Day 1

Meet at Port McNeill, get aboard Island Roamer. Have orientation, meet crew, get underway and have lunch. Around Malcom Island see Lighthouse wedding, encounter first Orcas, A-11 pod, in Queen Charlotte Strait. First see male alone, then female, as well as many Dall’s porpoise. Next see Orca mother and calf pair. Leave these Orcas around 4:30 pm and head off to No-Name Bay on Bonwick Island where we hear and see a Common Loon. We anchor here for the night. We talk politics prior to dinner, see a Northern Harrier, eat a wonderful dinner, wrap the evening up with a short talk about individual interests and look at maps of where we are headed during the next week.

Lunch – Squash Soup, sandwiches, and Apple Bread
Dinner – Sockeye Salmon in a Lemon Caper sauce, Broccoli, roasted dill potatoes, Spinach Mushroom salad, nut bread, and sherbet with strawberries.

Day 2

Morning kayak demo, kayaking with loon calls, see harbor porpoise and harbor seal. Sunny day as we lift anchor and make way. Encounter three pods of Orcas, A-30’s, A-11’s, and A-23’s, which we follow down Blackfish Sound. Also see two Humpbacks blowing near the entrance to the Sound. During lunch we follow Orcas, after we stop at Orca Lab. Hike up to the Grandmother Cedar, then visit Paul and Helena Spong at the lab where we learn what they are researching about the resident Orcas. Leaving Orca Lab we see Steller Sea lions and bald eagle nests. Anchor for the evening at Hanson Island. After dinner we initiate our species list for the trip.

Breakfast – Egg & Cheese English muffins, fruit salad & yogurt.
Lunch – Salmon Chowder, sandwiches, cookies
Dinner – Lamb, Spanikopita, Greek Salad, Orzo w/ sun dried tomatoes, chocolate fudge brownies.




Day 3

Morning kayak in slight rain, after breakfast we weigh anchor and a little while later encounter a small humpback off Plumper Islands. Head off to Alert Bay where on the way we see a Bald Eagle fly down in front of the boat and catch a fish. As we arrive at Alert Bay we see a Minke whale blowing, tie up at the pier and head off to the U’Mista Cultural Center where we rush off to enjoy an unexpected cultural dance that has just started. After the dancing we head back to the center for a tour of the museum. We eat Lunch then head off to Robson Bight where we follow a pod of Orcas (B-7’s) across the Eco-reserve and out the other side. Male orcas come right off our bow and blows! Head up Johnstone Strait to Havana Channel. On up through Chatham Channel to Cutter Bay where we anchor to a stellar sunset. After dinner we have a talk on Orca natural history and listen to a Vocalization tape.

Breakfast – Ricotta – Lemon pancakes
Lunch – Shellfish Bisque, spanikopita, curried veggies, rice, and fig bars
Dinner – Chicken in prunes, olives, & capers, Salad, Steamed veggies with fennel, Spicy egg noodles, Pineapple upside-down cake.

Day 4

Morning kayak in a foggy sunrise, then off to Glendale Cove, we hoist sails for the first time and take everyone out in the Zodiac for photo-ops. Along the way we see Harbor porpoise. Arrive at Knight Islet around 2:00 PM, receive our Grizzly Bear briefing and head off to the Estuary. Sight harbor seals, many bald eagles, and have our “Skull Talk” while seated in the boat. Catch a Pink Salmon by hand and take a look. Head back to the boat in the rain, and it rains all night. We have dinner then have a Salmon-Bear-Forest talk.

Breakfast – Hot cereal, Fruit salad, Berry-Bran muffins
Lunch – Burgers, Noodle Salad, Greek Salad, Avocado Salad
Dinner – Lamb Tenderloin, Yams, Green Salad, Rice, Chocolate cake w/ Berry Sauce



Day 5

Wake to rain, slows as we head out on a short forest hike at MacDonald Point, return to boat and have breakfast. Meet Jamie, our bear guide, and head out to the viewing platforms at the spawning channels. In the blinds, and along the way we see 27 Grizzly bears! Including a few mother cub groups. And to make it even better, the sun comes out in full force. Back to the boat, lift anchor as we have lunch, and then set the sails late in the afternoon as we exit Knight Inlet. Off Bold Head we see a humpback whale and three Orcas in the distance. Drop anchor at Gilford Island; have dinner followed by a talk on Ecotourism.

Breakfast – Eggs and toast, Fruit salad, Hash Browns
Lunch – Pizza gourmet, Crackers and Salsa
Dinner – Salmon with a peach salsa, Vegetable medley, rice w/ pine nuts, salad, Shortbread with cherry sauce

Day 6

Awake to light rain, kayakers see a river otter, after breakfast we head off to Village Island. Randy leads tour of Totem ruin and old Village site, walk the beach on the way back. Head out into Johnstone Strait and find Orcas (A-30’s, A-36’s, B-7’s) entering Robson Bight Eco-Reserve, one group swims right beside our boat. After that thrill we hike up to “Eagle Eye” where we see the Strait from a different perspective. Up here we have two Orca groups to ourselves (and the researcher’s), where we hear every breath and splash! After we hike back down head off to Growler’s Cove, set the hook, and have dinner. That night we partake in the Island Roamer tradition of the sharing circle.

Breakfast – Fruit Salad, English Muffins, Frittata
Lunch – Mandarin Chicken or Tofu, Veggie Stir Fry, rice w/nuts,
Dinner – Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Peas, Turkey, Yam & Potatoes, Spaghetti Squash, Tiramisu

Day 7

Wake up and get ready to head back to Port McNeill. Sight our last Orcas and then set the sails as we come along the backside of Alert Bay, Pete brings us in with his masterful sailing. Rough seas as the wind picks up and storms threaten. We say our good-byes as we tie up at Port McNeill and we all head off on separate adventures or home.

Species List – Northern Vancouver – Island Roamer – Sept. ‘04

Mammals

Orca
Red Squirrel
Humpback Whale
Steller Sea Lion
Harbor Seal
Dall’s Porpoise
Harbor Porpoise
Domestic dog
Domestic Cat
Minke Whale
Grizzly Bear
River Otter
White-Sided Dolphin


Invertebrates

Lion’s Mane
Banana Slug
Blood Star
Sunflower Star
Limpets
Barnacles
Dungeness Crab
Featherduster Worm
Plumose Anemone
Snails
Butterfly
Hoverfly
Housefly
Inchworm
Moon Jelly
Moth




Birds

Common Murre
Belted Kingfisher
Sooty Shearwater
Great Blue Heron
Fork-Tailed Storm Petrel
Red-Necked Phalarope
Common Loon
Yellow-Billed Loon
Raven
Glaucous-Winged Gull
Rhinoceros Auklet
Harlequin Duck
Northern Harrier
Purple Finch
Marbled Murrlet
Northwestern Crow
Black Turnstones
Robin
Bonaparte’s Gull
Mew Gull
Bald Eagle
Osprey
Teal
Red Merganser
Double-Crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Red-Necked Loon
Swallow
Crossbill
Fox Sparrow
Canadian Geese
Dark-Eyed Junko
Least Sandpiper
Black Oystercatcher
Yellow Warbler
Western Grebe
Steller’s Jay
Pigeon Guillemot
Surf Scoter




Plants

Red Cedar
Old Man’s Beard
False Azalea
Elderberry
Eel Grass
Rockweed
Wild Rose
Sedge
Licorice Fern
Skunk Cabbage
Thimbleberry
Huckleberry
Sitka Spruce




Fish

Tidepool Sculpin
Pipefish
Pink Salmon


Bull Kelp
Mosses
Sword Fern
Coral Fungus
Spiney Wood Fern
Deer Fern
Western Hemlock
Step Moss
Vine Maple
Blackberry
Bind Weed
Mint
Clover
Apple Tree
Holly Tree
Nettles
Wild Hops
Periwinkle
Plum Tree