Sailing through Haida Gwaii & Gwaii Haanas National Park

We’ll begin our Gwaii Haanas expedition when we pick you up at your accommodation in Sandspit. You will be transported by passenger van to Moresby Camp, where you’ll join up with the ship and the crew prior to setting sail for the ancient village of K’uuna Llnagaay (Skedans). There, Haida Watchmen will guide us through the cultural history of this ancient Haida village and introduce us to the mortuary and memorial poles. We’ll continue our voyage south to the village of Taanuu Llnagaay (Tanu) and tour the remaining house depressions from this once-bustling community that was a gathering place for many villages.

As we work our way south, we hope to sail a few miles from shore into the pelagic zone for a chance to view marine wildlife, such as pelagic seabirds, sharks, giant ocean sunfish, Pacific white-sided dolphins, and humpback whales. Another highlight of Gwaii Haanas is the incredible marine biodiversity of the world-famous Burnaby Narrows. Using our kayaks and inflatable skiff, we’ll follow one of our crew in snorkeling gear and check out giant predatory sunflower stars, multicolored bat stars, massive moon snails, decorator crabs, and nudibranchs (sea slugs).

Weather permitting, we’ll visit Cape St. James at the southernmost extremity of the Haida Gwaii archipelago. With ocean currents meeting from the east and west, this area is alive with marine life, including tufted and horned puffins, sea lions, and killer whales on the hunt for their next meal.

We’ll visit the World UNESCO Heritage Site of SGang Gwaay, the jewel of Gwaii Haanas. Here we’ll walk through the ancient village site amongst remains of massive longhouses, and a stunning grove of standing mortuary and memorial poles. We’ll also explore the beaches, tide pools, and spectacular vistas of the Gordon Islands. Our days will be spent exploring moss-laden coastal rainforests, intricate river estuaries, intertidal zones, and coastal bog ecosystems. We’ll discover the remnants of wooden-stake fish traps dating from more than a thousand years ago, and contemplate the interconnectedness of salmon, bears, coastal rainforests, and people.

We’ll continue on to Hlk’yah GaawGa (Windy Bay), where we’ll walk through the old-growth forest of massive cedar and spruce trees that ultimately led to the creation of Gwaii Haanas. The Haida Watchman here will share with us the story of Gwaii Haanas as told by the Legacy Pole. We cap off our day by enjoying a late afternoon sail before dinner. Make sure to keep a sharp lookout for the mammal-eating killer whales that frequent this area. This evening, our last night aboard, we’ll share our highlights and reflect on all that we’ve experienced and learned over the past week. On our final day, we’ll say farewell and enjoy another short floatplane ride back to Queen Charlotte, where our expedition officially comes to an end.

Accommodations are aboard a 70' schooner designed by William James Roué, famous for designing the legendary schooner Bluenose. Built in Victoria, BC, in 1974, this vessel has a rich history on the BC coast, renowned for her elegant design, exceptional accommodation, robust construction, and remarkable sailing abilities.

The ship is a Transport Canada certified passenger vessel and meets the highest standards of safety and construction. She is fully equipped with modern safety and navigation equipment including radar, GPS, VHF radios, EPIRB, and digital chart plotter and satellite telephone. Among her many features are four private staterooms, gorgeous main salon, traditional wheelhouse, generous deck space, and exceptional sailing abilities.

The main salon is her centerpiece below deck. Two large settees provide spacious seating for reading or socializing around her luxurious dining table. The surrounding shelves are the home to the extensive cultural and natural history, marine science, and maritime libraries. Finally, a cast iron oil-burning heater radiates an embracing warmth throughout the entire vessel.

Guest accommodation is in four private staterooms. The three forward staterooms each have two spacious single berths complete with fluffy duvets and wool blankets, a private vanity with sink, mirror, and hot and cold running water, a skylight or deck prism, brass reading lamps, and drawers and a hanging locker for personal effects. The aft stateroom is accessed from the wheelhouse and boasts a large skylight, two double berths, private vanity with hot and cold water, and a small head (marine toilet). The spacious head and shower are accessed from the main salon.

All meals aboard the ship are included. The food philosophy holds that the cultivation, distribution, preparation, and appreciation of the food you eat are critical to your individual and cultural well-being. Whenever possible, your host's source and serve foods that are sustainably, locally, and organically grown, produced, raised, or caught in BC.

They provide a diversity of foods prepared by culinary experts, ranging from homemade granola, to fresh greens, to sustainably caught wild salmon and halibut, while accommodating guests’ dietary preferences and restrictions. The chefs and crew take great pride in preparing and serving guests delicious meals that are healthy, plentiful, and beautiful, and immersed in the ecosystems and cultural traditions of coastal BC.

A $500/person floatplane surcharge will be added to all Gwaii Haanas expeditions for our fly-in/fly-out scenic De Havilland Beaver floatplane portion of the expedition.

Philosophy & Environmental Practices

These small-ship expeditions provide extraordinary and intimate opportunities for being immersed in the ancient cultures and stunning wildlife of Canada’s Pacific Coast. Your hosts have a mission of contributing to the conservation and well-being of the ecosystems, cultures, and communities of coastal British Columbia. They believe that helping guests experience first-hand and understand some of the most spectacular wildlife and ecosystems on the planet is key to their protection and preservation.

At the heart of this business is a desire to reduce the footprint on the planet. As such, your hosts integrate responsible ecotourism practices into the daily activities. The source and serve foods that are locally and sustainably grown, produced, raised or caught. They design itineraries that allow you to spend more time sailing in order to reduce fuel consumption. The onboard recycling and composting programs help to divert waste from landfills. The promotional materials and transactions are mainly done over the Internet, and when necessary they use 100% recycled post-consumer paper, saving trees, water, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy.

In each of the communities and cultures they visit, they partner with local people. They have protocol agreements with First Nations whose territories you visit and hire local guides and businesses. They partner with parks, conservation areas, and governments and obtain permits for all limited-use areas they visit.