Natural wonders abound in Haida Gwaii

Five years ago, my editor at the time sent me an email: would I like to go on a sailing cruise to Haida Gwaii? I’d lived in British Columbia for more than a decade at that time, but I’d only heard of Haida Gwaii in passing. I’d never heard of the company running the trip. I’d never heard of the ship before. And that piqued my interest. So, I said yes.

On one August day in 2014, I flew from Vancouver to Sandspit. It’s a two-hour marathon on a Dash-8-300 that was followed by an hour-long (albeit very scenic) journey by float plane to reach the ship at its anchorage. It came at a time when my personal life was largely falling apart.

I couldn’t tell whether boarding this ship beyond the reach of a cellular signal was a good thing or not. The float plane touched down, and there was Outer Shores Expeditions’ Passing Cloud (outershores.ca). A gorgeous 70-foot-long (21-metre) schooner designed by William James Roué (of Bluenose fame), I fell madly in love with the Passing Cloud. It’s white-and-grey-accented hull gleams as if new, thanks to the time and care from founder Russell Markel and his entire team. On board, brightwork and polished woods are everywhere. The cosy lounge — possibly my favourite space at sea — is lined with books on British Columbia’s natural and Indigenous history. Cosy cabins with nautical bunks and brass reading lamps and high-end, eco-friendly toiletries are wonderfully inviting. Meals — gourmet in quality, prepared by a roster of talented on-board chefs using local ingredients wherever possible — are taken outdoors on the fantail, or inside the beautiful main lounge. Whenever you’re not on board Passing Cloud, you’re heading ashore to some of the most remote places in the province. Coastal exploration by Zodiac-style rafts gives way to impromptu trips to local hot springs, hikes through the wilderness, shoreline strolls and other amazing diversions.

I have had an immense amount of joy watching Outer Shores grow over the years. From the fledgling company that was simply trying to fill its ship and provide a quality experience, it has grown into a company that almost needs a second ship to keep up with demand. Passing Cloud is nearly filled ( but not quite — have a look!) for this year. The 2020 schedule was just released a few weeks ago, and it reads like an adventurer’s wish-list. Come April of next year, Outer Shores will kick off a series of five-day voyages from Ucluelet to Pacific Rim National Park. It then sends Passing Cloud over to the Great Bear Rainforest; a special destination if there ever was one. Then, it’s off to Haida Gwaii for the summer, complete with that scenic float plane flight from Sandspit. Finally, 2020 closes out with a November trip to the Gulf Islands — incredibly, it’s already sold out. The Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii form the ultimate backbone of the Outer Shores calendar; moving destinations that will forever change the way you see our natural world. My fourth trip aboard Passing Cloud sets sail this month. No matter where it goes, I’ll emerge a better person because of it. Happy cruising.