Hometown
Yakutat, Alaska
Voyage(s)
Moananuiākea Voyage – Leg 1: Juneau to Yakutat, Moananuiākea Voyage – Leg 2: Yakutat to Juneau
Bio
BJ Mallott is an Alaska Native commercial fisherman and construction worker born and raised in Yakutat, Alaska. He is the eldest child of PVS board member, Byron Mallott, who in the early 1990s enabled the donation of spruce logs to build the hulls of the voyaging canoe Hawaiʻiloa. PVS and Hōkūleʻa were “so important to my dad, and the values he instilled in us.”
And clearly, Hōkūleʻa has found resonance in Byronʻs son. “Hōkūle’a is magic to me” says BJ, “It brings so much attention and awareness across the world.
BJ provided crucial support for the Moananuiākea Heritage Sail as the pilot on Hōkūleʻaʻs escort boat Kolea. His lifelong experience navigating the waters of Southeast Alaska provided valuable counsel for Hōkūleʻaʻs captains in deciding the best time to depart, what weather and tide conditions to anticipate, and the safest routes. BJ has been on short coastal sails on Hōkūleʻa but this is his first time participating in a voyage. “It’s an honor to be involved,” he says, and would like to see Moananuiākea “uniting the world and bringing light to environmental and social issues.”
Fish provides more than a livelihood for BJ. When asked what he craves most while out at sea, he replies, “fish.” When back to his life on land, he says what he misses most is “the freedom and peace of being on a boat.”
And clearly, Hōkūleʻa has found resonance in Byronʻs son. “Hōkūle’a is magic to me” says BJ, “It brings so much attention and awareness across the world.
BJ provided crucial support for the Moananuiākea Heritage Sail as the pilot on Hōkūleʻaʻs escort boat Kolea. His lifelong experience navigating the waters of Southeast Alaska provided valuable counsel for Hōkūleʻaʻs captains in deciding the best time to depart, what weather and tide conditions to anticipate, and the safest routes. BJ has been on short coastal sails on Hōkūleʻa but this is his first time participating in a voyage. “It’s an honor to be involved,” he says, and would like to see Moananuiākea “uniting the world and bringing light to environmental and social issues.”
Fish provides more than a livelihood for BJ. When asked what he craves most while out at sea, he replies, “fish.” When back to his life on land, he says what he misses most is “the freedom and peace of being on a boat.”