Afternoon: HOTEL CHECK IN: Check-in to the hotel after 3:00 p.m.

Dinner: Dinner in the Best Western Boardroom. Meet in the Boardroom (hotel staff will guide you) at 5:30PM. Our local guide, John Atkin, will be there to discuss the program and begin introductions.

Evening: Following dinner, we will have introductions and an orientation of the program to review the updated schedule, responsibilities, safety, guidelines, emergency procedures, any other administrative issues, and answer your questions.

Lodging: Best Western Sands by the Sea

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: Plated breakfast in the Best Western Boardroom. Breakfast starts at 7:30AM.

Morning: EXCURSION: Enjoy a guided walk of Stanley Park and the area with John. Return to the hotel and pick up your boxed lunch, then transfer from the hotel to Vancouver Airport for our flight to Sandspit Airport.

Lunch: Eat your boxed lunch en route.

Afternoon: FLIGHT: Flight from Vancouver to Sandspit. The Bluewater Shuttle will meet you at the Sandspit airport and transfer you to the hotel for check in. Please look for the Bluewater Shuttle when you get off the plane. The Sandspit airport is small and finding the shuttle should not be a problem.

Dinner: Dinner on your own. Hotel can recommend local eateries nearby.

Evening: Free evening.

Lodging: Seaport B&B

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Begin your day with a home cooked breakfast served in the Seaport dining area at 7:15AM.

Morning: The group will meet in front of The Seaport B & B at 8:30AM. Please be sure to check out of your room with luggage in hand, prior to this time. You will be greeted by our shuttle bus driver/guide for your Haida Gwaii land tour. You will travel to the ferry landing at Alliford Bay to take the ferry across to Skidegate Landing on Graham Island. The ferry crossing takes approximately 20 minutes. We often take a one hour walk up the ‘Louise Dover Trail’ to see old growth forest, discuss local vegetation and see signs of historic forest use by the Haida First Nation. It is then a half hour ferry across Skidegate Inlet to Graham Island and the Haida community of Skidegate. Upon arrival we will visit a local Skidegate family for a traditional Haida lunch.

Lunch: Traditional Haida lunch hosted by a local Skidegate family.

Afternoon: Haida Heritage Centre provides a wonderful introduction to local natural history and the Haida culture. In 2001, six new totem poles were raised outside, and a major expansion was completed in 2007. We visit the canoe shed to see examples of a 50 foot Haida canoe carved from a single cedar tree. After our tour of the Haida Heritage Centre, the group will catch the ferry back to Moresby Island, and will be transferred down to Moresby Camp where our sailing vessel “Island Roamer” is awaiting guests' arrival. Upon boarding, guests are assigned cabins and receive an introduction and safety orientation. After guests are settled, dinner will be served.

Dinner: Dinner will be served once we have reached our evening anchorage. Each evening the ship turns off all engines and generators allowing everyone onboard to enjoy the peace and quiet - definitely one of the benefits of traveling aboard this size of ship.

Evening: An evening lecture and orientation to the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site will be given in preparation for our journey into the protected area the following day.

Lodging: Island Roamer

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast is served at either 7:30 or 8:00am. The anchor is raised early this morning and the ship gets underway to take advantage of the tides.

Morning: After breakfast we depart Moresby Camp aboard Island Roamer heading west out Cumshewa Inlet. If the winds are favorable we will sail, but among the islands we often need to motor until we reach more open waters. We often see Queen Charlotte Island black bears feeding along the shores, and bald eagles atop shore side trees here, and will take the yacht close to land for a better look.

Lunch: Lunch will be served onboard while we travel.

Afternoon: At the mouth of the Inlet, we expect to see some large concentrations of seabirds. The on board naturalist will offer educational information to participants and help identify different species.

Dinner: Dinner will be served buffet style once we are anchored for the night.

Evening: The Captain and ship's naturalist will review plans for the trip. The Captain will review the trip highlights and will review the day using local maps or charts as they are called aboard ship. The naturalist will update the species list with the assistance of all passengers. Overnight at anchor - Thurston Harbour.

Lodging: Island Roamer

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast is served at either 7:30 or 8:00am. The anchor is raised early this morning and the ship gets underway to take advantage of the tides.

Morning: There will be a kayak safety orientation and first opportunity to try out the 5 sea kayaks onboard in the protected waters of the bay. Mid-morning we arrive at the old Haida village of Tanu. This will be our first introduction to Haida culture as we walk among the remains of some 25 longhouses and fallen totem poles. Famous carver, Bill Reid has his headstone in Tanu, as his mother was from this village. If the tide is low we will also do an intertidal walk along the beach and rocks in front of the old village, finding various species of starfish, anemone and urchins.

Lunch: Lunch onboard ship.

Afternoon: Our afternoon stop is planned for Windy Bay – the site of the final stand-off on Lyell Island that stopped the logging and lead to the creation of these southern islands becoming the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site in 1987. The Haida built a traditional longhouse here where Haida Watchmen spend the summer, but our main activity is focused on hiking beside a sparkling creek into the amazing old-growth forest with some truly gigantic trees. Later in the summer salmon will be visible in the creek.

Dinner: Dinner will be served once we have reached our evening anchorage. Each evening the ship turns off all engines and generators allowing everyone onboard to enjoy the peace and quiet - definitely one of the benefits of traveling aboard this size of ship.

Evening: Review the day's activities and outline plans for the next day. The naturalist will commonly then provide background information on local animals. Overnight at mooring – Murchison Island.

Lodging: Island Roamer

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast on board at either 7:30 or 8:00am. Early risers can take advantage of the sea kayaks for a paddle before breakfast.

Morning: Heading out early from our anchorage we enter Juan Perez Sound, one the best areas in Gwaii Haanas for whale-watching. When we see whales, we will stop the yacht to watch their behavior and often get some excellent chances for photographs. Humpback whales are the most common and like to feed using their enormous pectoral fins and tails to corral the fish. Killer whales or orcas are seen throughout the islands. The most common here are called ‘transient’ whales and feed on other marine mammals.

Lunch: Lunch onboard ship.

Afternoon: As we set sail, we may see them near seal or sea lion haulouts (similar to running into a pride of lions on the hunt). We occasionally see elusive Minke whales as we leave Juan Perez Sound and round Burnaby Island heading south. EXCURSION: Entering Skincuttle Inlet, we will stop on one of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Ashore we will find burrows that seabirds use to nest under the ground, and some interesting shore side flowers.

Dinner: Dinner will be served once we have reached our evening anchorage. Each evening the ship turns off all engines and generators allowing everyone onboard to enjoy the peace and quiet - definitely one of the benefits of traveling aboard this size of ship.

Evening: Captain will review the day using local maps or charts. The naturalist will update the species list with the assistance of all passengers. Overnight at anchor – Bag Harbour.

Lodging: Island Roamer

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast is served at either 7:30 or 8:00am. The anchor is raised early this morning and the ship gets underway to take advantage of the tides.

Morning: After an early breakfast we head out to explore the best known intertidal area in Gwaii Haanas, Burnaby Narrows. With up to a 23-foot (7m) tidal range, these islands have some spectacular low tide exploring. Using the two zodiac inflatable boats and all the sea kayaks we will float above a garden of colorful seastars, anemones and urchins just inches below the water. It is a spellbinding experience. Nearby, we will walk into a grove of old-growth trees and see cedar trees that were used by the Haida for making baskets and tested for making a canoe.

Lunch: Lunch onboard ship.

Afternoon: Moving through Skincuttle Inlet, we sail past Garcin Rocks we will watch for Steller sea lions. Large males can weigh 2000 lbs (900kg). FIELD TRIP: Entering protected Houston Stewart Channel we have reached the southern end of Moresby Island, and the historic site of one of Canada’s last whaling stations in Rose Harbour. We will go ashore to learn about the last days of whaling and how these islands, situated on the edge of the continental shelf, provided whales for over 40 years.

Dinner: Dinner will be served once we have reached our evening anchorage. Each evening the ship turns off all engines and generators allowing everyone onboard to enjoy the peace and quiet - definitely one of the benefits of traveling aboard this size of ship.

Evening: Captain will review the day using local maps or charts as they are called aboard ship. The naturalist will update the species list with the assistance of all passengers. Overnight at mooring – Rose Harbour.

Lodging: Island Roamer

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast is served at either 7:30 or 8:00am. Early risers can take advantage of the sea kayaks for a paddle before breakfast.

Morning: Today will be the highlight of the voyage for many, as we visit the UN World Heritage Site of Ninstints. This old Haida village holds the largest number of original, standing totem poles anywhere on the coast – and the experience is magical. We will spend much of the day on the island, so there will be plenty of time to photograph, talk with the Haida Watchmen, and explore the island.

Lunch: Lunch on the island.

Afternoon: Later in the day, if the weather allows, we will sail off the west coast searching for whales and offshore birds, like colorful puffins and majestic albatross. At this point we are only one hour’s travel away from the edge of the continental shelf and waters over 5,000 feet deep.

Dinner: Dinner will be served once we have reached our evening anchorage. Each evening the ship turns off all engines and generators allowing everyone onboard to enjoy the peace and quiet - definitely one of the benefits of traveling aboard this size of ship.

Evening: Captain will review the day using local maps or charts. The naturalist will update the species list with the assistance of all passengers. Overnight mooring – Louscoone Inlet.

Lodging: Island Roamer

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast on board at either 7:30 or 8:00am. Early risers can take advantage of the sea kayaks for a paddle before breakfast.

Morning: Morning walk ashore exploring a wonderful sand beach looking out on the open Pacific ocean. We occasionally find Japanese glass fishing floats – a true beachcomber’s treasure! Then we return to the protected eastern side of the islands, and Ikeda Cove. This lovely cove is named after a Japanese fisherman who discovered copper here in the early 1900’s. There are still remains to be seen from their hand mining operation, some lovely big trees and songbirds singing in the canopy.

Lunch: Lunch onboard ship.

Afternoon: As we round Scudder Point returning to Juan Perez Sound, all hands scan the horizon for whales. Next stop is lovely Hot Springs Island. With a view looking out over the ocean to the San Cristoval Mountains beyond, these are probably the finest natural hot springs on the coast. There is a bathhouse, and four natural pools, all at different temperatures.

Dinner: Dinner will be served once we have reached our evening anchorage. Each evening the ship turns off all engines and generators allowing everyone onboard to enjoy the peace and quiet - definitely one of the benefits of traveling aboard this size of ship.

Evening: Captain will review the day using local maps or charts. The naturalist will update the species list with the assistance of all passengers. Overnight at anchor beneath the San Cristobal Mountains in De La Beche Inlet.

Lodging: Island Roamer

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast on board at either 7:30 or 8:00 am.

Morning: Today we will explore a new ecosystem… the Alpine. However, we don’t need to climb thousands of feet to reach it. In many places in the islands the tundra-like alpine environment can be reached within a few hundred feet of the ocean. We will search for some of the endemic bog flowers, like Newcombe’s butterweed and carnivorous plants, like butterwort and sundew.

Lunch: Lunch onboard ship.

Afternoon: Next stop is a lovely area to explore by kayak or motorized skiff, the Bischoff Islands. We then head up scenic Darwin Sound into the heart of the mountains. All year there will be snow on the highest peaks.

Dinner: Dinner will be served once we have reached our evening anchorage. Each evening the ship turns off all engines and generators allowing everyone onboard to enjoy the peace and quiet - definitely one of the benefits of traveling aboard this size of ship.

Evening: The final evening aboard ship will be a social night. The Captain will review the trip highlights. Overnight at anchor – Anna Inlet.

Lodging: Island Roamer

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast is served at either 7:30 or 8:00am.

Morning: Ship returns to Moresby Camp for disembarkation. Mid morning departure at Moresby Camp from the Island Roamer. The charter bus will meet participants and return them to the Sandspit Airport late morning. Guests will have time for a leisurely lunch, and perhaps a walk along the shingle beach before catching the afternoon flight back to Vancouver.

Lunch: Lunch on your own.

Afternoon: FLIGHT: Flight from Sandspit to Vancouver. Meet the shuttle driver outside of Arrivals and transfer to Best Western Sands by Sea. The driver will have a Road Scholar sign.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at the hotel located in the Best Western Boardroom.

Lodging: Best Western Sands by the Sea

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.

Morning: Departures from Vancouver hotel to airport for flights home.

Meals Included: Breakfast