atlas ocean tours haida gwaii

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ATLAS Ocean Tours

Nov 23, 2020 | 0

Atlas Ocean Tours

Atlas Ocean Tours has a mighty powerful name for a company that is the smallest QuirkyCruise ship operator we have covered thus far. One-week trips explore the southern part of Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands) in a patch of Canadian wilderness about 100 miles off the mainland of British Columbia.

The region has recently become a UNESCO World Heritage site known as Gwaii Haanas , a move which spares the wilderness here from logging and vandalism.

Explore the beauty of an old-growth forest, ancient Haida Village culture and wildlife on land, sea and in the air. Cruises operate one-way, so there is no backtracking, between Queen Charlotte Village and Rose Harbour. A seaplane flight returns to your originating point.

Sail the Inside Passage on a biggie that carries more passengers and crew than the population of the ports themselves, OR … choose a maximum of a mini-ship carrying just six paying passengers — that’s six more than a ghost town!

Getting to the Atlas can be a trick. Flights originate in Vancouver, B.C. and Prince Rupert B.C. to Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Island), and BC Ferries operates between Prince Rupert and the island carrying cars and passengers. Local island transport is by taxi, and the cruise company provides connections from where you are staying to and from the boat.

An overnight pre- and post-cruise hotel stay on the island is required, in case of air delays. It may seem complicated if you do not know the local geography, but then you are booking a trip in a relatively remote island area of British Columbia. The Atlas Ocean Tours office can assist.

MV Atlas (built TK & 6 passengers) — British Columbia

Atlas Ocean Tours Passenger Profile

Mostly Canadians. Agility helps to board the skiff and kayaks, expanding your horizons on trips off the MV Atlas .

The charming little Atlas.

$$ Expensive; the MV Atlas is a great option for full-boat charters for family and friend groups.

Included Features

• All meals & snacks
• Use of kayaks
• Seaplane flight to or from the vessel

Atlas Ocean Tours Itineraries

7-night cruises operate on a one-way basis between mid-May and mid-September. A seaplane flight, included in the fare, operates in the opposite or return direction. The scenic overview from the air is an integral part of the cruise.

Deep forest on Gwai . * Photo: Jason Shafto

Sample Itinerary

Operating between Queen Charlotte Village and Rose Harbour, the voyage makes stops at very remote places, including K ’uuna Llnagaay (Skedans) and T’aanuu Llnagaay (Tanu), sailing through Echo Harbour and Hlk’yah GaawGa (Windy Bay) to G andll K’in Gwaayaay (Hotspring Island) and Bischof Islands, to Yatza Mountain overlooking Island Bay, and through the Burnaby Narrows to S­ G ang Gwaay Llnagaay, Gordon Islands, Cape St. James and Kerouard Islands.

The British Columbia island area explored on these cruises is virtually inaccessible without a boat and that adds to the sense of remoteness from the outside world, while you take in the natural surroundings and the local Haida culture from the cruise vessel, skiff, kayaks, on foot and in the air.

Sunset off Haida Gwaii. *Photo: Jason Shafto

When to Go?

Cruises operate between mid-May and mid-September, and the season usually sells out. First to go are the dates in the height of the summer, and the line’s website shows up-to-date availability. The early season dates will have cooler weather and lingering snow on the highest elevations.

Atlas Ocean Tours Activities & Entertainment

There is kayaking, complete with safety gear. If you are planning to fish, a recreational saltwater license is required, and all the fishing gear is then provided. A skiff takes all passengers ashore, and on exploratory coastal trips and outings to seek wildlife on the shore and marine life at sea.

Sightings on land and sea will likely include bears, eagles, humpback whales, orcas, dolphins and sea lions. A Portuguese bridge allows access to the covered side decks and the bow. The pilothouse is also open to passengers for a chat or to learn about navigation and local sights.

The 6-passenger MV Atlas. * Photo: Jason Shafto

Atlas Ocean Tours Dining

Everybody aboard helps prepare the meals, and the passengers serve as sous chefs and do the washing up (and sometimes even help catch dinner!). Fresh vegetables, fruits and baked goods are brought aboard at the outset. The fish and prawns are freshly caught.

Fishing is part of the fun! * Photo: Atlas Ocean Tours

A rugged pilothouse trawler with three decks (and no elevator!), Atlas is pretty throughout.

The interiors are paneled in mahogany with the big-window salon serving as a lounge and dining area. A selection of books includes guides to the birds, animals, plants and Haida culture, plus simply good reads.

Dinner! * Photo: Jason Shafto

There’s also plenty of deck space (both open-air and canopied). The two cabins have three bunks and they share a recently renovated head — washroom and stall shower.

A cabin. * Photo: Jason Shafto

Special Notes

If unfamiliar with the geography, the company website and the booking agent will help you get there and back. Cruises sell out quickly!

Kayaking off Haida Gwaii. *Photo: Jason Shafto

Along the Same Lines

At present, this firm with its small 6-passenger vessel is the only one of its size and type on our site. Adding additional lines is an ongoing process.

Tlell, BC  Canada

+1 (250)557-8514; [email protected]; atlasoceantours.com

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About The Author

QuirkyCruise

Ted & Heidi are long-time travel writers with a penchant for small ship cruising. Between them they've traveled all over the world aboard hundreds and hundreds of small cruise ships of all kinds, from river boats to expedition vessels and sailing ships.

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Atlas Ocean Tours Review

A truly small ship cruise.

Atlas Ocean Tours was founded by Captain James Nickerson, born and raised in Queen Charlotte, British Columbia. He grew up in a fishing family that provided passage for some of the first visitors to Gwaii Haanas after it was established as a National Park Reserve in the 1980s. For over a decade, he led tours in the Gwaii Haanas archipelago and worked for multiple operators through the years.

Based on the knowledge he learned from those experiences, he, along with his wife, built their own business. Their boat the  Atlas  was designed by renowned naval architect Arthur Defever for both comfort and style, and is the sole vessel in the family-run operation – built specifically for Haida Gwaii.

Ships:  1 – MV Atlas

How Many Passengers : 6 passengers

Personality : The  Atlas  is a pilothouse trawler, which is a form of yacht. The onboard atmosphere is incredibly intimate because there are only six guests and the crew, and there are large windows onboard for viewing the scenery and wildlife.

Fellow Passengers : Guests of all ages are welcome, including kids who receive discounted fare.

Cabins : There are two cabins on the boat, which feature mahogany wood interiors both in the sleeping area and bathroom. The cabins are comfortable and are decorated simply, but tastefully.

Dining : The boat has a large salon area for dining, and the galley is full-equipped for beautiful, fresh dishes. Fresh bakery items made by Captain James’ mom are delivered to the boat at the beginning of each journey, and there are fresh vegetables and meats for a variety of dishes. Guests with fishing licenses are also welcome to share what they catch, which can include fish, crabs, prawns, and more. Since the trips are such small groups, everyone tends to pitch in, so guests will usually help the crew prepare each meal.

Amenities : The boat has a swim grid, an onboard library, kayaks for tours, and fishing equipment. The aft and side decks are also open but covered – perfect for many types of weather. The focal point of Atlas Ocean Tours is the nature and land adventures, so you won’t find a lot offered onboard the small boat.

Best For : Any small group that wants a cruising adventure all to themselves and those who are seeking a personal experience.

Included Alcohol : Wine, and guests are also welcome to bring their own favorite wine, beer, or spirits.

Where They Go : The Haida Gwaii archipelago in British Columbia, Canada.

For More Info:  Visit Atlas Ocean Tours

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Tour operators

Gwaii haanas national park reserve, national marine conservation area reserve, and haida heritage site.

Licensed operators offer a variety of expeditions, tours and transportation options. Excursions range from day trips by motor boat to longer sea kayak and sailing expeditions.

Only operators who are licensed by Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site may operate within Gwaii Haanas.

The Gwaii Haanas business licensing process ensures that minimum safety standards are met for all businesses that operate in Gwaii Haanas. Gwaii Haanas does not evaluate guides on the extent of their knowledge of local natural and cultural features, and service standards vary from business to business. You are encouraged to discuss your service expectations with your prospective transportation or tour operator prior to confirming your trip plans.

If you have any questions as to whether a business is authorized to conduct trips in Gwaii Haanas, please contact Visitor Services Team Leader Anna Maria Husband at 250-559-6322 or [email protected]

The following is a list of tour operators that operate in Gwaii Haanas. These businesses might not be intending to operate in Gwaii Haanas this year. Please contact tour operators for further information. The service descriptions below are provided by the operators. Gwaii Haanas does not necessarily endorse any of these services. 

We encourage you to travel responsibly in Gwaii Haanas or anywhere on Haida Gwaii. Read  Code of ethics for travellers  and sign the Haida Gwaii pledge .

Licensed tour operators 

Printable table  (PDF, 31KB)

Atlas Ocean Tours

Experience the trip of a lifetime with local resident and long-time Gwaii Haanas tour captain James Nickerson. Specializing in classy, comfortable and fun trips, we offer small-group tours and are fully equipped as a kayak mothership. Enjoy exceptional wildlife and Haida cultural sites aboard Atlas, our 42’ Defever-designed motor yacht.

James Nickerson and Catherine Rigg Mail: PO Box 34, Tlell, BC, V0T 1Y0 Phone: 250-557-8514 Email: [email protected] Website: www.atlasoceantours.com

Bluewater Adventures

Award-winning, wildlife and cultural learning journeys with expert guides - marine biologists, ornithologists, and Haida Elders. Navigate beautiful Gwaii Haanas aboard multi-day, live-aboard, sailing vessels with highly experienced crew. Our 68’-82’ sailing vessels provide warm, comfortable cabins, single & double kayaks for guest use, and zodiacs for excursions ashore.

#3-252 East First Street, North Vancouver, B.C. V7L 1B3 Phone: (604)980-3800 Fax: (604)980-1800 Toll Free: 1-888-877-1770 Email: [email protected] Website: www.bluewateradventures.ca

Butterfly Tours - Kayak Haida Gwaii

Butterfly tours has been offering exceptional multi-day kayaking tours in Gwaii Haanas since 1987. With our expertise and top-quality camping and kayaking gear, we specialize in fully catered 6 & 8-day expeditions. Our excursions accommodate groups of six to eight guests, ensuring a personalized and unforgettable adventure.

Butterfly Tours Mail: 1584 Bauza Creek Road, Telegraph Cove, BC V0N 3J0 Phone: 604-740-7018 Email: [email protected] Website: www.IslandsofBeauty.com

Gnoses Sailing Adventures

Sail the Gwaii Haanas archipelago. Visit Haida villages, see the sights, wander shorelines, and explore low tides. Offering hiking, kayaking and customized tours. As sailors and teachers in outdoor education, we enjoy families with kids. “Gnoses” is not luxurious, she is our home. Our emphasis is enthusiasm for the outdoors.

Ralph Nelson Mail: Box 371, Queen Charlotte, BC V0T 1S0 Queen Charlotte BC V0T 1S0 Email: [email protected] Web: www.gnoses.com

Green Coast Kayaking Ltd.

Green Coast is a locally owned kayaking company that specializes in 8 day kayak expeditions that connect our guests with the people, land and sea of Haida Gwaii. In operation since 1989, our trips are defined by communal living, respect for nature and education.

Green Coast Kayaking Ltd. P. O. Box 670 Queen Charlotte, B.C. V0T 1S0 Phone: 250-637-1991 Email: [email protected] Website:  www.gckayaking.com

Haida Style Expedition

Haida Style Expeditions is a Haida-owned and operated company offering a one-of-a-kind cultural adventure experience. In sharing our culture and history we provide you with an education like no other. Offering day tours in Gwaii Haanas, cruise onboard one of our enclosed cabin vessels in style.

Phone: 250-637-1151 Email:  [email protected] Website:  https://www.haidastyle.com

Highlander Marine Services Ltd.

Specialized marine transportation and support services aboard high speed aluminum landing craft. Our vessels Highlander, the Highland Ranger and the Highland Carrier are all Transport Canada certified to carry passengers and freight. Services include project logistics and planning support, towing, media/film support, vehicle and equipment movement, kayak group transport.

PO Box 1535, Skidegate, B.C. V0T 1S1 Phone: (250) 637-1111 Email: [email protected] Website:  www.highlandermarine.ca

Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures

Join Kingfisher on a fully inclusive 5, 8 or 15 day sea kayaking expedition of Gwaii Haanas. Each trip is led by highly-experienced guides with a maximum of 8 guests paddling single and double kayaks. Kingfisher has over 20 years of experience leading exceptional kayaking expeditions in British Columbia.

Mail: Box 1318, Port McNeill, B.C. V0N 2R0 Phone: 250-956-4617 Toll Free: 1-866-546-4347 Email: [email protected] Website:  kingfisher.ca

Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic

Board National Geographic Sea Bird or Sea Lion and join a team of naturalists, photographers and National Geographic Experts for a two-week expedition from Vancouver, British Columbia to Sitka, Alaska, including four days in Haida Gwaii and Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site.

Mail: 96 Morton Street 9th Floor, NY, NY 10014 Phone: (212) 261-9000 Toll Free: 1-800-397-3348 Email: [email protected] Website: www.expeditions.com

Maple Leaf Adventures

A National Geographic "Best adventure travel company," Maple Leaf operates week-long, boutique expedition cruises by luxury catamaran or adventurous sailing ship. Features: comprehensive exploration of Haida Gwaii and Gwaii Haanas, naturalists and Haida guides, coastal crew, lots of shore time, kayaks, chef. A local, coastal company practising ecotourism since 1986.

Kevin Smith Box 8845 Stn Central Victoria BC V8W 3Z1 Phone: (250)386-7245 Toll-free: 1-888-599-5323 Email: [email protected] Website:  www.mapleleafadventures.com

Moresby Explorers

Touring the waters around Gwaii Haanas since 1988 has earned us a growing reputation for providing fun, educational and safe wilderness adventures at affordable prices. Locally owned and operated. We offer 1-4 day zodiac tours, floating lodge accommodations, kayak rentals and transportation, general outfitting and an outdoor gear store.

P. O. Box 127, Sandspit, B.C. V0T 1T0 Phone: 250-637-2215 Toll Free/Fax/Phone: 1-800-806-7633 Email: [email protected] Website:  www.moresbyexplorers.com

Ocean Adventures Charter Co. Ltd.

We offer cultural and natural history tours into Gwaii Haanas onboard our 54’ motor yacht. With her experienced crew, you will enjoy unparalled service, comfort, privacy, and gourmet cuisine! We believe our small group size of up to six guests will help ensure you experience the trip of a lifetime!

Eric and Trish Boyum Mail: 3615 Eagleview Drive  Courtenay, BC V9N 4A7  Phone: (604) 812-9453 Fax: (604) 988-5990 Email: [email protected] Website:  www.oceanadventures.bc.ca

Ocean Light Adventures

 As the longest-running operator in Gwaii Haanas, we offer exciting adventure and natural history trips and mothership kayaking tours into the heart of the archipelago. Our fully refitted 60’ power vessel, Afterglow I, comfortably accommodates eight. We invite special interest groups, photographers, kayakers, families, and individuals seeking adventure.

Jenn Broom Mail: 1543 Park Ave, Roberts Creek, BC V0N 2W2 Phone: 604-328-5339 Email:  [email protected] Website: https://www.oceanlight.ca  

Ocean Sound Kayaking Company

Celebrating 35 years of “Once in Lifetime Moments” on Haida Gwaii, while offering exceptional travel to amazing people from around the world!  Simply a must-do for natural history and wildlife enthusiasts.  We invite you to explore the many Cultural Treasures and Natural Wonders of Gwaii Haanas with us.

PO Box 74, Sandspit, BC, V0T 1T0 Email: [email protected] Website: www.oceansoundkayaking.com

Outer Shores Expeditions

Our carbon neutral expeditions aboard our 70’ classic schooner provide extraordinary and intimate opportunities for up to 6 guests to be immersed in the ancient cultures and stunning wildlife of Canada’s Pacific Coast. We invite you to explore and experience Gwaii Haanas with our crew of professional mariners and guides.

Mail: Box 361, Cobble Hill, BC, V0R 1L0 Phone: 250-220-2311 Toll free: 1-855-714-7233 Email: [email protected] Website: www.outershores.ca Facebook: www.facebook.com/OuterShores

Tofino Expeditions

With over 30 years of experience guiding award-winning full-service sea kayaking trips in Haida Gwaii, we operate all our southern Gwaii Haanas expeditions in the comfort of fast and stable tandem kayaks. This ensures we are able to visit as many of the significant natural and cultural features of this unforgettable place as possible.

Mail: PO Box 3014, Courtenay, BC V9N 5N5 Phone: 250-207-1567 Toll Free: 800-677-0877 Website:  https://www.tofino.com Email:  [email protected]

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Sailing British Columbia: Remote North with Ellen Massey Leonard

Exploring the remote north of British Columbia by yacht and classic seaplane was a childhood dream come true for bluewater sailor, aircraft pilot, photographer, and author Ellen Massey Leonard.

Flying & sailing british columbia: the remote north.

I caught the sailing bug as a little kid, only about six years old, on a small island in British Columbia. It wasn’t long before I was daydreaming of sailing farther afield than my tiny dinghy could take me. I’m not sure why my childhood mind got fixated on the North Coast, right up by the Alaska border, and in particularly the Haida Gwaii islands, a misty archipelago sticking out into the North Pacific. But somehow it did. Maybe it was the chart of the British Columbia coast on the wall in my parents’ house. Or maybe it was the Native Haida artist who was one of my parents’ closest friends. One of his woodblock prints hung over the fireplace in our house: a stylized raven that held your gaze with the tension in its form and lines. And whenever we visited his house, I was caught – even as a six-year-old – by the palpable spirit of his art, all around us. There were cedar bentwood boxes, masks on the walls, drawings, carvings: all of it imbued with the history, feeling, and spirit of his culture. I remember his house having a sort of hush inside, that the art inhabiting the place required respect and even reverence from anyone who crossed the threshold.

However it was, I was captivated by the islands of the North Coast. In my imagination they were cold, and swept with wind and rain, heavily forested and moss-covered, and imbued with that same hushed reverence with which I instinctively approached the art of my parents’ friend. I saw the islands themselves as a truly wild wilderness, where bears and wolverines reigned in the steep hills and where beautifully carved Haida totem poles and the people who created them reigned along the shore. Of course the true history of the Haida First Nations people is also one of tragedy, of the near loss of their oral history, dances, societal structure, art and customs, from colonization, disease, religious conversion, forced separation of children from their families, and all the terrible things that have sadly followed the Western explorers all over the world. In some ways, however, these tragedies make the islands and their people even more impressive: the fact that they have held onto their culture, revived it and passed it onto their children and grandchildren, is evidence of truly awe-inspiring resilience and fortitude.

However shallow or deep my understanding of this region was as a child, the place captivated me and I wanted nothing more than to sail there aboard a small boat, anchor in a lonely bay, and take in the majesty of the place. I first got the opportunity to do so about ten years ago when I sailed north to Alaska from Washington State. However, I had a faraway goal on that trip – to reach the Aleutian Islands – and I was moving fast and covering a lot of distance. So when a friend invited me on a slow mosey of the North Coast this year, of course I said yes.

I met up with the steel pilothouse cutter in Daajing Giids (formerly Queen Charlotte Village) in Haida Gwaii, at the end of March, hardly an ideal time to cruise such a northern archipelago. Then again, maybe it was ideal? Maybe the cold, wintry conditions would add to the mystical hold this region already had on me. Instead of warm sunshine glowing on ripening blackberry bushes, I could expect leaden skies, whitecapped seas, leafless alder groves, snow on the mountaintops, and wind-driven sleet. While this is fairly well the opposite of what all of us actually prefer – especially for a sailing voyage – there was no denying that the moody, harsh weather would add to that sense of a hushed, little-known land on which a hardy group of humans had withstood the fury of North Pacific storms year after year, generation after generation.

No longer a dreamy child, but now an adult with much better understanding, I wondered as I prepared for the trip how my own art – as a photographer and writer – could ever come close to distilling the essence of a place like the Haida Gwaii archipelago and the surrounding coast. The First Nations art does it perfectly, to my mind: the lines, colors, and the spirit and history infusing that art, conveys the place and its people in way nothing else can. My art is, of course, completely different. It’s an outsider’s perspective; I focus primarily on nature photography; and it’s realist art rather than a figurative or abstract rendition of story, spirit, and culture. So I packed my cameras with a plan to focus on my own experience, conveying what I saw through my own lens, literal and figurative.

Sailing British Columbia: Setting Off from Daajing Giids

I arrived on a relatively calm day, with drifting clouds and a little bit of pale sunshine; the sail from the bay next to the airport across to the town of Daajing Giids was a pleasant, if cold, waft downwind. Nothing storm-tossed; in fact, it was just the sort of hushed, calm but wild, beauty I had had in mind for so long. The village itself was still hunkered down for the winter, with only a hint of buds on the salmonberry bushes and a few bursts of forsythia and daffodils to relieve the gray-green palate of land, sea, and sky. When the sun came out, it still had that cold – even harsh – light that the winter sun does, casting sharp shadows from the treeless branches. I knew that capturing the fickle winter beauty with my camera would be a challenge.

I began with a steep hike up a mountain behind Daajing Giids, called Sleeping Beauty, as the ridgeline looks a bit like a face in profile, lying on its back looking up at the sky. The trail up was a tangle of roots, brush, moss, and mud, giving way to snow as I climbed. The last pitch was a steep face, mostly covered in snow, and then I was atop a knife-edge ridge coated in slippery, granular spring snow. The mountains beyond were all thick with snow, the trees still bowed under its weight. Drifting clouds came and went, one moment obscuring everything except the snow at my feet, and then clearing in bits and pieces to reveal lakes, forests, and a far-off inlet of the sea. When the sun shone down onto the cloud at just the right angle, it painted a rainbow on the mist in a wide stroke. Looking out over the misty forests, I felt that yes, I had arrived in the quiet wilderness I had envisioned as a child.

The true wilderness of Haida Gwaii, however, is on the wind- and wave-swept west coast, exposed to the swell and wind of the entire North Pacific. A narrow passage, tearing with fast tidal current, cuts between the north and south islands of the archipelago and leads to the rocky lee shore of the west coast. Heading west, the currents are more favorable, meeting in the middle so that the flood takes you up and the ebb lets you down the other side.

We left Daajing Giids under just the sort of leaden skies and down-jacket weather I’d been expecting; there was little wind and so we motored through the passage on the correct tides. Coming out into the open sea, we hoisted sail in washing machine seas. The ocean swell was hitting the rocks and cliffs and bouncing back to create much steeper waves than the wind warranted. I felt a bit nauseated after several months away from sailing, but fortunately the bouncy conditions were soon alleviated as we turned into a spectacular inlet on Moresby Island. Seemingly sheer cliffs dropped into the sea, forming an entrance narrow enough to prevent the swell from entering. A shallow bar runs across the inlet partway in, and we found we had to wait for the tide to rise a little more before we would be able to cross it and gain the full protection of this magnificent, deserted bay.

Looking around, I noticed a shelving shingle beach on the north side of the inlet. A small area of level ground lay behind the grey shore, the only flat bit of land beyond the high tide line. It was the site of an ancient Haida village, long since gone. There may have been a few shell middens hidden deep under the thick moss, but otherwise there was no visible evidence that anyone had ever lived there. Yet, as is so often the case with places like this – my home state of Hawai’i is filled with them – you simply knew that people had indeed lived there; it had a settled tranquility to it – and also a sort of empty silence – that the wilderness surrounding it did not.

Going ashore, I tried to capture that sense of silent stillness – almost sadness – in a photograph. Strangely, however, I couldn’t capture it at the village site, but I could in different ways. There were all the different variations of moss – from pale green feathers draped over tree branches to the velvety green carpet underfoot  – that conveyed that sense of hush I felt everywhere. There were the immense driftwood logs washed onto the tidal mudflats at the head of the inlet, whose fantastic shapes, coupled with the sheer faces of the cliffs, conveyed the wild grandeur of the setting. And the tiny shape of the cutter, anchored before the endless forests carpeting the hills, gave a sense of the fragile toehold humans have on this harsh and yet rich and abundant coast.

After a few days sheltered against the southeasterly gale blowing outside, it was time to return through the Narrows between Graham and Moresby Islands and head across Hecate Strait for the Prince Rupert area. We took our time in the Narrows, waiting for the right tides and poking about on shore with the oystercatchers and deer. The skies had cleared, though it was still cold, and the water in the narrows was glassy calm, reflecting the forested hills, snowy summits, and the lavender colors of the sunset. Together with the cloud wisps floating below the mountaintops, the sunset light on sea and sky made for one of the best opportunities to photograph the exquisite stillness of the Haida Gwaii wilderness.

We crossed Hecate Strait at night in a short-lived southeasterly blow, so that we could sail with a following wind. It was blustery, cold, and choppy, but it was preferable to motoring into a headwind. We reached an anchorage near Prince Rupert at the height of the spring tides. Watching the water flow out and leave behind the immense structures of the piers gave me yet another perspective on the ruggedness of the environment, but one that also highlighted the rich marine life in these current-filled, cold seas, from oysters to salmon to the kingfishers and eagles.

I witnessed the spectacular life of the North Coast a few days later when we departed Prince Rupert for Alaska. Motoring out of a twisting channel to the north of the town, we came upon an enormous raft of thousands of black specks, covering a large stretch of water beyond one of the navigation markers. For a brief moment, we wondered what it could be – until it took flight. The raft was a huge flock of scoter ducks, black with striking red and orange bills and red feet. They would hurry along the surface of the water to take to the sky, each one comical in its takeoff run, but together appearing like a giant cloud. From behind my camera lens, the flock rising into the air echoed the mountains behind, and the monochrome blue-gray-silver of the sky, sea, birds, and the distant land perfectly captured the raw winter day, just starting to show hints of spring.

So far, I had focused my photography on the wintry wildness of the landscape, but when we came to Ketchikan, Alaska, I changed that. Ketchikan is today the fifth largest town in Alaska, whose main industry is tourism. It’s been the port of entry for vessels entering Alaska from the south since the town’s incorporation in 1900. It has been variously a fishing and cannery town, a mining town, and a lumber town. The Tlingit people were the original inhabitants of the area, fishing the creek that now runs through town for generations. The town that has grown up since Westerners first arrived in the mid-19 th century, however, is what dominates today. So rather than shooting landscapes and wildlife, capturing views of the town – especially in its pre-tourism winter garb – became my focus for my photographs. I wanted to show the working side of Ketchikan, rather than the tourist-centric waterfront promenade; I wanted to show the old trucks, potholed streets, and the salmon trollers tied up in the city boat basin. It seemed to round out my landscape shots from Haida Gwaii, showing both sides of this North Coast region.

Talking to the Sky

But, of course, Alaska’s magnificent scenery has a way of intervening. When I was offered the opportunity to fly a DeHavilland Beaver seaplane , of course I jumped at it.

The seaplanes in Ketchikan run full-out all summer, taking cruise ship passengers on scenic tours of the magnificent Misty Fjords, a wilderness of lakes, cliffs, fjords, waterfalls, forests, and mountain peaks. Floatplanes are by far the best access for this area, as they can set down on inaccessible mountain lakes and at the heads of fjords alike. This time of year, however, pilot Michelle was engaged in wildlife survey flights, tracking the herring spawning events: where they were occurring and when. They were very early this year, on account of sea temperatures 3 degrees (Fahrenheit) warmer than normal. For me, hitching along on a survey flight was quite a bit more interesting than taking a tour; the scientific work interested me and, of course, the flying really did. Except for the takeoffs and landings (I’m only rated in land planes), I was privileged to fly this beautifully restored DeHavilland, with its roaring radial engine, on the legs to and from Ketchikan to pick up the biologists who would be conducting the survey. On the actual survey, I retired to the back while the lead biologist took the copilot’s seat. And that gave me the freedom to photograph the stunning beauty that is Southeast Alaska from arguably an even better vantage than from the deck of a boat. I wondered, after taxiing back to the dock in Ketchikan, whether the next time I returned to Alaska it would be to sail or to fly.

Retiring to the boat that evening, however, and stoking the little woodstove against the nipping frost in the air, listening to the water lap along the hull, I remembered that yes, boats are pure magic. Especially in places like this.

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