The father of the future Arctic explorer had a long and successful career as a seaman. He started out as a shipboy on fishing vessels and went on to become a captain. It was hardly a surprise that his son Alexander was also drawn to sea. After graduating from a two-year parish school in Kusherek, he decided to enroll in the Onega Town School. In the autumn, Alexander walked along a muddy road to Onega which was located 63 versts (almost 67 kilometers) away from his native village.

During his studies, Alexander Kuchin often turned to two books that have been preserved. These are “Fridtjof Nansen and His Expeditions to Greenland and the North Pole” by Alexandra Nikitichna Annenskaya, and “Boosting the Immune System as a Means of Education” by Valentin Vladislavovich Gorinevsky, Doctor of Medicine.

In the winter, Alexander Kuchin studied, and in the summer, he worked on fishing and hunting boats. Before turning 15, he had already visited the Murman Coast and the White and Barents seas. After Alexander graduated from school in 1903, his father sent him to Norway to improve his Norwegian language skills. At that time, Norway was the main trading partner of the Pomors from Arkhangelsk.