Banner photo: Boats in the harbor near downtown Ketchikan.
In October, Spruce Root followed up with Jack Finnegan of Fishability, one of the twelve Path to Prosperity finalists for the 2021 competition cycle, to learn more about his experience in September’s Boot Camp workshop.
Fishability will offer on-the-water excursions to people with disabilities, and their families, friends, or care providers aboard a custom-built vessel designed with universal access in mind, with an enthusiastic, compassionate, friendly captain at the helm, who is both trained and experienced in working with individuals of all ages with a wide range of disabilities.
Fishability is founded on the notion of providing respect along with the opportunity to experience the distinct thrills, joys, and beauty that are unique to the waterways of Ketchikan.
Tell me a little bit about your background. How did you come up with the idea for Fishability?
I’ve spent about 10 years in various capacities working with individuals with disabilities in different roles, and I’ve been running charter fishing trips for an established outfit here in Ketchikan for the last half dozen years or so.
I became aware pretty quickly that we’re not able to accommodate all prospective clients with disabilities. None of our boats are universally accessible. I don’t mean that as a blow against my employer, it’s just not the nature of the clientele base that they’re drawing from. That got me wondering.
If I had a boat that was universally accessible, a whole swath of visitors to this place, whether they’re off cruise ships or visiting family members or live here in town, would be able to take advantage of some of the amazing experiences that can only be had on the water: fishing, harbor tours, getting to cabins that are in inlets off the road system and so on. You can see whales from the shoreline, but it’s not the same as being out there with them.
[Fishability] was just sort of a nugget of an idea that I bandied about in my brain for a couple of weeks and talked to friends about. Folks said it sounded like a good idea, but I didn’t really know how to do anything with it. It didn’t really strike me as something worth giving deeper consideration until I heard about the Path to Prosperity program. I was like, you know if there was ever an opportunity for me to figure out if this might be feasible, this might be the way.
How did you hear about P2P and why did you decide to apply for the 2021 competition cycle?
I was running errands back in the spring, and I heard a radio ad for the Path to Prosperity program about a week before the deadline for that first round. In hearing about the competition, I was motivated to think a little more clearly and realistically about what might be involved and whether it was feasible and whether I was the right person for the undertaking.
With a pandemic on our hands, I didn’t have a whole lot going on at the time, so I was able to really buckle down and spend a few days plotting out what this business would look like. I submitted my application for round one of the Path to Prosperity Competition, and I was amazed and delighted when I was informed that I had been selected as one of the finalists.
What were your biggest takeaways from Boot Camp? Did you learn anything that surprised you?
I loved the variety of minds that were brought to the table. Mentor Speed Dating was daunting, but at the same time it was hugely beneficial. By the time I met with the third mentor, I felt like I was really getting my legs underneath me, and I was having a lot easier time communicating the vital information after first stumbling through trying to explain what I’m doing, why and who I am. It was beneficial to me to narrow down what’s important about what it is I’m trying to say.
Did Boot Camp change your understanding/perspective on regenerative tourism? If so, how?
[Before Boot Camp], I was skeptical that I might be able to meet that mark. I wasn’t sure how putting another boat [on the water] and creating more exhaust could in any way, shape or form be regenerative. I have since come to understand that there are so many ways that I can contribute, even as a small single boat operation, with respect to how we treat our planet and its resources and how I can serve or better my community.
Having been through the program now, I am much more confident, even excited, about the possibilities I have for participating in regenerative tourism. That’s something that I think any operation can be constantly refining and working on, but it’s nice to know that I’ll have that in mind coming out of the gate.
How will you incorporate these insights into your business plan for round 2 submissions?
Some of the practical measures I can take [would be using] antifouling paint on the vessel itself, not topping off the tank when I’m fueling up at the end of the day, and always having oil absorbing diapers on board.
I love the notion of contributing some portion of my profits toward an organization that is tending to massive kelp forests and seagrass forests, which are incredible carbon sinks. I want to know that I’m countering some of the CO2 emissions created just by virtue of operations.
In terms of my community itself, there are a number of nonprofits here, like Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL), Women in Safe Homes (WISH), and Residential Youth Care (RYC), that I think would benefit from the use of a [universally accessible] vessel like the one I have in mind. Anything I can do in a partnership structure with [these organizations] to give my neighbors here in Ketchikan who might not otherwise have the opportunity to get out on the water is absolutely something I’m dedicated to doing.
What makes a boat universally accessible?
A universally accessible vessel would be fully ADA compliant. It has to be able to accommodate electric wheelchairs, which tend to be wider and heavier [than folding wheelchairs], and be able to securely lock that wheelchair in place for safety while underway.
The boat that I have in mind would be able to accommodate electric wheelchairs using a double wide door at the side of the vessel and a bow loader. So for example, if I’m taking folks out to a beach, we can just pull right up to the shoreline, drop the bow down, and [guests] can wheel down off the front of the boat.
[For Fishability], the idea is not to limit myself to accommodating individuals with limited mobility. There are multiple forms of disability, and not all of them are visible. Anyone with any form of disability would be so welcomed. I want that to become part of the business model, that it’s an accepting, tolerant, welcoming place.
What is your vision for the future of tourism in your community? What would an accessible tourism industry in your community look like?
I would love to have more competition. To the best of my knowledge, there is one boat in town providing tours on the water that is universally accessible. [For Fishability], I’m talking about having a boat custom built for this very purpose. I would love for people to recognize that there is a genuine market. There are a number of people who don’t even think about getting out on the water because the barriers [are] ever present.
If I were to get this operation up and running and see steady business with it, I hope it would make other operators aware of the opportunities they have to get other people who might have limited mobility or other disabilities out on the water.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I think I’ve expressed just how astonished I’ve been and how grateful I am for the sheer volume of information and access to that information that Spruce Root has provided. I’m just so grateful to be part of this whole program.
Even if I am not the recipient of one of the [$25,000] awards, I will be so excited for whoever wins. I want each and every one of the other finalists in this program to succeed. I don’t feel like they’re my competitors; I feel like they’re allies. I think that has as much to do with Spruce Root and [Boot Camp’s] spirit of entrepreneurship and camaraderie as it does with the finalists themselves. I feel like we are in this whole thing together.
