The Canadian Tourism Commission selected this as one of Canada’s “Signature Experiences”.

Top 5 Things About Small Ship Cruising in Haida Gwaii

5. The people.

Sharing a laugh with Haida watchmen at SGang Gwaay on a Maple Leaf cruise

Although Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) is on many Canadians’ “must visit” lists, it’s no tourist trap. The people you’ll speak with here meet you from wherever they’re at. Friendly, real, and definitely not fake. Whether it’s our friend Goetz the incredible guitarist in remote Rose Harbour (also known as Tassilo), one of the Haida watchmen in Gwaii Haanas, or the taxi driver that picks you up from the dock after you step off the SV Maple Leaf, you’ll always feel you’re speaking to a real local.

Humpback whale flick feeding with tail, Gwaii Haanas

4. Whales.

There is something about the massive quantities of krill and small fish in the waters of Gwaii Haanas, especially in May, that makes for the most stupendous whale viewing. Humpback whales by the dozens converge on certain areas. You can stand on the schooner Maple Leaf surrounded by whales, all of them creating mammoth splashes. There will be whales that throw the water around with tails, slap it with 15-foot pectoral fins or breach onto it. It’s as if someone asked Nature to illustrate the word “epic”.

Cruising the islands of Haida Gwaii on a sailing cruise with Maple Leaf

3. Remote islands.

The Haida Gwaii archipelago consists of over 140 islands, almost all of which are currently uninhabited by humans. If you dream of sailing in a world of wildlife from remote island to remote island, this is your dream come true. White sand beach, black sand beach, shell-strewn beach, shell midden. You’ll step onto all of these places.

2. (tied) Intertidal life.

Looking at a sea cucumber in Burnaby Narrows on a Maple Leaf sail cruise

You haven’t seen weird and wonderful until you’ve spent the day in Burnaby Narrows (aka Dolomite Narrows) with Maple Leaf’s crew and guests. Constellations of sea stars (thanks, Sherry) in blue, purple, red and pink. Forests of plumose anemones. Reproducing moon snails. Mating hairy crabs. Giant purple and orange sun stars. Leather stars that smell like garlic. Huge sea cucumbers and burrowingg sea cucumbers… and that’s just getting started. We dare your inner child to stay hidden.

2. (tied) Ancient murrelets.

We’ve heard that half the world loves birds and half the world doesn’t care about them. But we also know that latter half hasn’t been to Gwaii Haanas with Maple Leaf naturalist Trudy Chatwin. We have — and we have seen the light. Something like a quarter of the North Pacific’s ancient murrelets nest on Haida Gwaii in May. These pretty, black and white diving seabirds dig burrows under old growth rainforest. When their chicks, about the weight of fluffy ping pong balls, hatch, they have 48 hours to get used to life outside the shell before the first ordeal: when it gets dark, the chicks walk and tumble, alone, down through the dark rainforest, around huge logs, to the sea, where their parents, waiting about 50 feet out, are calling to them. They jump in and swim out. If they don’t get tossed back on land by waves, or eaten by an owl or a ling cod, they reach their parents an continue to swim up to 10 km before they get their first breakfast. Some animals are just born tough.

First glimpse of the Haida monumental poles as Maple Leaf's guests arrive at the village of SGang Gwaay on a remote island.

1. Haida monumental art.

Sailing to remote islands and then going ashore into the unoccupied Haida village sites in Gwaii Haanas is a little like entering another world. People left the villages over a century ago when smallpox spread. But the carved poles and massive houses remained. Although they are slowly rotting and falling back to the Earth, there are still spectacular examples of this renowned, functional human art. UN World Heritage Site SGang Gwaay is perhaps the most impressive of all. When we visit, Haida watchmen (part of a program under Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve an Haida Heritage Site), welcome us and our guests and share the history and their knowledge about the villages with us. Modern artists, through a cultural renaissance, are also carving in the modern villages of Skidegate and Masset.

If you view this article on our Facebook page, you can add your own favourites there!

You can read details about our (Maple Leaf Adventures) Haida Gwaii tours here. And you can see the video of these expedition cruises by sailing ship into Gwaii Haanas in Haida Gwaii here.

Apr 5-10, 2012
Depart & return: Sidney, BC (near Victoria airport and ferry terminals)
Board: Thurs afternoon, Apr 5. Disembark: noon, Tues Apr 10. Inquire

Take advantage of Easter’s  seasonal lateness this year, and make it a memorable holiday in BC’s beautiful Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, in the Salish Sea.

About the Gulf Islands National Park and Salish Sea

Just outside Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle, this spectacular archipelago of 200+ islands is still wild and beautiful. It’s filled with islands that are inaccessible by ferries.

Maple Leaf will take you sailing to remote beaches and wildlife colonies.

Board the classic, 92-foot schooner Maple Leaf at Sidney, BC, just outside of Victoria, and cruise away to experience of spring’s rejuvenating bounty.

Nature, Naturalist and Beauty

Wildflower meadows, migrating birds, marine mammals, and dry rainforests are just the beginning of the natural wonders you’ll explore on this 5-night cruise with Maple Leaf’s expert guides, naturalist, and crew.

Special Features of the Easter Expedition Cruise

Maple Leaf’s gourmet chef will prepare Easter dinner and the crew plan to organize a remote island Easter egg hunt.

Booking Details

The trip is available either for a family charter, or for individuals.

Price: $1990 per person includes all accommodations, fine meals and snacks by our chef, all beverages including wine and beer, all shore excursions and services of our guides and naturalist, and use of gear on board including (optionally) kayaks.

A minimum number is required to operate the trip, so contact Maple Leaf Adventuresnow if you’re interested in securing it or would like to learn more about it.

Learn More

• View a sample itinerary for our Gulf Islands expeditions like this one.
• View a slide show from previous trips.
• View more details about Maple Leaf’s Gulf Islands National Park/ Salish Sea expedition cruises.
• Download a brochure about the Gulf Islands trips.

You can also email us at info@MapleLeafAdventures.com, request that we contact you (you can do this with our web form), or telephone 1-888-599-5323 or 250-386-7245.

We look forward to welcoming you aboard.

Whale calls from your phone!

Maple Leaf Adventures is offering these ringtones as a free gift. They’re a bit of coastal wildlife to carry with you. Each is made from whale calls recorded during Maple Leaf trips.

The ringtones were made for us by Maureen’s sister, a software developer.

Download and install them in five easy steps, outlined below.

About the Ringtones

• Orca / Killer Whale Ringtone – This is a recording of the A12 family from May 1, 2006 in Devastation Channel on our Great Bear Rainforest & Kitlope spring trip. Contains  distinctive calls made by this family of northern resident orcas.
• Humpback Whale Ringtone – This is a recording of multiple humpback whales recorded in May 2005 in Gwaii Haanas, Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands).

How to Download and Install These Ringtones Using iTunes

These are the instructions that worked for us with our iPhones. You may need to follow different steps for a different kind of phone. Consult your phone’s manual or a savvy friend.

These ringtones, in the m4r format, are reported to be compatible with other phone types including the latest Blackberrys, HTC Dream phones, Motorola Droid phones, Sony Ericsson phones (including K700 and W550 phones), Nokia XpressMusic, Nokia N- and E-series phones, and Windows Phone 7.

We cannot provide technical support or warranty for downloading, installing or using the ringtones or for your phone. By downloading these files you are indicating that you have read, understood and accepted these terms and conditions, and hold Maple Leaf Adventures harmless from any loss, damage, work interruption associated with downloading, installing, or otherwise using the files. Sorry for all the legalese, but these days it’s a requirement! We hope you love the ringtones as much as we do!

1. Right-click on the link below for the ring-tone you’d like, and choose Save Linked File As or Save Target As.

• Killer whale / orca A12 family calls
• Humpback whale calls, from Gwaii Haanas

2. Save it to your desktop.

3. Open iTunes and drag the ringtone into iTunes.  iTunes will install it under “Tones” or “Ringtones” in your library.

4. Sync it to your phone.

• This works automatically for some; for others, in the Sync section of iTunes, go to Ringtones and choose the Ringtones to sync. Some people may have to manually drag the Ringtone to the phone icon that appears in the left menu bar in iTunes when you plug your phone into your computer and open iTunes.

5. Open your phone, and from the screen where you choose ringtones, choose the new one. (For iPhones, this is likely to be Settings > Sounds > Ringtone. The whale ringtone will show up in the list of available choices.

Where Did You Record These?

We were operating our expedition cruises by sailing ship at the time. We had guests aboard and had been listening to the whales using our ship’s hydrophone (a microphone we put in the water, that is connected to a speaker on our ship.

The killer whale calls were recorded in a fjord on this map in the area called the Great Bear Rainforest, about midway up the inside passage.

The humpback whale calls were recorded in the archipelago of Haida Gwaii on the western side of this map.

How Can I Learn More About Your Trips?

• Learn more about the expedition cruises aboard the schooner Maple Leaf, where we listened to these whales.
• Ask us about the expedition cruises on Canada and Alaska’s Inside Passage and Haida Gwaii.

Feel free to share this page with your friends. Everyone deserves a cool ringtone!

We highly recommend viewing Jodi’s annotated lyrics! Fun facts and background info. View them here.

To learn more about trips where you can have this experience, view:

• Inside Passage Whales & Wild Side Cruise, Aug 2-10, 2012
• Whales & Totems Trip (Broughton Archipelago, Vancouver Island, S. Great Bear Rainforest), Aug 15-20, Aug 22-27, Oct 8-13, 2012
• Maple Leaf’s entire 2012 expedition cruise schedule.
• Ask us about them via webform, email or call 1-888-599-5323 or 1-250-386-7245.

You may also like to read Jodi’s articles depicting her trip on the Maple Leaf.

• Part 1: Waterblogged: Impressive. Moving. Awe-inspiring
• Part 2: An i-Pod in the Whale Kingdom

Publisher’s Description:
South Solo is a captivating story that follows one woman’s unrelenting desire to solo kayak the most challenging waters on the planet for the sake of saving an animal whose future is uncertain.

It is a book that has everything – adventure, nature, conservation, love and following dreams.

Review from Amazon.ca:
“I could not put this book down once I started it. The writer puts you right there in her adventurous life and in the beautiful island of South Georgia. It is as though you too are kayaking and involved in the journey. It is truly inspiring story! I feel like a changed person!

“I know that’s a lot to say for a book, but it is really true. Hayley’s way with words is second to none. Her outlook on life is positive and enthusiastic, the way she views a set back as merely a challenge to overcome and welcome it as an opportunity for an even greater adventure. I now have a completely new view on Plan B’s or C’s or D’s! And, to top it off, my kids were fascinated by Hayley’s story and took great enjoyment in the photos. I recommend this book to everyone.

“It has something for you no matter what your interests and it leaves you feeling empowered and inspired. A great gift for friends and family.”

You can buy Hayley’s book directly from her at oceanmaidventures@yahoo.ca.

We highly recommend viewing Jodi’s annotated lyrics! Fun facts and background info. View them here.

To learn more about trips where you can have this experience, view:

• Inside Passage Whales & Wild Side Cruise, Aug 2-10, 2012
• Whales & Totems Trip (Broughton Archipelago, Vancouver Island, S. Great Bear Rainforest), Aug 15-20, Aug 22-27, Oct 8-13, 2012
• Maple Leaf’s entire 2012 expedition cruise schedule.
• Ask us about them via webform, email or call 1-888-599-5323 or 1-250-386-7245.

You may also like to read Jodi’s articles depicting her trip on the Maple Leaf.

• Part 1: Waterblogged: Impressive. Moving. Awe-inspiring
• Part 2: An i-Pod in the Whale Kingdom

Dates of employment:
Seasonal position(s) – multiple contracts available between March 2012 and November 2012, with potential for multiple contracts throughout the season.

Who We Are:
Maple Leaf Adventures is a highly respected sail charter company that operates small sail ship nature cruises to multiple world-class wilderness destinations along the British Columbia and Alaska coasts. Your working environment will be aboard the beautiful historic schooner Maple Leaf. As apart of the Maple Leaf team you will work alongside our professional crew and naturalists to deliver outstanding experiences and memories to our interesting and enthusiastic guests. Our trips run between one to two weeks and are based out of a variety of remote coastal communities up and down the coast. We require multiple chefs for our coming 2012 operating season.

Our trips are recommended by Frommer’s Canada travel guide as the “Trip of a Lifetime” and we were recently recognized as one of the world’s best adventure travel companies by National Geographic Adventure.

Who We are Looking For:
Our candidate must be a creative passionate gourmet with a love for coastal adventure. Flexibility, excellent planning and follow-through, and great organization are all necessary attributes. If you thrive in a dynamic working environment, are hard working, like meeting new people and can produce inspired, creative, delicious and healthy meals in a small galley you would make a great addition to our dedicated team!

Duties include all aspects of planning, ordering, provisioning, stowing and preparing meals and snacks on board 92′ schooner for 8 adult guests and 5 crew.

Our Ideal Candidate:
Chef/Food

• Well presented, professional, and a team player - Prepared to be the “Captain of the Galley” - Customer service oriented, able to adapt to guest’s specific dietary requirements - Able to create inspired, delicious, healthy meals - Enjoys the flexibility and creativity of menu planning - Has experience with a variety of culinary themes and styles
• Interested in and able to utilize local ingredients - Will work to ensure all seafood served aboard is certified “sustainable” in accordance with the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise program - Is willing and keen to discuss with guests Maple Leaf’s Ocean Wise certification - Will strive to use sustainable food options when practicable and cost effective. - Knowledge of wine paring an asset

Organized

• Able to work within a budget - Excellent verbal communication skills - Very organized, with proven ability to manage stress - Flexible, understands the other aspects of the voyage and can adapt to the needs of the programming - Able to work in a small galley with considerable interaction with our international and

Canadian guests Marine/Adventure

• Has some experience on boats and/or sailing and/or wilderness environments - Can complete a 1-week Marine Emergency Duties course - Able to go to sea for up to two weeks at a time with little contact with the outside world - And has an adventurous spirit!

Qualifications:

• “Food Safe”, or equivalent
• Graduate of 1-year culinary program or equivalent, plus relevant work experience

Compensation and Benefits:

• Competitive rates + Guest tips - All meals and accommodations while on duty - Transportation to and from vessel - Spectacular wildlife viewing - Unique working environment amid the coast’s most beautiful scenery - Work in a positive, fun-loving, professional environment

How to Apply:

Send resume and cover letter explaining how you meet the above qualifications to jobs@MapleLeafAdventures.com clearly stating “chef job posting’ in the subject line. No phone calls please.

For more information about our trips and our company, visit www.MapleLeafAdventures.com

Location: Gulf Islands, Northern Vancouver Island, Great Bear Rainforest, Haida Gwaii, South East Alaska

Compensation: Competitive rates + Guest tips - This is a contract job. - Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.

- Please, no phone calls about this job!

- Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

Maple Leaf Adventures

jobs@mapleleafadventures.com, www.MapleLeafAdventures.com, Mail. PO Box 8845, Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Z1

SGang Gwaay on a Maple Leaf Adventures Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) tour

Described as the Canadian Galapagos, Haida Gwaii is located at the western edge of North America and is a place teeming with wildlife and First Nations heritage. For more than 20 years, Maple Leaf Adventures has led authentic explorations aboard a classic 28-metre (92-foot) schooner into the Gwaii Haanas National Park Marine Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, an area rarely travelled and explored.

Recognized as a Signature Canadian Experience by the Canadian Tourism Commission, the nine-day, eight-night Haida Gwaii eco-cruise departs from Masset, BC (returning to Sandspit, BC) on five separate dates in 2012: May 7 – 15, May 16 – 24, May 25 – Jun. 2, Jun. 4 – 12 and Jun. 13 – 21. Cost per passenger is $4,640.00 Cdn (includes all shore excursions, meals, accommodations and use of onboard equipment). Masset is located at the northern end of Graham Island – the largest of the more than 150 islands that comprise the Queen Charlotte Islands, now known as Haida Gwaii. Typically, guests fly into Masset, BC aboard Pacific Coastal Airlines out of Vancouver, BC.

Viewing humpback whales in Gwaii Haanas (Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlotte Islands)

“It’s a real privilege to be one of the few tour operators permitted to travel into Gwaii Haanas,” said Kevin Smith, president of Maple Leaf Adventures. “We guide our guests into this maze of islands and waterways, a world class natural environment that made the Haida who they are. Now modern Haida watchmen welcome us into their Haida village sites, as our voyage takes us through this landscape forests, rugged cliffs, beaches and natural hot springs. All the while, we are surrounded by wildlife, from tufted puffins to bears and massive humpback whales.”

As a co-founder of Gwaii Haanas Tour Operators Association and co-author of its renowned Code of Conduct, Maple Leaf Adventures operates its Haida Gwaii tour by sail with the permission and respect of the Haida and Parks Canada. During the trip, guests embark on a number of guided land and sea explorations, including a visit to the UN World Heritage Site SGang Gwaay (Ninstints). Here, Haida guides share stories of the still-standing totem poles (some dating from the mid-19th century) and house remains, and the Kunghit Haida people who carved them so many years ago.

Stands of spruce, cedar and hemlock create a towering rainforest on Haida Gwaii

Other highlights of the sailing cruise include naturalist-led treks to islands that feature thousands of nesting seabirds, hikes through forests with centuries-old trees and soaks in natural hot springs. And after each day of adventure, guests return to the tall ship to enjoy gourmet meals prepared by the onboard chef, relax in the comfortable sleeping cabin or spend time in the above-deck wheelhouse where they can try their hands at steering the ship.

To book a tour or learn more about Maple Leaf Adventures, visit Maple Leaf’s Haida Gwaii tour page or email us at info@MapleLeafAdventures.com.

About Maple Leaf Adventures
Maple Leaf Adventures has provided conservation travel experiences aboard a classic tall ship since 1986. With a reputation as one of Canada’s top sustainable tour operators, its multi-day excursions give guests one-of-a-kind experiences in some of the most beautiful and rare places in the world, often in areas that were once under threat of destruction or in dire need of protection. As a long time practitioner of ecotourism, Maple Leaf Adventures pioneered travel in BC’s Great Bear Rainforest and northwestern Vancouver Island and has made significant contributions in the field of conservation. For more information, visit www.MapleLeafAdventures.com.

-30-

Sample tweet:
Discover Haida Gwaii w/ rare @MapleLeafAdvent sailing cruise: visit ancient villages, spot rare wildlife and soak in natural hot springs.

Note to editors: High resolution images available upon request

Media Contacts:
Maureen Gordon, Maple Leaf Adventures: 250 386-7245, 250-881-6143 (cell) or Maureen@MapleLeafAdventures.com
Deirdre Campbell, Tartan Group: 250-592-3838, 250-882-9199 (cell) or deirdre@tartangroup.ca

Read about the inside passage small ship cruises and Haida Gwaii tours.