What a day. We woke up to some of the most scenic cruising we’ve experienced so far. North Vancouver Island is a stunning region of British Columbia. Today, the Sunshine Coast lived up to its name with glorious weather. Guests soaked in the sun and lounged on the sundeck as if we were in tropical waters. In the afternoon, we jumped right into Zodiac cruises. Many boats saw harbor seals hauled out on rocks, sunbathing just like us. The clear waters made it easy to see numerous starfish and oyster beds below. After Zodiac cruising, we made it to land to hike along the trail to Unwin Lake. It is our final night, and we ended the evening by watching the guest slideshow and reminding ourselves of all the memories we made. Safe travels to all.
9/12/2024
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Haida Gwaii
The day started as early as chronologically possible. Shortly after midnight, the bridge team spotted Northern Lights and the message went out. A handful of guests rushed to the bow to see the lights under a clear, moon-less, and star-filled sky. The glow of cell phones moving about attempting to get the perfect photo was like watching fireflies flit about in forests. Several hours after this very early excitement, we journeyed on by bus ride to Old Masset, alternating between the open coast and dense forest. Upon arrival, we were invited to the studios of two internationally acclaimed and oft-awarded master carvers, Jim Hart and Christian White. In their studios, we heard background stories of carvings in various stages of completion and viewed up close the delicate and fine craftmanship in pieces ranging from shoe-box size to massive totems and canoes. A bountiful lunch was served at Christians ‘Big House’, followed by several traditional dances accompanied by Christian’s deep rhymical chanting. The performance was concluded by the dancers first inviting the women to participate in the women’s dance, then men for the men’s dance. Nearly everyone participated with joyful enthusiasm. The day concluded with a thorough investigation of local galleries for the perfect memento.
