Press Release

Cruise West Traces Captain Vancouver’s 1791 Route From Puget Sound To British Columbia Fjord Country

Jan 2 2004 12:00AM

Seattle, January 2004 -- Cruise West is offering seven-night British Columbia Coastal Wilderness Cruises from Seattle that trace the route English explorer Captain Vancouver took in 1791 while searching for the never-to-be-discovered Northwest Passage. The sailing links two of Western Canada’s cosmopolitan cities -- Vancouver and Victoria -- with the San Juan Islands, historic smaller ports, and B.C.’s remote fjord country north of Vancouver. Equipped with a unique bow-landing ramp, the 78-passenger Spirit of Columbia puts travelers ashore on islands and wilderness beaches in regions as isolated as Princess Louisa Inlet. Cruises depart April 17, 24 and May 1 and are priced from $1,699 to $3,399 per person, double-occupancy.

Highlights include a visit to Victoria’s Butchart Gardens during spring rhododendron season; a city tour of Vancouver that takes in the old-growth forest of Stanley Park as well as the 450-foot-long Capilano Bridge, suspended 230 feet above Capilano Canyon; a walk through the artist colony of La Conner and its extensive tulip fields, then in bloom; in Nanaimo, a walking tour along the Cameron Island Promenade, a stop at the Old Quarter museum, showcasing native cultural exhibits and pioneer life, and an excursion to the original Hudson’s Bay Company fort, erected in 1853; and in the San Juan islands, tours of the Friday Harbor Whaling Museum and Orcas Island’s Rosario Mansion, now a resort, built early in the 20th century by a Seattle industrialist.

British Columbia’s coastal mountains are so rugged that when Captain Vancouver mapped the region in 1791 he sailed past the tidal rapids that form the entrance to Princess Louisa Inlet, never knowing that barely two hundred yards away was a five-mile-long and half-mile-wide finger of the sea, destined to become legendary for its incredible beauty. The area, bounded on three sides by mountain peaks reaching to 7,000 feet, has more than 60 waterfalls cascade down the steep mountain walls into the inlet’s placid ocean waters during spring. Cruise travelers step ashore at the head of Princess Louisa to walk a few yards to the base of Western Canada’s highest tumbling waterfalls, Chatterbox Falls.

The Spirit of Columbia has six categories of cabins ranging from standard to deluxe, all with picture windows, refrigerator, TV and VCR. The ship combines comfortable cruising and fine dining with the ability to put guests ashore in remote regions and to dock at smaller ports and the inner harbors of Victoria and Vancouver. A fall season of Coastal Wilderness cruises is offered from September 18 to October 23 and is priced from $1,699 to $3,599. Early-booking savings of up to $200 to $400 per couple applies to bookings on deposit and paid in full three or six months in advance of the sailing date.

Reservations, additional information and brochures can be obtained from travel agents and Cruise West, Suite 700, 2401 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121, telephone (800) 888-9378; fax (206) 441-4757; web site www.cruisewest.com

 

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Cruise West – a second-generation, family-owned business based in Seattle – offers the opportunity to explore remote, worldwide locales by providing distinctive, one-of-a-kind, personalized itineraries not offered by the traditional larger cruise lines. Cruise West’s smaller ships – nine in all – hold between 78-138 people each, and the casual style onboard encourages relaxation and congenial interaction between guests and crew alike. The experience is personally enriching through expert Exploration Leaders providing onboard narrative and lectures, special local guests from a wide variety of backgrounds, and the library provided on each vessel. All have forward lounges and ample outdoor deck space for viewing and photographing wildlife and scenery. All vessels are also equipped with inflatable landing boats for close-up exploration of remote areas and shore landings.

Destinations served include: Alaska and the Bering Sea, British Columbia, Columbia & Snake Rivers, California Wine Country, Mexico's Sea of Cortés, Costa Rica & Panama, Japan, the South Pacific, and the Kuril Islands.