The winds have eased, the sun has returned and the flowers are out on Indian Plum, red flowering current, ornamental trees, and in the south coast's wild meadows.

Herring are spawning by the millions in the shallows, and birds and sea lions are gorging themselves. Fishing boats along the coast are bringing in the fresh-caught Pacific halibut for the table.

We hope you enjoy these tips and updates about the coast and Maple Leaf.

If you are planning to travel in 2008, we look forward to welcoming you aboard.

Click here to view the 2008 schedule. (All links open in a separate window.)

May your springtime be filled with great adventures.

Maple Leaf Makeover

After a Bigger-Than-Ever Shipyard, Maple Leaf Is Ready for Her Close-Up

As spring gains a foothold on the west coast it brings with it a renewal of the cycle of life. Spring for us at Maple Leaf Adventures is marked by the myriad of bird traffic in the skies, blooming cherry trees... and of course the Maple Leaf gleaming with the effort put into her yearly upkeep. The Maple Leaf crew has been busy at work over the winter with annual maintenance and making some changes to the ship. She spent two long (and exhausting!) weeks out of the water in Vancouver while we worked through a long list of jobs and improvements. One of the more noticeable changes is a beautiful new set of standing rigging. Many chilly days were spent aloft in tiny bosun's chairs to measure and replace over 1000 feet of old shrouds and stays with shiny new stainless-steel. The overall result is a very tidy ship-shape rig that is much stronger and more durable. Moving below decks and of particular interest for our guests are some significant improvements to the main cabin. New heating vents were added throughout the ship including ducted hot air into both heads. Guests will now be greeted by a heated floor during those early morning visits to the head. And while we're on the subject, we are happy to announce a beautifully rebuilt starboard head complete with shower, which doubles the number of showers we have available for our guests and brings the total on board to three! Did I say guests? That brings up another improvement! The management team has decided to cap the number of guests for all trips at 8 people. That means overall improved service and comfort for our guests - and more elbow room at the dinner table! Also worth mentioning is a new engine for our second tender ("little red") which will make her quieter, more fuel efficient, and faster. Of course, words can only go so far. We look forward to showing off our little changes to you in person! Hope to see you in the coming months! - Paul First Mate, MLA The Maple Leaf Winter Maintenance Team Maintaining a classic wooden ship is a labour of love. Both of those L words have about equal weight. Thanks to this great team of people who put their labour and their love into the ship this winter. Kevin Smith, president James Warburton, operations and maintenance manager Bart Sutherland Paul Smith Terese Ayre Liam Johnson Tavish Campbell Tess Szostakiwskyi Brian Rainbow Jenny Kingsley Drew Kennedy

The Guest Letter: A sudden hospital visit leads a professional couple from Alberta to unexpected insights on the B.C. coast

We're Janice McDougall and Gervais Goodman and we live and work at in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains southwest of Calgary Alberta. We first learned of the Maple Leaf and her story through the June 2006 edition of "Westworld" magazine, the Alberta Motor Association publication. We kept the article, showing it to friends and family, saying "one day … one day". That summer Janice became ill with a rogue virus which necessitated surgery and a week long stay in hospital. Having had this little wake-up call, one of the first things she did upon being released was call up Louise and book a trip on the Maple Leaf for the fall of 2007. Time enough to get well and something to look forward to! Louise listened to our stories, graciously put up with our "land lubber" questions and overt enthusiasm for months in preparation for the trip. We chose the Whales and Totems journey in order to gain an appreciation of the historical and current interdependence of the human and non-human systems in a part of the world that was distinctly different than the foothills in which we live, work and play. The fact that the trip would be on the historic Maple Leaf was the clincher. The voyage was so much more than gaining an appreciation. As partial "hermits" out here in the country, we were in close quarters with a group of people we had never met before. The trip made us stretch in terms of defining our personal space and, here we are, just 6 months later, about to spend a four day Easter weekend with new shipboard friends from San Diego - eagle watching, what else! We saw things we had never seen before. We did things we never did before. We ate like we never had before. We were able to stretch in as many directions as we wanted with the total support and encouragement of the crew and fellow passengers. In our part of the world, an encounter with a grizzly is something we had taken courses on how to avoid - in this new ecosystem, with ample food supplies and no human habituation, we watched a grizzly mom salmon fish for her cub. We wondered, "if our previous perception of grizzlies that we held so firmly was inappropriate in this context, what other perceptions might we hold dearly that aren't appropriate in all situations?" We got to "meet our bookshelf" - Alexandra Morton and Billy Proctor, and after the trip, we forwarded Gervais' amazing pictures of the elusive offshore Orca pod to one of Canada's pre-eminent whale researchers, Graeme Ellis. We gained a deep appreciation of the interconnectedness of the entities of that particular ecosystem. Our crew was immensely knowledgeable and shared that knowledge in entertaining and passionate ways. You cannot help but be transformed by a voyage on the Maple Leaf - she has been transformed herself and touches everyone with her grace. A trip on the Maple Leaf is truly a trip of a lifetime. Do whatever you have to do to join her, breathe her magic and see how she brings wondrous things out of the mist. ________________________________________________ As new members of the Maple Leaf family, Gervais and Janice have already booked onto their next Maple Leaf trip in 2009! Read about the Whales & Totems trip.

Schedule & Availability

2008 Spring/Summer Schedule & Availability Art at Sea, Gulf Islands, painting holiday with Mark Hobson, Apr. 9-14   - 1 space just came available!   - Paint, cruise and play in the Gulf Islands with award-winning artist and naturalist Mark Hobson Spring Fling in the Gulf Islands, Apr. 16-21   - SOLD OUT, booking for the fall Great Bear Rainforest & Kitlope Supervoyage, Apr. 30-May 6   - 4 spaces available   - Be in the Great Bear for spring's rush of life: birds, goats, bears, marine life. Travel to the Kitlope with elder Cecil Paul.   - NEW: Special shorter trip this year: 7 days. Great for those who can't take the 2 weeks normally dedicated to this amazing trip. Haida Gwaii 1, May 9-17   - 1 space available   - Islands, Haida villages, whales, seabirds: a mecca for those who appreciate First Nations art and culture. Haida Gwaii 2, May 18-26   - SOLD OUT, booking 2009 Alaska 1, May 29-Jun. 9   - 3 spaces available   - From calving glaciers to humpback whales among the islands, to the puffins, sea otters and wild beaches of the west coast.   - Includes special historical guided tour of Sitka, the town where Tlingit, Russian, and American history converged. Alaska 2, Jun. 10-21   - 1 space available   - From calving glaciers to humpback whales among the islands, to the puffins, sea otters and wild beaches of the west coast.   - Includes special historical guided tour of Sitka, the town where Tlingit, Russian, and American history converged. Wild Side of Vancouver Island, Jun. 28-Jul. 2   - space available   - The last undiscovered quarter of Vancouver Island: puffins, sea otters, bears and long beaches.   - Quatsino Sound, Brooks Peninsula, Kyuquot Sound, Rugged Point, Solander Island, Cape Scott Ask about a trip. 2008 Fall Schedule & Availability Great Bear Rainforest, Sep. 9-18   - SOLD OUT, booking 2009 Great Bear Rainforest, Sep. 20-28   - 3 spaces available   - Featured in this month's Canadian Geographic Travel Art at Sea, Whales & Totems, Sep 30-Oct 6   - 2 spaces available Whales & Totems of the Great Bear Rainforest, Oct. 7-13   - space available Autumn Beauty in the Gulf Islands, Oct 17-22   - space available Tall Sails & Ales (Oktoberfest voyage), Gulf Islands, Oct 23-29   - space available Ask about a trip.

Public Lectures with Coastal Researchers

This winter, Maple Leaf Adventures' Maureen Gordon and Kevin Smith developed a series of public lectures with researchers from Raincoast Conservation Foundation and the B.C. government. Our goals in putting together these lectures were: To inform the general public about the natural areas of the B.C. coast To highlight innovative research and social developments occurring on the coast To raise money for coastal organizations that work to steward B.C.'s natural heritage To let people know about how to visit these great places in a sustainable manner, using eco-tourism on the Maple Leaf as an example The first lecture, given by Maureen with Brian Falconer of Raincoast Conservation Foundation's marine program, to a full house in the Comox Valley, raised about $1000 for Raincoast, the Comox District Mountaineering Club and the Courtenay and District Museum, and provided lots of food for thought among attendees. The second lecture, sponsored by the University of Victoria Alumni Association, filled up quickly and raised about $1500 for Raincoast. In addition to a geographic overview of the Great Bear Rainforest by Kevin, Andy MacKinnon spoke about what's going on with developing ecosystem based management of forest lands, which is supposed to result in better logging practices, and Dr. Chris Darimont of Raincoast presented the findings of the Rain Wolf Project's decade of study. In the coming months, we'll post video excerpts from these lectures on our website and in a newsletter. We also plan on offering further public lectures. If you know of a community or organization that would like to help arrange one, drop us an email.

Photo of the Month

The current photo of the month was taken on a crew-only transit, between the Great Bear Rainforest and northwestern Vancouver Island. To the crew's great excitement, the weather patterns were holding for a straight shot southwest from the central coast to Triangle Island, the night's anchorage. Fabled among people who love seabirds, sailing and the B.C. coast, Triangle Island is home to thousands of nesting pairs of tufted puffins, a few nesting pairs of horned puffins, and many other seabirds including murres, gulls and auklets. Naturalist Alison Watt wrote about it in her award-winning book The Last Island, and it is truly a special and extremely rare place to visit. Visit the Photo of the Month page to view all photos of the month since the last newsletter.

Wildlife Viewing a Popular North American Pastime

Wildlife viewing is a popular activity among North Americans, and recent studies show just how popular. According to a comprehensive survey of North American households in 2006, over one-third of Canadian travellers and over one quarter of American travellers went wildlife viewing while on an out-of-town, overnight trip of one or more nights. The report, conducted for Canadian provincial tourism associations, also found that wildlife viewing was the second most common activity undertaken by all Canadian pleasure travellers. In the same time period, the US Fish and Wildlife Service found that birdwatching had become the hobby of 47.8 million Americans, up 8% from the year 2000. Typically, popular times in temperate areas for birdwatching are the spring and fall migrations. This is definitely true of the B.C. and Alaska coast, where our trips during these seasons provide opportunity to view a wide variety of birds, especially migrating seabirds. On the coast, we are also lucky to be able to view in spring and early summer birds that normally spend their life far out at sea. That's because they arrive by the thousands to B.C. and Alaska's islands to nest and raise their chicks. This opportunity includes the chance to view tufted puffins, shearwaters and ancient murrelets up close. The best trips to view these birds are: Alaska Supervoyage    Read about it Vancouver Island's Wild Side    Read about it Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii    Read about it Read more about the best trips for different kinds of wildlife here.

Packing Tips

Generally, all you need to bring on a trip is outlined in the Packing List that comes in your Pre-Trip Package. Here are a few tips for how you might like to pack your things. First, make sure you use a collapsible, soft-sided bag, like a duffel bag. This saves space on board, since you can fold it up or flatten it to take up no space. Next, it's a good idea to group a number of small, similar items, such as all socks, underwear and swimsuit, toque and gloves, all digital camera cards, cords and batteries, together and pack them in see-through sacs (net bags, small stuff sacks or ziplock bags work well). For toiletries, a folding toiletries case, with a hook for hanging if possible, is a great way to keep things organized. Pack shoes in plastic bags (unless your luggage has a special shoe pocket) since this keeps them together and also prevents dirt from rubbing onto your clothes. Put a name label on the bag, so Maple Leaf crew know where to put it when you arrive at the ship. Bring the map included with your Pre-Trip Pack, so you can trace your route as we travel.

Thank You For the Recommendations

Many people return for multiple journeys aboard Maple Leaf. And many have referred friends and family members to us over the years. We want to publicly acknowledge how grateful we are for the recommendations, and the chance to travel with you again. Travelling with a light touch on the planet, keeping groups small so that the quality of education is high, and adhering to the principles of eco-tourism means that we don't have the kind of resources available to us to advertise what we do and the places we go in the same way as large cruise companies or resorts do. So, if you know of people who would like to journey into the heart of the B.C. and Alaska coast aboard a classic schooner, please send them this newsletter. Or, ask us to mail them a brochure courtesy of you.

Recent Honours & Coverage

Canadian Geographic Travel's Cover Feature: The Great Bear Aboard Maple Leaf In the bio photo on her website, journalist Deborah Campbell stands in the desert. Behind her, sand dunes rise like a confused sea and a herd of camels walks past it. Campbell is a leading journalist on Middle East issues, has travelled as a woman alone in Syria, and recently won National Magazine Awards for her work. Last September, she arrived on the wooden ramp at the Bella Bella wharf. Instead of camels, it was gulls and kingfishers that paraded past. Campbell would be exploring the Great Bear Rainforest with us, on assignment by Canadian Geographic. What, we wondered, would this intrepid, urban expert on desert politics make of the Great Bear? There was a lot of rain that week, and waterfalls roared down the cliffs wherever we travelled. But that didn't stop the Great Bear from its natural rhythms: bears fishing for salmon, whales diving for krill. Campbell saw it and understood it. We think she's captured a real slice of the the place, its people and its quandries in this month's cover feature that she wrote for Canadian Geographic Travel. If you're in Canada, we encourage you to buy a copy. If you're not, you can read her article online here:    Read the Canadian Geographic article    Get More Info    Reserve Your Great Bear Trip (All links open in a new browser window.)

One of Canada's "Top 5 Guided Trips" as Ranked by Explore Magazine March has been a heady month. This month, Explore magazine decided to evaluate and rank what they thought of as Canada's Top 25 Trips of a Lifetime. Criteria included Scenery, Wildlife, Cultural & Nature Interpretation, Adventure and Bragging Rights. Maple Leaf's Great Bear Rainforest tour came in at #4 in the country, even though our top marks for wildilfe, scenery, and interpretation got dragged down by our cushy accommodations, chef-cooked meals, and mild level of physical exertion required of our guests. (There's fewer "bragging rights" if you don't have to drag your butt up the beach to unfold a tent at the end of the day.) Perhaps we'll put it to our guests in 2008: is it worth giving up the fluffy duvets for higher bragging rights? Thanks to the pioneering editorial team at Explore for the recognition -- especially for its recognition of the Great Bear Rainforest as one of Canada's great places.    Read about our 6-night spring Great Bear trip here    View a Slide Show    Ask for More Info    Reserve Your Spot (All links open in a new browser window.)

About the Photos in This Newsletter

All photos in this newsletter were taken by Maple Leaf guests or crew. Photo credits are: Newsletter banner: Brooks Peninsula beach, Vancouver Island, on the "Wild Side" trip, by Kevin Smith Newsletter heading: Sunset over the bowsprit, Great Bear Rainforest, by Kevin Smith Capt. Kevin Smith and guests with sea lions, Gulf Islands, by Thomas Kerr Maple Leaf under sail, Gulf Islands, by Paul Smith Maple Leaf rigging, Victoria harbour, by Paul Smith Cabinet detail on Maple Leaf, by Paul Smith Maple Leaf maintenance crew at work, by Kevin Smith Shipyard crew at work, by Paul Smith Janice McDougall and Gervais Goodman, courtesy of Janice McDougall and Gervais Goodman Water and island view, by Kevin Smith View of the Broughton Archipelago and Great Bear Rainforest with orcas, by Kevin Smith Maple Leaf guest on Maple Leaf's bowsprit, Gardner Canal, by Maureen Gordon Black bear, by Kevin Smith Maple Leaf's zodiac in front of glacier, Alaska, by Kevin Smith Maureen giving a presentation, by Kevin Smith Maple Leaf sailing past Triangle Island, by Greg Shea Arctic terns, Alaska, by Kevin Smith Tufted puffin, Alaska, by Kevin Smith Guests photographing whales, Alaska, by Kevin Smith

Fair winds and following seas, - The Maple Leaf Adventures Crew

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