Adventures on the Morningstar

2010-05-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

Historical Boat Tours of Discovery Passage (the "Jungles") Summer 2010

Rick James of Salish Sea Cultural & Historical Tours will be on board the MV Morningstar with biologist Daniel Williams of Morningstar Marine Tours to explain the significance of Discovery Passage and Seymour Narrows as a major marine highway from pre-historic through to current times. The guided cruise will be more than just a discussion on old ships on the bottom since James will also detail the early history of the region as we see the powerful tidal currents of the Narrows first hand.
Those interested in taking part in the four hour cruise need to pre-book a spot by contacting Captain Daniel Williams at 250-218-3457 or info@morningstarmarine.com Tickets $125 per person. Tours run every Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer.

Join us for this unique adventure!

Grizzlies on the Phillips River

2009-11-01T09:33:00.000-08:00

Another season of salmon enhancement on the Phillips River (north of Bute Inlet on the mainland BC coast) has been completed. This year I was lucky enough to be involved with a Chinook tagging project that the Gillard Pass Fisheries Association started. We tagged fish as they entered the river to spawn this fall and then searched out their bodies after spawning to get an accurate idea of how many Chinook Salmon are in this watershed for the spawning season. Of course, we copied the bears with our search behaviour so there were plenty of encounters with the Grizzlies of this system. One particular young male persistently got to the fish before us as seen in the photo below. If you look carefully at the dorsal (middle back) fin, you can see the green tag signifying a marked fish that is about to become lunch before we could get the number from the tag. Oh well, it was a successful program with a lot of new information gathered about the fish here.

NEW! Waterbound song download

2009-07-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

Now for the first time ever you can download a song that my sister Rachelle and I recorded together.
We are hoping to have a CD ready for the Shoal Bay International Music Fest later this summer featuring us and the talented accordionist and everything else-playing Aaron anchoring the group.
I hope you enjoy!

Waterbound.mp3

Dolphins, apologies etc.

2009-07-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

I have truly been remiss in my blogging effort as of late and for this I apologize. Too many of you are probably wondering what is going on out there and I can tell you there is a lot. Sunny days have been the norm for quite some time.

What am I seeing? Well there have been plenty of dolphins around like the ones that sought a closer look at us in the pictures here. While I am very careful to give whales their space this group was not interested in anything other than playing with us.

There have been lots of Black bears rummaging for food on the beaches at low tide, a beautiful young male Grizzly

in the estuary, speedy Dahl’s porpoise feeding, the spectacular Bald Eagle fishing display in the rapids around Stuart Island and visits from Orcas (both transient and resident) along with many other random acts of nature to behold.

Now that the salmon are moving in to our area whale sightings should be on the increase and with the warm summer in its peak these are certainly good times to be on the water.

ps. Some of you might be wondering why I don't have more captivating photos but somebody has to drive the boat so for those of you who have been out there with me (you know who you are!) please feel free to send me a picture or two of our trip.

2009 Rates and Schedule

2009-07-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

TOURS
1/2 Day: $70/person
Full Day: $95/person

SCHEDULED RUNS
Stuart Island: $50/person
Sonora Island: $50/person
Shoal Bay: $60/person

*Tour prices based on maximum capacity.
*Scheduled runs vary from week to week based on demand, at least two days per week throughout the summer.
*Please contact me for competitive quotes to other destinations and charter rates.

2009 Shoal Bay Pig Roasts

2009-06-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday July 4

Sunday August 2

Saturday August 22
(also The Music Festival)

Sunday September 6

These are the dates for the world renowned Shoal Bay Pig Roast Extravaganzas, not to be missed. Unbelievable potluck dinner and festivities in a beautiful setting courtesy of your host Mark.
Dinner by donation.

Phillips Arm Grizzly

2008-11-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

Here are another couple of really close up shots I pulled off the video camera. This is a healthy male that wandered through while we were preparing to do an egg take on the broodstock salmon early in the morning.

Grizzlies and Salmon

2008-10-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to spend another couple of days up at Phillips Arm and the Grizzlies were all around us. Helping Greg to collect most of the remaining eggs and milt from the broodstock turned into a sideshow compared to the treat of watching so many bears wandering through the area. I really need to get a better camera!
It is truly amazing how quiet such a large animal can be while trucking around the forest.
The bear in the water was an early morning visitor with his/her sibling watching from a distance as seen in the next picture. These 2 year olds will probably go their separate ways next year but they are still very much a team now.
Reports from Knight Inlet (further north) are that the bears are going hungry with poor salmon returns but the Grizzly population here seems to be doing well for themselves. We did see one big mother bear with cub walking upstream as we first headed into the site.
The bottom picture is another solitary bear wandering downstream on the Phillips River looking for a meal. The river is quite large so the bears forage more for carcasses than actually try to fish in the lower system.

Grizzly Country

2008-09-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

Today was the last beach seine for the Phillips Arm salmon broodstock and the Grizzlies have moved into the lower river. This 3 year old bear was on the other side of the river from us when we arrived in the morning. He seemed well fed enough not to care about us!
Also spotted was a large female on the drive into the site and apparently there are 6 or 7 more in the area that we didn't see.
Lots of dolphins and porpoises performing their acrobatics on the cruise up to the Phillips Arm. Everybody loves it when the
salmon come back home.
It was a good year for the hatchery, right on target with over 200,000 eggs collected for next years release.

West Redonda Island

2008-09-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite time of year to be on the water. You never know what you might see and this was definitely the case yesterday. A trip over to West Redonda Island for a hiking adventure yielded all sorts of treats for the intrepid adventurer. The Georgia Strait was beautifully calm, which was a welcome change from yesterday when the trip was originally scheduled. A pass by Mittlenatch Island revealed the many sea birds and seals sunning on the rocks as well as a huge bull Sea Lion recuperating from a brush with some transient Orcas (how he escaped we will never know).
Hiking into the lake from hidden Roscoe Bay on the Island, Sheila watched a feather float down from the forest canopy and looked up to see this Barred Owl sitting right on top of us watching the proceedings. Looking at this picture, you have to marvel at the patterns on it and those on the Western Red Cedar it is perched on.
On the way back to Campbell River we got to watch a group of Orcas playing and eating on the "Hump" ( a popular fishing spot for humans and whales alike). What a treat to listen and see their breathes as they surface, it just never grows old.

Phillips River Salmon Enhancement

2008-09-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year when the salmon return from their ocean voyage to spawn in the river systems all over the coast. This year I have been fortunate enough to help out Greg Barlow and the Gillard Pass Fisheries Association with their annual broodstock collection of Chinook salmon on the Phillips River, a remote watershed that hosts all five species of Pacific salmon in an area of unparalleled beauty. Unfortunately, logging practices of days gone by virtually decimated these runs and now Greg and his crew of volunteers are working to rectify the situation (all with dedication and funds raised from private sources!).
This is truly salmon enhancement guerrilla style with a 300 ft. beach seine net and a large pool in the river directly below Phillips Lake. The goal is to get enough salmon to supply the hatchery with eggs and milt to raise the next generation of fish that will return (about 200,000 smolts which are the yearling fish that move from freshwater to the ocean). A healthy population of Grizzlies depends on it, as do many sport fishermen/women in the area. It was very cool to catch a GIANT spring salmon returning that was born in the hatchery 4 years ago. This work will continue for the better part of September.
Congratulations, Greg, and thank you for this integral work.

Shoal Bay International Blues Fest '08

2008-08-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

I have attended many music festivals over the years, but nothing compares to what we experienced at Shoal Bay this weekend. I did double duty as water taxi and also performer with my sister (fiddle) and Aaron (accordion, guitar, and his amazing crowd pleaser, the saw) as the newly minted Shoal Bay Trio. We began the set watching an osprey diving for perch in the bay and ended with the full moon rising over the mountain tops and illuminating the valley. Combined with an appreciative crowd of 100 people at my first public performance, this weekend was a highlight of the summer.
There were boaters from all over the coast as well as a healthy dose of locals, many of whom had a wide variety of musical talent. Everyone of all levels was encouraged to take part in the music with some really great results. Pictured here are Kelly and Mike from Washington playing with a random boater who unleashed some unbelievable electric guitar. I am already looking forward to next year. Thank you again to Mark and the Shoal Bay family for another staggering display of hospitality and genuine mirth.

Phillips Arm wildlife

2008-07-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

Took a group to Phillips Arm for their new bear watching facilities in the amazing watershed and mountain terrain. They were kind enough to let me tag along and see a Grizzly first hand in a mystical forest and the Pink salmon that are starting to enter the system. What an experience. Also saw a black bear on the beach at the mouth of the Arm. An early morning cruise through Nodales Channel showed over twenty Orcas (welcome back!!) swimming throughout the area and one small group of dolphins no doubt wondering what their next move would be. On the cruise home we were lucky enough to encounter a Humpback whale feeding on krill off of Quadra Island. When that MASSIVE tail comes out of the water, your heart stops. A unique sighting indeed on the inside of Vancouver Island, I hope it stays around for a while and tells all its friends about Campbell River!

Sunny Savary Island

2008-07-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

After three long days in front of a computer wrestling with marketing initiatives and website issues while the rest of the Island was enjoying summer, I jumped at a last minute call to transport a group to the sunny shores of Savary Island. There were a lot of dolphin and porpoise sightings on the Friday drop off and Sunday pick up (one group of dolphins right off of Campbell River!) and the seas were absolutely gorgeous. There are many facets to starting this business but I still enjoy time spent on the water most of all.

Cortes Hike with Coastal Trek

2008-07-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

I took a group of intrepid hikers from Coastal Trek over to tiny Cortes Bay on the south side of Cortes Island. Invited to join them by hiking guide Mike, we spent 5 marvelous hours wandering through beautiful groves of old growth forest and lake side look-outs and swim holes.
After lunch, Mohammed and I decided to take the challenging route back to the dock. Turns out his fledging guiding skills were not as keen as his business acumen, but our extended hike showed us a mammoth old fir tree of one thousand years and old logging artifacts left from a bygone era.
This photo shows one of the cool hand-made ladders up the cliff on our way to Hague Lake.
Cruising back home on glassy waters, a stop to watch harbour porpoise turned into an inpromptu swim for my guests in the Salish Sea.
Thanks to Mohammed and Meredith for allowing me to share their adventure!

Inaugural Shoal Bay Pig Roast

2008-06-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from the first Shoal Bay pig roast and it most certainly lived up to its reputation. Crab from the bay, giant local prawns, organic salads from the garden out back, the pig roasted to perfection on the hand cranked spit by Robert (the resident expert) plus a myriad of other treats made for a truly epic feast. Topped off by an exquisite dessert spread that included Shoal Bay rhubarb pie. Amazing.
It was a great weekend hosted to perfection by Mark and the crew, I can hardly wait for the next one. Capped off with a sunset cruise back to Campbell River watching harbour porpoise, I was smiling the whole way home. I delivered a load of plywood out for the floor of their newest cabin, so we'll see the progress next time I'm out there.