Small-ship travel can mean many things. Here’s what it means to us: Our ships are the 70-foot (21-metre) classic wooden schooner Passing Cloud and the 70-foot ketch-rigged Ocean Wayfinder. We sail with six to 10 guests and an expedition crew of three for Passing Cloud (Captain, Mate/ Expedition Specialist, Chef) and four aboard Ocean Wayfinder (Captain, Mate, Chef, and Expedition Specialist). Although we know where and when our expeditions start and finish, we have no fixed itineraries, and what we do on a daily basis is largely determined by weather, tides, wildlife sightings, and the interests and expertise of our guests and crew. We revel in the exciting adventure of never knowing what’s around the next corner.

Each year, our ship, crew, and expeditions undertake a migration throughout the BC coast, including the west coast of Vancouver Island, the Southern Gulf Islands and the Inside Passage, Northern Vancouver Island, the Haida Gwaii archipelago, and the Great Bear Rainforest. Our points of embarkation and disembarkation change depending on the region we’re visiting. In order to reduce the distances that we need to travel on each expedition, we feature one-way itineraries on some of our expeditions (including the Great Bear Rainforest) or utilize float planes (Haida Gwaii/Gwaii Haanas).

Our guests join us from around the world, with the majority being from Canada and the US, but increasingly from Europe, Australia, and Asia. Our guests are typically between 50 and 70 years of age, although we have happily welcomed ages ranging from 8 to 80! In general, our guests are active adventurers with a keen quest for learning. We proudly enjoy a very high rate of returning guests who are eager to explore all regions of our coastline.

Our expedition vessels are the 70-foot (21-metre) classic wooden schooner Passing Cloud and the 70-foot ketch-rigged Ocean Wayfinder. Both Passing Cloud and Ocean Wayfinder are Transport Canada-certified passenger vessel and meet or exceeds the highest levels of safety.

Learn more about  Passing Cloud and Ocean Wayfinder on the “Our Ships” page.

Our expedition crew typically consists of either three or four persons: Captain, Mate/Expedition Specialist, and Chef. Our Captains and Mates are Transport Canada certified and have extensive experience operating on the BC coast. Our Expedition Specialists are experts in diverse fields, including marine science, bear and whale biology, archaeology, anthropology, forest ecology, and so much more. Our Chefs are masters of their art, typically culinary-school trained and/or Red Seal certified. Having a rotating roster of experts in their field provides a very unique and immersive experience for both crew and guests alike. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have the ability to pull scientists and culinary craftsmen from their “active line of duty” to share their knowledge and skills with our guests.

Most of our guest’s culinary expectations are far surpassed in the quality of their meals on board. Our chefs prepare five meals per day, including a three-course dinner paired with local BC wine. Our menus feature West Coast cuisine, locally grown and harvested produce, and sustainably sourced seafood, meat, and poultry. Our Chefs cater to restricted diets to the greatest extent possible; however, there are limitations given the remote areas we operate in and the constraints of cooking in a ship’s galley. Please discuss your dietary restrictions with us as early as possible if you have any concerns and we will do our very best to accommodate your needs.

Aboard Passing Cloud, accommodation is located off of the main salon in three private cabins. Each cabin has two berths, arranged as off-setting upper and lower bunks. Climbing into the upper bunks requires some agility. All cabins are double occupancy. Each cabin has a private vanity with a sink and hot and cold running water, a mirror, a hanging locker, and storage drawers. Bedding, towels, hand soap, and shampoo are provided.

There is a shared head (marine toilet) and shower also located off the main salon. Congestion for the head is rare. Crew accommodations and a crew toilet are in the aft cabin and the forepeak.

Meanwhile, Ocean Wayfinder provides guest accommodations in six private cabins located off the main salon, with additional quarters for crew. Three shared heads with hot showers are nearby, and congestion is uncommon. The spacious main salon is bright and welcoming, surrounded by warm wood cabinetry, books, and charts.

Each guest cabin includes at least one porthole, storage for personal gear, and electrical outlets for charging devices. A reading light adds comfort at the end of the day.

Guests need to be amenable to living in the relatively close quarters of a 70-foot sailing vessel, and healthy and fit enough to enjoy full and active days in the outdoors. A certain amount of agility is necessary to enjoy the trip and not impact the enjoyment of other passengers. Specific shore activities are always optional.

When going ashore from Passing Cloud, guests board our inflatable boat at water level from the ship and are then transported to the shore, where we disembark. This requires our guests to climb down the boarding ladder, step down into the inflatable boat, and then disembark, sometimes onto slippery rocks. The crew is always at hand to provide assistance. While ashore, we will walk along slippery shorelines and over the uneven terrain of coastal forests and estuaries.

The daily activities featured on our expeditions differ somewhat between regions and seasons, based on wildlife-viewing opportunities, cultural site visits, travel distances, and the interests and expertise of our guests and crew. In general, however, our days include a combination of travelling between various locations and enjoying a wide range of activities. We typically go ashore at least twice a day to enjoy cultural site visits, interpretive beach and forest walks, and visiting with local communities or research organizations. We also frequently enjoy sailing, sea kayaking, inflatable boat excursions, whale watching, bear viewing, fishing, photography, and even snorkelling, swimming, and visiting hot springs. There are also plenty of opportunities to relax and enjoy a good book from our extensive library with the soothing sounds of the sea as your soundtrack.

Weather is a key consideration for crew and guests alike. Our captains constantly monitor current and forecasted weather conditions and plan expedition activities and travel decisions accordingly. For our guests, expected weather is a big part of deciding how to pack for their expedition. In general, the Pacific Coast is a truly temperate climate – not too warm but not too cold. We get rain at any time of year, but certainly, our wettest expeditions tend to be in early April, late September, and October, so good rain gear is particularly important at these times. On the flip side, it’s certainly not uncommon for crew and guests to be wearing short pants and T-shirts in the peak summer months of June, July, and August. Rest assured that we’ll provide a packing list and help you prepare for your expedition.

Wildlife viewing is big part of all our expeditions, no matter which region we are operating in; however, the wildlife we are likely to encounter differs between regions and seasons according to the annual activities of the wildlife itself. In fact, many of our expeditions are timed in order for us to enjoy seasonal ecological events such as herring spawning (March/April), grey whale migration (March to May), berries and bears (May to June), salmon and killer whales (July to October), and salmon and bears (August to October). In all cases, minimizing our impact on the wildlife we encounter is extremely important to us. We meet or exceed guidelines and best practices for whale watching and bear viewing. Outer Shores belongs to numerous conservation and regulatory organizations, our guides are trained and certified, and our Expedition Specialists are often experts in the wildlife we encounter. We’ve been known to encounter rare and elusive species, such as pelagic sharks, the Queen Charlotte black bear, Risso’s dolphins, and the coastal sea wolf. Always have your cameras ready – you just never know what you might see!

Yes, there are electrical outlets and we have ample power supply for charging laptops, cameras, phones, etc.