FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

No. There is so much to see, the boat comfortable with lots of room to move around, the atmosphere relaxed and informal, that no one finds the trip too long. There is no way to see everything in less time unless we speed through this beautiful area or rush our wildlife sightings – we prefer a relaxed approach where nobody feels hurried.

Yes.  We run a Sunset Cruise when we can. 
     -  It is three hours long but we don’t go into the Broken Group Islands.
     -  We do see wildlife on the sunset cruise, however there is more on our day trip  and our chance of seeing whales is greater.   

We see lots of wildlife on all of our cruises, but

• if seeing whales and wildlife is your main focus, we recommend the 5 hour Broken Group Islands Wildlife Cruise. Because it is a longer cruise, we cover a much larger area which increases our chances of seeing whales (and other wildlife).
• if it’s a scenic evening cruise you’re looking for, with some wildlife thrown in, then the Sunset Wildlife Cruise is the one to take.  Very romantic! 

The boat is licensed to take 23 passengers, however we limit numbers depending on weather. The Raincoast Maiden is a large, comfortable luxury yacht. Even when full there is lots of room and you can expect a high level of comfort and service

No. We feel that “guaranteeing” certain species in nature creates inappropriate expectations. We always see a lot of wildlife and prefer our guests appreciate what they do see rather than be unhappy about what they don’t see. When a company “guarantees” sighting, it means only that you may try again without charge, not that you are certain of seeing a whale or bear. We record everything we see on every tour and if you’re wondering about the chance of seeing a particular species, please phone and ask. We can tell you your chances given the circumstances at the time (which change from season to season and year to year).

 

We see a lot of different species and most have seasonal movements. The best time for whales is July until late September. By then the humpbacks are in Barkley Sound, and whales in sheltered water are always better. In spring they tend to be offshore, so we have to pick our weather. In May we see bears about 40% of the time. From June onwards we see them roughly 2/3 of the time, sometimes almost daily. Eagles are abundant for most of the season, though we see fewer in the fall. We always see Stellar Sea lions, however almost all the California Sea Lions leave this area from mid June until mid August. We log our sightings and we’ll give you an update on any species that is of particular interest to you.

We mainly see humpback whales, but gray whales regularly also. Killer whales we see at random – we never know when the next time will be. We see whales singly or in small groups. Seeing a mother with calf is very common. Some days we see one whale, other days more than a dozen

We look for bears on every trip. In May we see bears on about 40% of our trips, June through October about 2/3 of the time. At times we see bears nearly every day. Check with us closer to the time and we can give you up-to-date information. The bears are at the waters edge turning over rocks. We have a safe, close, and unobstructed view. Mothers and cubs are common.

 

Most children love the trip. The boat is large enough that families with young children tend to pick a corner and settle in. The children are free to roam the boat. It is safe and we have life jackets for children to wear if parents wish.

No problem at all.

Speak to us directly about your dog. We sometimes take dogs. As a general rule, if your dog is no bother we will take it.

Dress warmly. We suggest wearing layers. It’s always a bit cooler on the water, even on warm days. Any shoes are fine. We have blankets and mitts for colder days and rain capes in case we’re surprised by rain.

Bring your camera. We have binoculars for each guest. There is free coffee, tea and water all day and we have juice, pop and alcohol for sale.

No.  Our boat has a liquor license so alcohol must be bought from us.  We have a variety of beer, wine, and champagne for sale

We have a low incidence of sea sickness on our trips for a variety of reasons.

• We feel there is enough to see in sheltered water without going into rough seas.
• The boat has hydraulic stabilizers - it is the only boat in the area with them.  These eliminate most of the sideways roll.
• At the start of the tour we give a lesson on sea sickness, ways to help prevent it, and what to do if it happens. 
• We have motion sickness wrist bands and motion sickness pills on board, which we offer to everyone.
• Only the first hour to hour and a half is partially exposed.  If there is too much motion on this portion, we take a more sheltered route into the islands. 

During summer we seldom have weather bad enough to interfere with an enjoyable trip. However, we have some basic policies:

• Anybody concerned about weather is free to cancel without cost or obligation.  We ask only that you appear on the boat at the appointed time. We discuss our various options.
• On occasion we’ve postponed the trip until later in the day. So far this has worked out well every time.
• On other occasions we’ve run a harbor cruise with lunch instead and cut the cost accordingly.
• If none of our suggested options work for you, then by all means cancel.  If you have ordered the lunch we ask that you pay for it.  We package it for you to take.

We have a 24 hour cancellation policy. You are free to change the date or cancel free of charge providing you do so at least 24 hours in advance. When canceling within 24 hours the cost to you is dependent on the situation. If we turned anyone away to save your seat, then you will be responsible for the fare