2023 Cortes Museum Cruises with Misty Isles Adventures
All museum-sponsored cruises for 2023 are now booked. Please contact Misty Isles about other cruises they are providing.
The waters around Cortes Island are famous for spectacular natural beauty, abundance of wildlife and significant maritime and cultural history. From British and Spanish explorers, who charted this area in the late 1700s, to homesteaders of the 19th century, right up the idealism of communities in the 1970s, rough and ready tales from these coastal communities abound.
Set sail this summer (all cruises for 2023 are now booked) on three fascinating interpretive voyages aboard the historic schooner Misty Isles.
Each trip is led by Captain Jonas Fineman and features a local guide who will share first-hand knowledge of the region to make your voyage truly memorable.
This year’s trips include Low Tide Reef Exploration, Refuge Cove, Háthayim/Von Donop Marine Park. All trips start from Cortes Island.
Low Tide Exploration, Thursday, July 13
Guided by George Sirk, filmmaker, radio personality and avid naturalist with a passion for birds and wildlife. George will share his legendary curiosity and deep knowledge about the natural world on this trip.
Cassel Lake & Refuge Cove, Thursday, July 27
Guided by writer Norm Gibbons and artist Lisa Weyler-Gibbons. Norm was a founding member of the Refuge Cove Land and Housing Coop and Lisa was raised in this spirited community during the 1970s.
Háthayim/Von Donop Marine Park Sunday, August 13
Guided by Bruce Ellingsen. A member of an early Cortes logging family, Bruce spent part of his childhood in V0n Donop Inlet in the 1940s and has a lifetime of rare knowledge of the social and natural history of this region and the island.
Meet Jonas and Amy, the owners of Misty Isles Adventures!
Jonas Fineman and Amy Bockner live on Cortes Island with their two young daughters, Mila and Ava. Amy is a third-generation Cortesian, and Jonas immigrated to Canada in 2012 from the central Oregon Coast.Jonas has been a professional mariner for all of his adult life. Raised in a small Pacific fishing town, he took to the decks of commercial salmon trollers at an early age and quickly fell in love with the life at sea. Over the years he made his way around the North Pacific on workboats before following the opportunity to Atlantic Europe and Scandinavia as an officer on a 30-metre sailing vessel. Since moving to Canada, Jonas has been leading wilderness expeditions by sailboat up and down the BC Coast, from the Southern Gulf Islands to Haida Gwaii and the Great Bear Rainforest. He has logged over 20,000 nautical miles on the world’s oceans and is a respected member of the West Coast maritime community.Amy has spent the bulk of her professional life as a remote wilderness chef; from snowbound sites in Canada’s north, to tropical retreat centres, to sailboat galleys on coastal BC waters. She co-founded Tacofino, a successful restaurant business in BC, and is currently the owner/operator of Älska Food and Flora, which provides catering and floral design services for local weddings and events. She cultivates and manages a large organic flower and vegetable garden on the family’s property.When Misty Isles Adventures was posted for sale in late 2018, Jonas and Amy stepped forward to take the wheel. Together, they share a common passion and curiousness for the natural world around them. As the new owners of Misty Isles Adventures, they look forward to providing high quality and thought-provoking travels for people who want to experience, learn about and celebrate this beautiful part of the world.To book your trip please contact mistyislesadventures@gmail.com, visit www.mistyislesadventures.com or call 250-935-6756.
The museum is also a tourist information booth and can give suggestions regarding accommodations and dining on Cortes. Give us a call and stay an extra night or two to explore the island! Or, check ourcortes.com, the official Cortes Island Business and Tourism website for more information regarding accommodation on Cortes Island.
For more information on other tours and programs organized by the Cortes Museum call 250-935-6340 or email cimas@twincomm.ca.
