Sanctuary Cruises - Your Captains: Heidi and Steph

Sanctuary Cruises was created by Steph Dutton and Heidi Tiura because of their great love for marine life and introducing people to the wonders of the sea. Biographies for Steph and Heidi read like a rollicking high seas adventure novel. From the age of 22, Heidi started, owned, ran and sold numerous retail businesses, selling everything from custom-designed T-shirts to great coffee to windsurfers. She operated her own small boat towing service before working her way up to large offshore tugboats. Steph has worked as a teacher, cement finisher, paramedic, police officer and a private investigator. In each endeavor, he did well, but always there was that wanderlust, the need to move on. Or, as he has occasionally mused, "Maybe I just can't han Captain Steph Dutton in Monterey, CA g onto a job."

A leg amputee, Steph discovered sea kayaking and found in paddling the sense of grace he felt he'd lost on land. He paddled from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico in the summer and early fall of 1993. Called "BC to BC/'93," the expedition was intended to encourage people with both real and perceived disabilities not to give in to them. This expedition changed his life and set him on a path that would connect with Heidi's not long after.

As a kid, Heidi used to ride her donkey onto the headlands of Northern California on moonless nights. She would stare out over the dark sea and feel it calling to her, but it was many years later before she answered by making her way through the maritime industry. She served on gigantic sea-going tugs throughout Alaska, Washington and Oregon, as well as working on tugs on the Columbia River. When she received her Coast Guard master's license, Heidi took stock. She loved the tugs, but knew this wasn't her life's work. It was time to move on, which is always difficult. At this very moment in her tumultuous life, Heidi read about a man paddling the Pacific, hoping to give others a message about hopes and dreams and determination. She said to herself, "I want this man in my life."

It wasn't until Heidi went to Sitka, Alaska in 1994 to start the Sitka Sea Kayak Adventure that they met. She'd forgotten the name of the man she'd read about, and she had never seen his face. But when Steph Dutton arrived at the airport in Sitka to train Heidi's crew, she looked into his eyes. They were the color of storm surf; there was deep passion and great intelligence. Most of all, in Steph's eyes, Heidi found her match. They've been together ever since.

"In the Path of Giants," their project for the gray whales, has been the subject of many articles, books Captain Heidi Tiura/Monterey Bay, CA and television pieces. The most definitve treatment can be found in "Eye of the Whale," an epic volume by author Dick Russell and published by Simon & Schuster. Go to www.dickrussell.org and check out Chapter 10: Orcas and Grays Along the Shores of Monterey for a sampling of this interesting and sometimes heart-wrenching tale.

Many of the articles about Steph and Heidi's fight for the whales can be found on the Conservation links.

In the spring of 1999, Steph decided to get his master's lic Heidi Tiura and Steph Dutton/Sitka, AK ense as well. It was a very good move. The day after receiving his license, Steph and Heidi were working as captains running whale watching trips. They found their knowledge and skills were ideal for leading whale watching and nature cruises. Their enthusiasm was infectious; their devotion to their passengers boundless. Sanctuary Cruises was the natural progression for them and Moss Landing was the perfect port.

In 2005, the pair faced a new challenge when Heidi was diagnosed with breast cancer. They approached it with their usual head-on approach and learned some interesting things along the way. If you, a friend, or a relative is facing this insidious adversary, read this four part series Heidi wrote for the Salinas Californian.

In addition to owning and operating Sanctuary Cruises, Steph and Heidi have the Trinity River Adventure Inn. Located farther north in California, it features cabins on the beautiful Trinity River. A fabled river for steelhead, the Trinity is also great fun to kayak and raft. Steph and Heidi teach paddling to their guests--and even their dogs--and lead guided trips on the river and nearby lakes.

The common thread running through their lives is water, nature and fighting to protect what they love. Oh yeah, and motorcycles.