Many wonderful tour guides have joined us in the past and will join us again in the future. Here is a sampler of some of our previous cruises: Alison Watt Art, Ron Watts Digital Photography, Pat Morrow Videography, Bill Merilees Natural History, Sabina Leader Mense Natural History, Robert Berdan Photography.
Cruise the Desolation Sound and hone your water-colour skills.
Desolation Sound, with its shimmering inlets, quiet bays, and dramatic mountain
backdrops, is the perfect terrain for a trip devoted to painting.
We will start our days on the Columbia III with a morning watercolour class. We will review the basic materials and palette we will be using during the week, then move on to the elements of composition. There will be an emphasis on how to make decisions on what to leave out of /put into quick and satisfying field drawings for travel journals or sketch books as well as how to use these sketches to create larger paintings. We will go over the work we do in the field and, using demonstrations and exercises, discuss the special challenges of coastal landscape: greens, water, sky and clouds, rock and forest.
Each day will include as much time as possible painting outdoors, to allow us to capture some of B.C.’s most beautiful coastline. In addition to painting, there will be time for shore walks, good food and camaraderie around the galley table over a glass of wine.
Alison Watt is a naturalist, artist, and writer who lives with her husband Kim on Protection Island near Nanaimo B.C., where they have raised two children, Lindsay and Sophie.
Alison grew up in Victoria B.C., studied biology at Simon Fraser University and botany at the University of British Columbia. She has worked as Education Coordinator at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, a tour leader in Central and South America, and a naturalist aboard west coast vessels, traveling among B.C.’s Gulf Islands, Haida Gwaii, the Great Bear Rainforest, and Alaska.
Alison’s background informs both her painting and writing. Watercolours and acrylics draw on images from nature. Her non-fiction book, set on a remote seabird colony, is a moving memoir about life and death in the human and natural world. In her poems, scenes of ordinary life unfold in a backdrop of light cycles, tides, and weather, and attempt to capture the lyricism of the processes of nature. Some are set in an Amazon Research station and explore taxonomy and diversity. In others, she moves past nature as a backdrop to delve more deeply into its inner, often invisible workings (photosynthesis, pollination…) to release them from the language of science.
A Naturalist's Sojourn on Triangle Island
by Alison Watt
Filled with adventures and revelations and illustrated with delightful watercolour paintings, The Last Island is a beautifully written testament to the environment, friendship, and the endurance of the human spirit.
At twenty-three, Alison Watt left the comfort of a relationship and urban life to spend four months studying tufted puffins on Triangle Island, a remote bird sanctuary far off the northern tip of Vancouver Island.
She spent her summer in the company of Anne Vallée, a serious young biologist whose dedication to her field made her a formidable and inspiring mentor. Now, in the sixteen years since Watt last visited the island, Anne has died, and from the moment Watt arrives to do more research, she is flooded with memories of the summer they spent together.
Told in a gripping diary form, The Last Island blends native legends, evolutionary theory, scientific knowledge and an appreciation for the delicate balance required for creatures as small as krill and as large as fin whales to survive. Watt brings the island to life, recreating through sensual detail the sounds, smells, sights, tastes and textures of this desolate bird haven. Perhaps even more importantly, she recreates the jagged inner landscape of a young woman worn and warmed by months of seclusion.
Digital photography has revolutionized the way we all take pictures. From the composition of the photo to the manipulation of the data after the image is captured, there is a tremendous amount to learn. Here is an exciting opportunity to learn from Ron Watts, one of British Columbia’s best known photographers. This trip is the perfect opportunity to develop your photographic abilities while enjoying the stunning beauty of Desolation Sound aboard the Columbia III.
For marine mammals, harbour seals and northern and Californian sea lions haul out on the rocks on the island, snorting and bellowing - quite a sight " and at low tide, the tide pools provide excellent viewing for twelve species of star fish, sea anenomes, crabs, shrimp, and a variety of small fish such as sculpins, sand dabs, pipefish, shiners and greenling.
Mitlenatch is a lovely serene island to wander the trails on, and because there are almost no trees, the vista of the sea is all around with endless photographing possibilities.
As we tour along the passages closer to the inlets, we’ll notice a change in the topography as the land gets steeper and the mountains higher. The forested slopes are a mix of western hemlock, Douglas fir and red cedar, while the shoreline is fringed with the bright greenery of salal. We’ll go ashore in our inflatable skiff for walks to fresh water lakes on well-used forest trails, (it may be warm enough to swim!) or pause and examine the mysterious pictographs on some very spectacular cliffs. We may visit a First Nations village site, called the "Flea Village", where Captain George Vancouver once set foot...(no fleas there now)….All along the way, if we keep an eye out, we’ll have the opportunity to see seals, minks, river otters, porpoises, eagles, deer and even black bears.
Each night we’ll anchor in a different place, and each day we’ll have outings away from the ship. If we venture up Toba Inlet (depending on weather and time " how long we’ve spent at the other places), we’ll go ashore at the river estuary " a whole different "ecosystem" again.
Ron will be on hand to share his knowledge from more than twenty years photographing in Canada and around the world for such clients as En Route, WestWorld, Canadian Geographic, Vancouver Magazine, Photo Life and British Columbia Magazine.
In the relaxed, informal atmosphere of the Columbia III, we will discuss all aspects of photographic technique with an opportunity to review photos from each day’s outing for those using digital cameras. All skill levels are welcome, the only pre-requisite being a love of nature and an inquisitive spirit.
For those who are interested I would welcome any feedback about specific topics you would like to see covered while on the trip.
Ron Watts has been a professional photographer of people and places for more than two decades. His passion for new experience and discovery has fueled many trips to diverse parts of the globe. The search for the unexpected has taken him on assignment to Africa, South East Asia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South America, the Caribbean and across much of North America.
Ron is a founding member and partner in First Light (see images), an image agency based in Toronto. In the United States and around the world Ron's photographs are represented by Corbis Images and All Canada Photos.
Each year we have many guests joining us with their digital video cameras. Now is the perfect chance to explore fantastic wilderness settings and learn more about this exciting medium with an award winning expert, Pat Morrow.
In this workshop, we’ll learn basic shooting and editing techniques that will enhance our ability to tell a story on videotape. We’ll document fishing bears and wolves, native people’s villages, and beach walks on the rugged outer coast. Each evening we’ll download our footage into a computer editing program and at the end of the week take home a group video that sums up our adventures. Additionally, Pat & Baiba will give nightly screenings of some of the award- winning films they have shot or produced.
Last autumn, assisted by Farlyn Campbell of the Columbia III family, Pat spent several weeks in the Great Bear Rainforest area working alongside wildlife film specialists Jeff and Sue Turner. The Turners are producing a documentary about the life cycle of the salmon for the BBC Planet Earth Series, and Pat shot a "making of" film that will accompany theirs, for broadcast in 2008.
Pat has given photo and video workshops in diverse locations, from the Purcell Wilderness (Ptarmigan Tours Ski Operator) area in winter to the backcountry of the Canadian Rockies in Banff National Park (Thompson University College, Kamloops) to whale-watching onboard Island Roamer in Johnstone Strait (Emily Carr College), and the Coast Range near Whistler, B.C. (Whistler Centre for the Arts).
Pat and Baiba Morrow are a peripatetic creative team, based at the edge of the
Purcell Range in Wilmer, British Columbia. They are well known for their
documentation of mountain cultures and adventures through their photography,
video and film work. Their deep desire to search out and document remote, wild
places has led them on assignments and expeditions to all seven continents,
averaging six months a year in the field for the past 30 years. Together they
have won eight national magazine awards. Their books include Beyond Everest:
Quest for the Seven Summits; Himalayan Passage; The Yukon; and Footsteps in the
Clouds - Kangchenjunga a Century Later.
In 1987 Pat received the Order of Canada in recognition of his achievement of being the first to climb the highest mountain on all seven continents (documented in book, magazine articles and video). At the Banff Festival of Mountain Films in 1990, he was honoured with the Summit of Excellence award for his work in documenting the mountain experience.
Over the last twelve years Pat and Baiba have expanded their tools of the trade to include video and film, and are now working exclusively in that medium. They have worked on more than 50 mountain films for such broadcasters as National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Life Network, ESPN, and the Canadian International Development Agency. Their self-produced documentary, "The Magic Mountain" has won three awards at international mountain film festivals to date.
In addition to six seasons of prescreening duties for the Banff Mountain Film Festival, Pat has sat on the film jury of four international mountain film festivals: Banff, X 2, Vancouver, and Gratz, Austria.
Bill Merilees led two tours to the Desolation Sound area last year. It was his first acquaintance with the Columbia III and the crew of Mothership Adventures. Much to our pleasure, Bill had a wonderful time and readily agreed to return in 2007 with an expanded schedule and list of destinations. We will be returning to the Desolation Sound area again for one tour as this is Bill's home stomping grounds. In addition, Bill really wanted to explore the rich wildlife of the Broughton Archipelago with us and how could we refuse! There is so much to learn with Bill along and we look forward to traveling in the archipelago with him.
Join well known naturalist/writer/tour leader, Bill Merilees, aboard the Columbia III. With our comfortable mothership always nearby, we'll take daily outings to shore to view the rich, vibrant life on the British Columbian coast. Anchoring in a new cove each night, we will enjoy gourmet meals, lively company and cozy beds. With Bill's faithful following, these trips booked quickly last year so book early to avoid disappointment.
Bill Merilees, a retired professional biologist and park naturalist for forty-five
years, will inspire us with his knowledge, experience and contagious
enthusiasm, deepening our appreciation of the natural world of coastal British
Columbia. From the smallest shells (and we mean REALLY small!) to the history of
introduced plant and animal species, Bill's wealth of local knowledge keeps
everyone fascinated.
Desolation Sound with Bill Merilees
Bill knows this area better than anyone! From the gorgeous wildflower displays on the seabird nesting colony of Mitlenatch Island to the rich intertidal reefs of the northern Gulf of Georgia, Bill has been working and researching this area his whole life. Departing from Campbell River (directions) mid-morning, we will return mid-afternoon on the last day.
Broughton Archipelago with Bill Merilees
We are really looking forward to exploring the Broughton Archipelago with Bill in 2008. The homeward bound salmon draw abundant marine wildlife into these waters each summer including the world famous population of northern resident killer whales (orcas) providing spectacular sightings. Additionally, humpback whales, minke whales, Stellar sea lions, and Pacific White-sided dolphins and many species of sea birds not seen on the lower coast such as Rhinoceros Auklets, Phalaropes, flock to this area to feast. The influence of the open Pacific on the Broughton Archipelago produces some of the world's most diverse intertidal marine life; a perfect place to learn from Bill. Departing from Port McNeill (directions) mid-morning, we will return mid-afternoon on the last day.
Join Sabina, world renowned naturalist, on an educational exploration of
the newly protected Great Bear Rainforest. We will travel aboard the
comfortable Columbia III from the rugged outer coast with its rich
intertidal marine life, to the steep granite-sided fjords where the salmon,
returning to the lush river estuaries to spawn, draw eagles, bears and
wolves. Using our sturdy skiff for shore excursions we will take daily
outings to view wildlife from small to large! If we are lucky we'll
observe grizzly bears feeding on the spawning salmon or even glimpse the
elusive white Spirit Bear. Sabina will bring to life the fascinating
details of this pristine coastal ecosystem with her exuberant wealth of
knowledge.
Trained on Canada's Pacific Coast as a marine biologist, Sabina has been involved in educational tourism traveling the far reaches of the world since 1986. With her contagious enthusiasm, Sabina's forte is the design and delivery of educational programs promoting awareness and knowledge of the natural environment.
Departing Bella Bella (directions) on Sunday afternoon, we will return the following Saturday after a inspirational week.
Robert Berdan returns! Again!
After very popular and successful tours in 2006 and 2007, Robert will be
joining us once again in the Great Bear Rainforest area. His relaxed and
informative style was a true pleasure and he produced some
spectacular shots - you can view some of his shots in the photo gallery on our website! After the great grizzly bear
viewing we had with Robert in 2007 we are hoping the 9 night tour in 2008 will
allow us to capture the Spirit Bear on film. Let’s hope we are lucky!
Robert will accompany us on the Great Bear Rainforest kayak tour and share his expertise with anyone interested in honing their photography skills. All levels of photographers and paddlers are welcome. He will photograph along side you and demonstrate hands-on techniques. He can cover both the basics and the advanced topics and is a master at both digital and film. He is a patient and enthusiastic teacher, making your learning experience a delight. And what better a place to hone your photography skills than the stunning beauty of British Columbia's central coast!
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Robert Berdan is passionate about nature, science, and wildlife photography. His
professional experience includes photojournalism, various type of scientific
photography and virtual reality imaging. His photos have been on the cover of
scientific journals, magazines and his images have won international awards
including Banff International Mountain Photo Contest and Nikon International
photo contest. Recent publications
include Photo Life and Canadian Geographic.
Robert shoots with 35 mm, digital and 4 x 5 large format cameras. You can view
his portfolio and learn about
upcoming workshops on his awesome web sites:
www.scienceandart.ca or
www.moodsofnature.com.
New for 2009: Art & Photography Tours!
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Canada V0P 1H0
In-Flight Review: "Mothership Kayaking"