North America, Western Canada

Vancouver Island’s Inside Passage - An Odyssey Through Time & Nature

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Cruise the East Coast of Vancouver Island on a Boutique, Classic Ship

An amazing journey through the wild island archipelagos on Vancouver Island’s east coast. Highlights of Desolation Sound, Discovery Islands, and the Broughton Archipelago, including wildflowers, beaches, waterfalls, seabirds, marine mammals, rainforests, and exploring.

Some departures may have slightly modified itineraries. Please confirm the itinerary with an Expedition Specialist.

Highlights

• Nature’s Spectacle
Seabirds, seals, orcas, humpback whales and bears call this region home.

• Diverse Ecosystems
From the warm islands to the steep-sloped rainforest of the Broughton Archipelago.

• Explore Ashore
Navigate the inside passage of Vancouver Island, and step onto secret coves.

• Heritage Tugboat
As a guest, you’re welcome to join us in the wheelhouse and learn how the crew makes navigation decisions.

Days 1-3 Welcome Aboard!

Day 1: Forest hike to panoramic view. Visit to beaches, historic farmsteads and wildlife islets (seabirds, sea lions).

Day 2: Cruising Georgia Strait, explore ashore in the Discover Islands beaches and wildlife viewing

Day 3: Seymour Narrows, historic Ripple Rock, porpoises, rainforest shore excursion, Port Neville. Johnstone Straight and the steep-sided islands of the Broughton Archipelago.

Days 4-6 Alert Bay

Day 4: Coastal villages, Alert Bay’s U’mista cultural centre, marine mammals.

Day 5: Intertidal exploration ashore—the wondrous world of creatures that live where the tide comes in and out.

Day 6: Cruise to next anchorage and watch for killer whales and porpoises.

Days 7-8 Broughton Archipelago

Day 7: Broughton Archipelago, visit with researchers, visit to historic boardwalk village Telegraph Cove. Celebration dinner.

Day 8: Cruise to port, watching for whales.

Please note:

Itineraries are subject to change.

03 May, 2027 to 10 May, 2027
Maple Leaf

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Cabin

$5,250 CAD pp

Semi-Private Sleeping Areas The spacious main cabin is airy and divided by half-walls and heavy curtains into four berths, providing sleeping accommodations for eight guests. Each area contains large comfortable beds (six and a half feet long), space for your belongings, brass reading lamps, fluffy duvets and blankets. They have walls on two-and-a-half sides and thick, heavy curtains on the other one-and-a-half sides. There are three heads (washrooms) aboard, all with hot running water and shower conversions. If you are a solo traveller, you will be sharing one of the quarter berths with a same-sex solo traveller or you will be placed in our comfortable wheelhouse accommodations. Or, depending on the make-up of guests, our wheelhouse lounge seats convert into comfortable beds.

04 May, 2027 to 11 May, 2027
Swell

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Cabins - Category 1

$6,130 CAD pp

Smallest Cabin Red Alder features an outside door with opening portholes and a private ensuite head with a separate washbasin area. The cabin also receives natural light through a skylight and sleeps two on up and down small, extra-long single beds (79.5″ x 30″). Storage options include a tall cupboard with shelves, a small under-sink cupboard, and storage space under the bed. Red Alder occupies 57 sq. ft.

Cabin - Category 2, Option 1

$6,850 CAD pp

Mid-sized Cabins Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock are located on the top deck. These cabins offer 80 square feet of space and feature a double bed with an angled foot. Cabins feature an outside door with opening portholes and a private ensuite. Cabins provide under bed storage designed to maximize comfort and convenience.

Cabin - Category 2, Option 2

$6,850 CAD pp

Mid-Sized Cabins Arbutus is located on the main deck. This cabin offers 80 square feet of space and features two large up and down bunks. It includes a small desk and an en-suite bathroom. Storage options include a tall cupboard with shelves, a small under-sink cupboard, and storage space under the bed, a practical and comfortable option for guests.

Cabin - Category 3

$7,060 CAD pp

Largest Cabins Cedar and Douglas Fir, feature outside doors with opening portholes, large private 3-piece ensuite heads, natural light, and small boat queen-sized beds. Cedar has walls on three sides of the bed, while Douglas Fir has walls on two sides. Both cabins offer storage options and occupy 120 sq. ft.

Maple Leaf

Vessel Type: Schooner

Length: 92f / 28m

Passenger Capacity: 8

Maple Leaf is a 92-foot wooden schooner built in 1904, designed for intimate coastal exploration with a maximum of eight guests. She offers a deeply personal, human-scale experience that prioritises direct engagement with the natural world, accessing remote coastlines, rivers and anchorages unreachable by larger ships. Accommodation is simple but warm: four semi-private sleeping areas, shared washrooms, and communal spaces centred on conversation, observation and shared meals prepared onboard. Stability under sail, long range, and a highly experienced crew make her exceptionally capable despite her modest size.

Constructed from Douglas fir, yellow cedar and mahogany, Maple Leaf blends working-vessel toughness with Edwardian craftsmanship and modern functionality. Life on board revolves around open decks, zodiac landings, kayaking, wildlife observation and, for those inclined, hands-on sailing under crew guidance. Her long history — from luxury yacht to high-performing halibut fishing vessel to pioneering expedition ship — gives the experience a sense of continuity and authenticity. Travel aboard Maple Leaf is immersive, physically engaging, and deliberately unpolished, favouring depth, access and presence over luxury conventions.

Swell

Vessel Type: Converted Tug

Passenger Capacity: 12

Length: 88 feet / 26.8 meters

Swell is an 88-foot converted coastal tug refitted to deliver a warm, character-rich expedition experience. Her solid timber construction, classic lines and thoughtful interior upgrades create an atmosphere of authenticity paired with comfort. With just 12 guests across six private cabins, the ship offers an intimate environment supported by a small, expert crew. Spaces such as the wood-panelled salon, panoramic wheelhouse, covered aft deck lounges, and upper-deck viewing areas provide calm, inviting places to relax between shore excursions. Daily life revolves around well-crafted meals from the galley, quiet moments in the hot tub, wildlife watching from the bow and easy access to the coastline via Zodiacs and kayaks.

Her compact size and rugged build allow her to reach locations inaccessible to larger vessels, giving guests close contact with coastal ecosystems, remote anchorages and wildlife-rich shorelines. Purpose-designed expedition tools—including two rigid-hull inflatables, four clear-bottom kayaks, fishing gear and a hydrophone—support a wide range of activities. Cabins vary from generous suites to efficient, well-designed smaller rooms, all with private ensuites and exterior doors for direct connection to the outdoors. The result is a boutique expedition platform that blends maritime heritage with practical comfort, delivering a human-scale, highly immersive coastal cruising experience.

Inclusions

• All meals, snacks and beverages prepared from the freshest ingredients by our superb chef.
• Fine wines featured with the evening meal, and a limited amount of beer included and available throughout the trip. (Liquor is not a large part of our trips, so plan on light consumption).
• Services of our naturalist and professional crew.
• Shore excursions.
• Use of gear on board, including rubber boots, kayaks and fishing gear (with fishing licence).
• All accommodations on your vessel and, on trips with a land day, in a local lodging.

Exclusions

• The price does not include transportation to or from the starting and ending points of the Maple Leaf, Swell, and Cascadia trips, except for flights from Vancouver to the start of Cascadia’s Haida Gwaii trips and trips with a current Flight Promotion.
• Canadian trips are subject to a 5% Goods and Services Tax (GST), while Alaska trips are exempt.
• There is also a sustainability fee of $200 added to each fare on booking.
• Tipping for the crew is not included and is confidential and at your discretion.
• Fishing licenses are not included and must be acquired by guests wanting to fish prior to their trip.