Monthly Archives: December 2014

Summer 2014

Oh my gosh!! I don’t think skippers should write blogs . . . I  get so far behind and really cool things happen and I forget to grab my camera and capture the blog-moments that I “should”. Here is a random summer sampler. Steve took many of these photos. He gave me his stash of shots after I  had already posted many on  our site so here are some  more!

Luke. Lead guide, lead skipper after me, lead shipwright, awesome photographer dude and pretty darn great as a son-in-law too._DSC0532

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Kayak guide and life time (at least her life time) friend and neighbour, Robin Humphreys._DSC0577

White-sided dolphins follow the COLUMBIA III_DSC0583

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Oh hey! Now this is exciting! A new tender for the Columbia III. Just a little bigger than the old one and kinda shiny on the arrival date. It took almost 6 months to custom make and we pressed it into service on the “fly” in mid June. _DSC0432

Tavish on a photo shoot of the COLUMBIA III with Fern and I yelling, “TAVISH HANG ON YOU FOOL!”_DSC0516

Ah, those perfect, still, foggy Broughton mornings before the sun burns off the mists and the blue sky is revealed._DSC0657

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Ace guide/paramedic, Luke Roman. Always the same great smile . . .  he even tolerates me._DSC0674

Here is a guest, a firefighter from BC with a . . . well . . . a weird hat!_DSC0681

OK, Ok, it can rain SOMETIMES._DSC0691

The group leaves the mothership for another day at “sea”._DSC0701

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Why does everyone seem so relaxed! The skipper is headed for the rocks!_DSC0712

Do you really need a telephoto lens for a rock that close?_DSC0715 _DSC0716

Lots of steep granite in BC.Mothership_fun_time-1931

Nice t-shirt.

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We so see sunsets in the Great Bear Rainforest._DSC0754

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. . . and waterfalls . . . Here is Phil from Seattle. This  summer his  private group chartered the COLUMBIA III for the second time.  I think we will see them again._DSC0761

. . . and Phil is an artist. From the guest logbook, this is Fern’s fiddle on the salon sofa._DSC0814

and more water falls . . .

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These are guests returning  from bear viewing in the fall Great Bear._DSC0777

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and a few of Steve’s shots:Mothership_fun_time-1228 Mothership_fun_time-1313 Mothership_fun_time-1322 Mothership_fun_time-1404 Mothership_fun_time-1439

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Another crew shot. Christina Purcell filled in so Fern could have some much deserved time off the boat._DSC0872

The skipper hard at work as usual. It’s a tough job being so busy . . . ._DSF8397

Boomer Jerritt came again this year. Here are a few shots:_E5Q0253 _E5Q9516

Crew shot: Erin Rowsell loves to cook and take pictures, so she asked to be on Boomer’s tour._E5Q9583 _E5Q9605

Cameras and music!_E5Q9795 _MG_6047 CIMG6963

Don’t piss off the Skipper!!DSC_0910 copy

Here is our son, Tavish and a group Ian McAllister of Pacific Wild brought  together. We try to donate the use of the COLUMBIA III to Ian and Karen each year to help support their great conservation work on the BC coast.  Ian McAllister's Mothership Adventures charter 2014

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Mark Hobson came with us again this year and the weather certainly cooperated!Mothership_fun_time-60 Mothership_fun_time-106 Mothership_fun_time-118 Mothership_fun_time-120

The Broughton Archipelago was full of orca this summer. It was marvelous to see them all!Mothership_fun_time-224

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Here is a cool sequence. Steve caught these orcas that decided they wanted to “check us out” Here one is approaching us . . .Mothership_fun_time-370

and diving under the COLUMBIA III !!!Mothership_fun_time-371 Mothership_fun_time-373

and you can just see the white eye-patch below the handrail . . .Mothership_fun_time-376

and out the other side of the boat . . .Mothership_fun_time-384

and breaking the surface on the other side. With another orca clearly visible under water!Mothership_fun_time-386

 

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And another sequence of shots: A few humpback whales are working together to get dinner. One whale circles a school of small fish whilst emitting a stream of bubbles . . . This is called “bubble netting”Mothership_fun_time-843

and then the other whales charge the concentrated fish school with their mouths open.Mothership_fun_time-845

and load up on dinner. This can happen over and over with lots of great photo opportunities and just plain awesome to watch . . . to heck with the cameras.Mothership_fun_time-848

and here are 4 humpbacks just off the bow of the COLUMBIA III on a very still day. Their breath seemed to hang in the air permanently.Mothership_fun_time-1508

and if you are REALLY!!!! lucky . . . I. McAllister breaching humpback

And creek side walks looking for returning salmon:Mothership_fun_time-1191

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a few more of Steve’s “wildlife “shots

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Oops, these guys don’t look too wild. . . Mothership_fun_time-1887 Mothership_fun_time-1888

Steve’s crew shots: Luke Roman and Rowan Kehn . . .slaving in the galleyMothership_fun_time-1915

and posing for a crew poster shot. . .  the cook has a few minutes off each day . . Mothership_fun_time-1922 Mothership_fun_time-1928

Tavish is always looking for an unusual angle on a shot.  Mothership_fun_time-1938

Linda Hogarth, a Campbell River museum tour guide that lead a wonderful tour on Coastal History this summer._DSC0413

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and a nice shot of  Fern._DSC0421

another end of tour group shot . .  IMG_2813

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