he didn’t even know what a halibut was. (*gasp*) After traveling abroad for a stint, Clay and his wife found their way north to Alaska with allures of fishy freedom and the wilds of life on the last frontier. It didn’t take them long to drop anchor and call “Home Sweet Homer” home for good.
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In another life Clay worked as a journalist and photographer for 7 years before moving to Alaska. His words and photos have appeared in publications nationally and earned several awards. In more recent years he’s spent a lot of his free time in the darkroom developing film and making prints the old-fashioned way. His analog photographs have been featured recently at Homer Council on the Arts, South Peninsula Hospital Gallery, and Grace Ridge Brewery.
Finn Raupp-Larson
Co-Captain of The Irish
Finn didn’t accidentally become co-captain of The Irish — he’s been quietly dreaming about it since he was a kid wandering the Homer Spit, growing up in the Finn’s Pizza family and learning early that boats, docks, and long days on the water were just part of life.
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Young, steady, and effortlessly capable, Finn brings fresh energy to the wheel along with a subtle streak of sarcasm that usually shows up at just the right moment. As a true Sagittarius, he’s always chasing the next horizon and happiest when things are moving forward.
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What really sets Finn apart is how much he genuinely loves being out there — the water, the work, the people, and the stories that come with it. He may play it cool, but this is exactly where he wants to be, and it shows in the way he treats every trip like it matters.
And honestly? It does.
Ben Martin
Captain & Owner of the Longshot
Some people join North Country Charters. Ben Martin was born into it like a Disney prince with less singing and more halibut slime.
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As the son of the original owners, Ben grew up on the Homer Spit the way other kids grew up in backyards.​ Ben is known for many things, but his true superpower is fish storytelling. Every tale gets bigger, wilder, and somehow more believable — because Ben tells them with the confidence of someone who has absolutely decided this is what happened.
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He is the keeper of ancient dock lore, the holder of family secrets, and the unofficial historian of “that one time when—” stories. If you stay near him long enough, you will learn at least three new pieces of Spit gossip and one fish fact that may or may not be scientifically possible.
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Ben doesn’t just know North Country Charters history. He is North Country Charters history.
And he’ll happily recount it with a wink, a grin, and at least one fish that gets bigger every time he tells the story.
Jay keller
Captain & Owner of the Tuff Stuff
Welcome aboard the Tuff Stuff, Jay Keller’s 35ft Bertram: a tough, seaworthy fishing vessel captained by a man who is somehow even tougher and more seaworthy.
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Born and raised in Homer, Jay has been fishing these waters since before most tourists learned that Alaska is not, in fact, attached to the lower 48. He’s a lifelong commercial fisherman and charter captain with enough local knowledge to make Google Maps blush.
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Where Jay goes, Little Dog follows: a tiny, adorable creature who looks like it fell out of a celebrity’s handbag but trots around the boat like it’s a Viking warship. Little Dog is the emotional support animal you need and the intimidation factor Jay definitely does not.
Together, this unlikely duo brings the perfect mix of grit, humor, and “I can’t believe this is my captain” energy to your fishing trip. Expect top-tier fishing, sharp-witted commentary, and at least one moment where you realize the small dog is judging you harder than the pirate.
Al Kitner
Captain & Co-Owner of the Beau Soleil
Al blew into Homer in 2018 on some kind of heroic mission to rescue stranded marine mammals — basically Aquaman but with more paperwork. Between USFWS, UAA, the Maritime Refuge, and the Alaska SeaLife Center, she collected biology gigs like Pokémon.
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Then in 2020, like every respectable Homer local who’s ready to “make some real money,” Al committed the ultimate rite of passage: She climbed aboard the Beau Soleil and never emotionally recovered.
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She fell instantly in love with her new identity: Hoodie troll. Grubby-fingered deck rat. Fish-scented cryptid of the dock. The transformation was complete.
She returned every summer like a salmon with questionable judgment and took full command of the boat in 2022 — because of course the goblin queen rose to power.​​ She will unload an avalanche of sea otter facts on you. None of them will be requested. All of them will be intense. You cannot stop her.
Doug Vincent
Captain of the Storm Petrel
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Captain Doug came to Alaska for “one summer of adventure.”
Classic mistake.
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Doug is known for two things:
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A quick-witted sense of humor that keeps guests laughing even when the fish are playing hard to get.
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Only wearing black, as though he’s always either headed to a rock concert or in mourning for the last fish that got away.
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Around the docks, Doug has earned the affectionate title of “our punk rock princess.”
Does he fight this?
No.
He accepts it with the same graceful eye roll he gives anyone who asks if he owns a shirt that isn’t black. (He doesn’t.)
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He’s here for the vibes.
He’s here for the fish.
He’s here for the aesthetic.
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