
Searching for trips..
Vancouver Island’s Inside Passage - An Odyssey Through Time & Nature
Cruise the East Coast of Vancouver Island on a Boutique, Classic Ship
An amazing journey through the wild island archipelagos on Vancouver Island’s east coast. Highlights of Desolation Sound, Discovery Islands, and the Broughton Archipelago, including wildflowers, beaches, waterfalls, seabirds, marine mammals, rainforests, and exploring.
Some departures may have slightly modified itineraries. Please confirm the itinerary with an Expedition Specialist.
view cabin photo
view cabin photo
view cabin photo
view cabin photo
view cabin photo
Vancouver Island’s Inside Passage - An Odyssey Through Time & Nature itinerary:
Day 1: Forest hike to panoramic view. Visit to beaches, historic farmsteads and wildlife islets (seabirds, sea lions).
Day 2: Cruising Georgia Strait, explore ashore in the Discover Islands beaches and wildlife viewing
Day 3: Seymour Narrows, historic Ripple Rock, porpoises, rainforest shore excursion, Port Neville. Johnstone Straight and the steep-sided islands of the Broughton Archipelago.
Day 4: Coastal villages, Alert Bay’s U’mista cultural centre, marine mammals.
Day 5: Intertidal exploration ashore—the wondrous world of creatures that live where the tide comes in and out.
Day 6: Cruise to next anchorage and watch for killer whales and porpoises.
Day 7: Broughton Archipelago, visit with researchers, visit to historic boardwalk village Telegraph Cove. Celebration dinner.
Day 8: Cruise to port, watching for whales.
Itineraries are subject to change.
Vancouver Island’s Inside Passage - An Odyssey Through Time & Nature reverse itinerary:
Itineraries are subject to change.
Day 7: Broughton Archipelago, visit with researchers, visit to historic boardwalk village Telegraph Cove. Celebration dinner.
Day 8: Cruise to port, watching for whales.
Day 4: Coastal villages, Alert Bay’s U’mista cultural centre, marine mammals.
Day 5: Intertidal exploration ashore—the wondrous world of creatures that live where the tide comes in and out.
Day 6: Cruise to next anchorage and watch for killer whales and porpoises.
Day 1: Forest hike to panoramic view. Visit to beaches, historic farmsteads and wildlife islets (seabirds, sea lions).
Day 2: Cruising Georgia Strait, explore ashore in the Discover Islands beaches and wildlife viewing
Day 3: Seymour Narrows, historic Ripple Rock, porpoises, rainforest shore excursion, Port Neville. Johnstone Straight and the steep-sided islands of the Broughton Archipelago.
Maple Leaf
Vessel Type: Schooner
Length: 92f / 28m
Passenger Capacity: 8
Maple Leaf is a 92-foot wooden schooner built in 1904, designed for intimate coastal exploration with a maximum of eight guests. She offers a deeply personal, human-scale experience that prioritises direct engagement with the natural world, accessing remote coastlines, rivers and anchorages unreachable by larger ships. Accommodation is simple but warm: four semi-private sleeping areas, shared washrooms, and communal spaces centred on conversation, observation and shared meals prepared onboard. Stability under sail, long range, and a highly experienced crew make her exceptionally capable despite her modest size.
Constructed from Douglas fir, yellow cedar and mahogany, Maple Leaf blends working-vessel toughness with Edwardian craftsmanship and modern functionality. Life on board revolves around open decks, zodiac landings, kayaking, wildlife observation and, for those inclined, hands-on sailing under crew guidance. Her long history — from luxury yacht to high-performing halibut fishing vessel to pioneering expedition ship — gives the experience a sense of continuity and authenticity. Travel aboard Maple Leaf is immersive, physically engaging, and deliberately unpolished, favouring depth, access and presence over luxury conventions.







Seabirds, seals, orcas, humpback whales and bears call this region home.
• Diverse Ecosystems
From the warm islands to the steep-sloped rainforest of the Broughton Archipelago.
• Explore Ashore
Navigate the inside passage of Vancouver Island, and step onto secret coves.
• Heritage Tugboat
As a guest, you’re welcome to join us in the wheelhouse and learn how the crew makes navigation decisions.