92-ft Schooner Maple Leaf
Maple Leaf is a classic, 92-foot schooner. She accommodates up to 8 guests in 4 semi-private sleeping areas, with 3 shared washrooms, and a crew of 4 or 5.
Maple Leaf is a sea-kindly vessel with a long range. She can take you to the coast’s wildest, remotest corners more comfortably and safely that most other vessels. Her sails and 40,000-pound keel keep her steady, and her crew’s warmth and culinary delights keep your soul soaring.
She is outfitted for engaging with the natural world.
Ship Layout
Interior and Accommodations
Built of coastal Douglas fir, high elevation yellow cedar and mahogany, Maple Leaf is a tough expedition vessel and a work of artistry.
Her curved deck planks, mahogany and glass butterfly hatches, fir beams, mahogany cabinetry and the sweep of her long cap rail are a pleasure to look at.
Maple Leaf’s interior is in harmony with her heritage: modern conveniences and good space design, melded with a decor that nods to her Edwardian past.
Galley and Dining Lounge
Relax and read a book, write in your journal or chat with the chef in the dining lounge when we’re under way. This cozy space contains a wealth of books in our on-board library.
From the tiny galley, Maple Leaf’s chefs produce incredible meals and snacks fresh each day.
We dine on deck or in this lounge, depending on the weather. This dining lounge is a warm and merry place to relive or discuss the day’s adventures with your crew and naturalist, over a fine meal and glass of wine.
Wheelhouse Lounge
Visit Maple Leaf’s above-deck wheelhouse, where you are a welcome guest.
Here the captain or first mate navigate, plan routes, and communicate with others at sea or on shore as they unroll the day’s journey. They’re happy to take a few minutes to explain what they’re doing, and what the different systems show and do.
This lounge also houses our natural history guidebooks, which are available for your use.
Like all areas of Maple Leaf’s interior, the wheelhouse’s mahogany and Douglas fir beams and built-ins gleam in all kinds of light.
Sleeping Areas & Heads (Bathrooms)
The spacious main cabin is airy and divided by half-walls and heavy curtains into four “cabins,” providing sleeping accommodations for eight guests.
Each area contains large comfortable beds (six and a half feet long), space for your belongings, brass reading lamps, fluffy duvets and blankets. They have walls on two-and-a-half sides and thick, heavy curtains on the other one-and-a-half sides.
There are three heads (washrooms) aboard, all with hot running water and shower conversions.
If you are a solo traveler, you will be sharing one of the quarter berths with a same-sex solo traveler or you will be placed in our comfortable wheelhouse accommodations. Or, depending on the make-up of guests, our wheelhouse lounge seats convert into comfortable beds.
Decks
Maple Leaf has lots of deck space, on which people may choose to sit and watch the coast’s scenery, chat with others, steer the ship, or have quiet time alone.
Her deck is divided into three distinct areas, at different heights:
- The fore deck & bowsprit: for those who wish to “fly” over the ocean!
- The well deck: A well protected area for those who like to sit and read or watch the world go by.
- The aft deck: where you can chat with crew, sit and read, or stand by the helm.
Shore Boats, Kayaks and Other Equipment
We tow two Polaris rigid-hull, inflatable boats — very reliable and sturdy shore boats. These zodiac-style boats give you ample space and great access to enjoy an explore along shorelines, up rivers, at wildlife colonies, and onto beaches.
While at anchor, enjoy one of our two single kayaks. The kayaks are stable and easy to use.
We have fishing rods and lures ready for jigging for licensed anglers. Obtain your sports fishing licence online and take a turn at jigging for halibut or lingcod. Our chefs are delighted to cook your catch serve it to you at dinner.
Our zodiacs are stocked with mini-aquariums and other tools for (safely) examining intertidal life.
The ship also has many guidebooks for the local flora and fauna and visual aids for understanding big picture concepts or phenomena. There is a flat screen in the wheelhouse for the occasional electronic naturalist presentation.
The ship also has a hydrophone for listening to whales. This underwater microphone plays the sounds of the sea over the deck, including the clicks and calls of whales.
Transport Canada Certified Passenger Vessel
Maple Leaf is certified by Transport Canada as a passenger carrying vessel.
This stringent, world-class designation is the highest standard of certification for vessels in Canada (higher than most charter boats, sail training vessels, and fishing vessels, for example).
Canada’s criteria for passenger vessels are more stringent than most areas of the world.
Under Sail
With thousands of square feet of canvas (or, dacron), the Maple Leaf is a joy to sail.
You are welcome to help with sailing and taking the helm under our crew’s instructions. We are patient teachers and delight in helping people learn.
On the other hand, you are not required to sail or perform duties while you are on vacation. The choice is yours.
Maple Leaf is a schooner, meaning that her aft mast is taller than her foremast.
She has five sails: main sail, foresail, staysail, jib, fisherman.