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Wines And Islands (Cascadia)

Wines And Islands (Cascadia)

WIIML
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Description

Explore the breadth of BC wine, its people and place through this special tasting, culinary, culture and nature adventure. Guided by our on-board experts, as well as other wine industry leaders and pioneers, each day you’ll learn about and taste the best wines from BC’s distinct wine regions.

From geology and philosophy, to aroma, construction and the pairing meals our chef creates, this is a deep journey into what shapes our wine. Augmenting the wine exploration, we’ll also take in the region’s spectacular nature with naturalist guides, as we island-hop the Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands region, anchoring in remote locations inaccessible by any other means.

The entire trip is designed to give you special experiences not available to the general public. Our sample itinerary is still in draft that will be massaged and improved in the coming month with our experts. The ethic is the same approach as our Craft Beer Cruise (going on its 14th season), but wholly customized to BC’s wine regions and winemaking ethic.

Trip Name
Wines And Islands (Cascadia)
Days
5
Overview
Vessel Type: Catamaran Passenger Capacity: 24 Lenght: 138 ft / 42 m Built: 2007 Cascadia is a go-anywhere, expedition style catamaran. She accommodates up to 24 guests in 12 luxurious cabins, with a crew of 10. She is unlike any other vessel offering expeditions on the British Columbia coast, having been built specifically for high-quality, boutique cruises. Light, spacious and comfortable, she is also capable of reaching the wildest, most naturally rich places on the coast. Her small size and guest numbers provide an authentic, human-scale experience that respects the carrying capacity of coastal inlets and communities. Ship And Accommodations Find comfort and solitude in your private cabin or enjoy time in any of the interior or outdoor lounges, or the “open” bridge. Cascadia’s large windows bring the outside in, and her separate dining area becomes a sophisticated “long table” event for meals. Her decks are wide and welcoming, with seating areas on different levels. Salon Large windows surround the salon making it a perfect place to look for whales while staying protected, chat with other guests while lounging on our comfortable sofas, or enjoy a beverage from the nearby bar. Dining Area Enjoy our chefs’ fine west-coast influenced creations while watching the sun go down. Sit and discuss your day’s adventure with your captain, afloat in a remote natural anchorage. Terrace Lounge And Dining Area Dine alfresco on temperate evenings, lounge with your morning coffee, or watch the world go by during the day. This area is the perfect mix of outside and inside. Bridge of Cascadia Cascadia’s bridge is open to you. You’ll have 180-degree views from here, along with being able to learn about navigation and the vessel systems from our crew. On the port side, you may also enjoy our indoor-outdoor loveseat. You can watch the world go by from behind a protective window, but still have quick access to the fresh air and the deck for whale watching. Top Deck & Hot Tub Lounge on a chaise, soak under the stars, or enjoy the bird’s eye view of the ship and the world around her from Cascadia’s new top deck. Cabins All cabins have individual climate control, wardrobes and an outside location, with windows for natural light. All have ensuites. All are ‘outside’ cabins, with windows for natural light.  Kayaks, Shore Boats, Naturalist Tools Cascadia has 6 double and 2 single kayaks for paddling in coves and bays, as well as two beautiful landing craft style tenders, custom designed for our program. She carries a suite of tools for exploring the natural world, including a hydrophone for listening to whales. Her library contains books on the cultural history and nature of the BC and Alaska coast.

Itinerary



Day 1 - Day 1 Nanaimo
Board at Nanaimo. Welcome aboard toast and tasting. Under way, transiting scenic passageways in northern Gulf Islands. Introduction to BC wines, terroir and history, what makes the region noteworthy. Late afternoon shore walk in marine park. Tasting dinner that provides an overflight of the wines and what we’ll explore in the coming days.
Day 2 - Day 2 DeCourcy Island
Gulf Islands area wines feature. Morning shore trip on DeCourcy Island and afternoon visits with winemakers producing exciting work on Salt Spring and Saturna Islands.
Day 3 - Day 3 Gulf Islands
Okanagan & Similkameen wines feature. Morning shore walk in Gulf Islands rainforest, and optional kayaking. Cruising Boundary Pass and Boiling reef featuring rich marine upwelling. Explore historic farmstead at Tumbo in the outer Gulf Islands. Scenic walk to spectacular vista for picnic. Okanagan and Similkameen tasting dinner.
Day 4 - Day 4 Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island area wine focus, including visits with leaders in Cowichan Valley winemaking, discussion, tastings, tasting meals, vineyard walks. Vancouver Island wine last night dinner.
Day 5 - Day 5 Sidney
Morning optional kayak at Burgoyne Bay. Wrap up, cruising, looking for wildlife en route to Sidney. Final toast.
Day 6 - Please Note:
Note that as with all expedition cruises, the itinerary may change based on weather, wildlife activity, and interests of the guests. This itinerary is to give you a general idea of the trip.

Trip Dates

StartEndPrice FromRoom Type

Inclusions

    • Visit Alert Bay and U’mista Cultural Centre
    • Explore the cascades and waterways of Desolation Sound
    • Exploring spectacular Toba Inlet, a fjord that cuts 35 kilometres into the Coast Mountains
    • Visit the isolated Mitlenatch Island

Map