Great Bear Rainforest with Naturalist Sabina Leader Mense & Cruise the Great Bear Rainforest with the Columbia III

Mothership Cruising

Mothership Cruising - The perfect way to explore the British Columbia coast in comfort

Clients Choose your area, choose your interests! What you'll see and do will depend on the type of tour you choose but there are definitely some things you can count on: great food, service and accommodation as you explore the quiet corners of B.C.'s coast that are so difficult to access by any other means. And to top this off, we ensure that you'll be traveling with professional guides who know their field of expertise and love what they do!

Foredeck of Columbia III It's hard to describe the particulars of a cruise on the Columbia III, but it's easy to give the overview! There isn't a better way to explore the coast than to sit back and travel the very channels that the Columbia III has been safely plying for over 50 years.

You awake each morning in a new anchorage or port and start your day with a wonderful breakfast. Working with your guide you plan your day. Using our sturdy inflatable skiff for daily shore outings you might explore an ancient First Nations village site, wander a quaint, remote community that is only accessible by water or muck about in a tide-pool teaming with life, and learn from an expert biologist. It is such an amazing coast and it all becomes within your reach when you join us on the Columbia III! And best of all is the relaxed atmosphere. You can join in the group outings or curl up with your favourite book beside the fireplace. The Columbia III is always warm and dry and elegantly awaiting your return after your excursions and she gracefully carries you through the labyrinthine channels of this wonderful coast.

We offer several different types of cruises into each of our operating areas. There has been overwhelming interest in tours which utilize the comfort of the Columbia III as a platform to explore and learn about the B.C. coast. Depending on which area the Columbia III is based, you can be treated to fantastic displays of wildlife: birds, seals, porpoises, orcas, black bears and deer. Stopping on shore, we may hike into the rain-forest or explore the shore life at a clamshell beach, and if you sign up for an informational workshop you will receive the same great service, in the same beautiful locations whilst learning from an accomplished tour leader. The best of all worlds!

In 2007 we offered an artist's workshop with Mark Hobson. The Columbia III proved herself to be such a great "platform" with her bright roomy salon and ease of access to scenic areas, that we are expanding our selection of workshop- oriented tours in 2008 (due to scheduling, Mark will join us again in 2009).

To follow in the tradition initiated last year, we are very fortunate to have author/naturalist and artist, Alison Watt, leading an Artist Workshop to Desolation Sound. Alison was written and illustrated a beautiful book "The Last Island" which will inspire anyone wanting to capture the details of the B.C. coast in water-colour.

We all use digital cameras, and for most of us, with the technology changing so quickly, we often wish we had our own instructor to answer our specific questions. Now you can enjoy a wonderful holiday, explore the remote corners of the B.C. coast and have a professional photographer at your side! One of B.C.'s most accomplished photographers, Ron Watts, is leading our Desolation Sound Photography Workshop. With his extensive world-wide experience, proven published track record and personable style, this will be a great tour. The crew of Mothership Adventures is really looking forward to this tour. (We need help with our digital cameras too!)

Also new for this year is a 6 night Great Bear Rainforest Videography Tour with Order of Canada recipient Pat Morrow and his wife Baiba. We are really excited to have Pat joining our team. His credentials are too long to list here, but we know this will be a great chance to increase your motion picture skills AND explore the best the Great Bear Rainforest has to offer!

Port Neville Store For the last two years we have run our Settler's History Tours with historian, Jeanette Taylor. The first year was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Columbia III, but the tours have become so popular, and Jeanette's style of guiding so well received, that the tours are now a regular event. When we ran two short tours in the fall of 2007 we had over 60 people on the waiting list!

Another excellent tour which we will be running again this year is our First Nations Cultural Tour. We feel very lucky to have Lillian Hunt of the Namgis Tribe leading this tour again in 2008 through her ancestral home in the Broughton Archipelago. Lillian will guide us through the world famous U'mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay which houses the "Potlatch Collection" where she is curator. Together we will explore the Kwakwaka'wakw culture both ancient and modern with our affable guide.

Of course, the Columbia III is available for charters as well. You can explore, paddle, swim, beach-walk and more, entirely at your own pace. The possibilities are endless but one thing is certain, you'll have an excellent holiday.

"Thanks for an outstanding trip. The captain and crew were "above and beyond" to ensure everyone was happy. Great boat, great food, in the best place in the world. First class people running a first class operation. Highlight of the summer. Keep it coming."
- Kevin, Vancouver B.C. 2005

"Thanks again to the Campbell Family. A great coastal "experience" is created by your hospitality and an outstanding week of fun, laughter, and wildlife. You create memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. You keep the trip fun and are the role model experience that others should aspire to. Thank-you."
- Kevin (again!), Vancouver B.C. 2007

First Nations mask Cruising Tours are normally 2-6 days long, but charters can be of any length. Price is all inclusive (meals, wine, life jackets and guiding are all included). If there are off-ship tours costs such as a museum admission or First Nations feast then it is all taken care of in the Mothership Adventures tour price. Just bring your personal gear and settle in for a real treat!

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