Gregg and Deb Burton moved to Alaska in 1995, where Deb accepted a job at Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation and Gregg at the City of Dillingham. In 2011, they retired from their respective jobs and purchased an old sailboat in Washington State. After spending some time preparing, they sailed out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to realize Gregg’s lifelong dream of sailing around the world.

They sailed the coast of California to San Diego and beyond. During the holiday season the following year, they found themselves hiking and swimming with Dillingham friends on the islands near La Paz in Baja California, Mexico. In the following months, they sailed from harbor to harbor along the 1,500-mile Pacific coast of Mexico while struggling to learn the language. On an offshore passage from Mexico to Costa Rica, a fierce summer squall rocked their boat and partially filled the cabin with water. Deb stated she would not soon forget the long hours in the dark, scooping out buckets of seawater and wondering if she would live to see dawn.

Deb and Gregg left their boat for a brief stop in Ecuador, then made their way down to Peru, where they toured the Peruvian Andes and admired the remains of the Inca Empire. The pair spent three days traveling the Maranon and Amazon rivers on a cargo boat that eventually brought them to the city of Iquitos, Peru where they spent a week in a jungle camp. Next, they traveled to the Galapagos, hiking over old lava beds and spending time with ancient tortoises and abundant iguanas. A stop in French Polynesia, staying at a self-sufficient “homestead” where three generations of a single-family harvest from the land and sea. Eventually the two landed in New Zealand where they relaxed in the calm waters of Minerva Reef.

The Burton’s plans for the future include sailing from Tonga to Samoa and Fiji over the coming years, and to continue sailing westward as long as health and spirit allow.

If you would like to learn more about how your State of Alaska retirement can allow you to enjoy a comfortable retirement, please contact the Division toll-free at (800) 821-2251 or at (907) 465-4460 in Juneau.

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