> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://icefrontiers.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Aleutians - Insurance - Health - URL: https://icefrontiers.com/aleutians-insurance-health/ - Published: 2026-03-15T01:54:21.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T00:53:13.000Z - Description: A possible detour through the Aleutians, an unexpectedly successful LinkedIn post, a tense moment with the insurance underwriter, closing the GenoFAB chapter, and a health check before departure - Author: Jean Peccoud - Tags: Logbook I have been thinking about the best way to keep the Crew (paying subscribers) engaged in the process. Up to this point, I have mostly posted random thoughts — sometimes a little too intimate to share publicly. As we get closer to the departure date and the project begins to take shape, I will try a different approach: sharing the highlights of the week. Some of it may be a little raw, deep in the weeds, but I hope it will give you a sense of what preparing for such a voyage actually involves. ## The Aleutians A while back, I posted an ad looking for a delivery skipper to cross the Pacific with me. I received about fifty applications, but few met my requirements. I wanted someone with experience on long Pacific passages. The distance and weather systems make this very different from crossing the Atlantic. I also needed someone with a valid B1 visa, which paid crew need in order to enter the United States. These visas are typically valid for five or ten years, so professional sailors often obtain one early in their careers and reuse it for multiple jobs. But it was unclear how long it would take new candidates to obtain one, and I did not want immigration issues delaying my departure. Out of roughly fifty applicants, very few met both requirements. Eventually, I identified one strong candidate, Charly (more on him later). Another candidate caught my attention even though she met neither requirement. She sent a thoughtful email about the boat, her interest in eventually owning something similar, and her experience sailing to Antarctica three times from Argentina over the past four years. I told her that the delivery skipper position had already been filled, but that I might be interested in sailing with her in Alaska later in the summer. That would not be a paid position — more of a collaboration around the Ice Frontiers project. She scheduled a call anyway. We had a great conversation. During that call she made an unexpected suggestion: sailing the Aleutians. She spoke about the wildlife and pointed out that people often connect more easily with big animals than with retreating ice. At the same time, I had been exchanging emails with my cousin [Paul Chabre](https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-chabre-6044571b/?ref=icefrontiers.com), who sailed those islands a few years ago (something I had no idea about until recently). He also encouraged me to look into it. So now I find myself entertaining the idea of landing in the westernmost community in the United States, [Adak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adak%5FIsland?ref=icefrontiers.com), and sailing the Aleutian arc back toward mainland Alaska. It would not be an easy sail, but it carries a powerful symbolic value. ## **LinkedIn** On Friday, I published a post on LinkedIn announcing the expedition in connection with my recent article [*My Pursuit of Happiness*](https://icefrontiers.com/my-pursuit-of-happiness/). It was not an easy decision. I worried that it might look like a public admission that I had lost all professional relevance. Posting something so personal on LinkedIn felt surprisingly vulnerable. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. The post received about 3,500 views in the first 24 hours and generated many thoughtful comments. Some people came to the website and subscribed to the newsletter. More importantly, many expressed genuine respect for the project. That encouragement matters more than I expected. It also makes me think that the coaching work I have been considering might actually find an audience. ## **Insurance Surprises** I thought I had the boat insurance under control. I accepted a quote and paid the premium about ten days ago, but I still had not received the policy. After following up with the broker — who nudged the underwriter — I finally received an email saying they wanted to add one warranty to the policy: > *Warranted all surveyor’s recommendations complied with, and all high-priority surveyor’s recommendations complied with, prior to any in-commission.* A warranty is a condition that must be satisfied for coverage to apply. When I read that sentence, it felt like a bomb. The survey report is forty pages long and contains 108 recommendations. Not all of them are critical, but my first reaction was: *There is no way I can do all of that.* I tried negotiating a narrower language, but without success. In the end, I had to accept the clause. The only way to handle this is to systematically review the report, identify each recommendation, and document how it has been addressed or evaluated. If a claim is ever challenged under this warranty, I want to be able to clearly demonstrate that I took the requirement seriously. For now, I am still waiting for the actual policy. ## **Dissolution of GenoFAB** A significant part of the week was spent working with my attorney and accountant to finalize the dissolution of GenoFAB. Shutting down a company in an orderly way is more complicated than starting one. Writing off the money I invested in the company has been psychologically difficult. I feel ashamed. It feels wasteful. I know that is not entirely fair — many ventures fail — but emotionally it is hard to see it any other way. At the same time, I realized that I could not leave for the Pacific while carrying this unfinished chapter with me. I needed to put it to rest. Part of my hesitation about Ice Frontiers probably comes from that experience. Failure leaves a mark. It makes you cautious about starting something new. On the practical side, I may not receive all the tax benefits I had hoped for, but it appears that I will be able to walk away from the SBA loan GenoFAB received during COVID. We will see whether anything changes once payments officially stop. For now, the important thing is closing the book. ## **Healthcheck** Many of the boats I considered buying were put on the market because their owners had to give up their sailing dreams due to health issues. The current owner of the boat I am buying is in that situation, in his late thirties. Over the past few months, I sometimes worried that I might become the next person to buy a boat and then discover a health problem shortly afterward — the kind that forces you to put the boat back on the market weeks later. Part of me even thought: maybe I should not look too closely. Maybe I should just go. But eventually, I did the responsible thing and scheduled a thorough physical. My blood pressure is higher than it used to be — I reluctantly agreed to medication — and I gained more weight over the last six months than I would like to admit. But otherwise, my numbers look excellent, and my CT calcium score is still zero. My doctor gave me a clean bill of health, while making it very clear that he personally had no interest in doing anything like this. Too much work. So now I have reconnected with my scale, my running shoes, and my yoga mat. Getting back into shape before casting off feels like part of the preparation. --- That sums up the week. The voyage still feels far away some days, and very real on others. But little by little, the pieces are falling into place. I have a week left to pack. Next week’s entry will be written from the plane on my way back to New Zealand. --- ## Related Posts [An Immigrant Pursuit of HappinessA prompt from the New York Times made me ask myself: What does the pursuit of happiness really mean?![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/83/df/83df04cc-ccc4-44fa-aa45-4c4e7c599a17/content/images/icon/ice-frontiers-logo-60x60-14.png)Ice FrontiersJean Peccoud![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/83/df/83df04cc-ccc4-44fa-aa45-4c4e7c599a17/content/images/thumbnail/scenic-view-from-the-water-of-a-village-on-the-island-of-atka-in-the-aleutian-islands-1536x1042.jpg)](https://icefrontiers.com/my-pursuit-of-happiness/) ## See also [Welcome to Adak, AlaskaAdak, Alaska is located at the western end of the Aleutian Islands and features a rich history, abundant recreation, and stunning landscapes.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/83/df/83df04cc-ccc4-44fa-aa45-4c4e7c599a17/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon.png)Aleut Ventures![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/83/df/83df04cc-ccc4-44fa-aa45-4c4e7c599a17/content/images/thumbnail/Alaska-Adak-and-Anchorage-Call-Out.png)](https://aleutventures.com/blog/welcome-to-adak-alaska/?ref=icefrontiers.com)