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The Travel Junkie by Julia Diamon June 11, 2008 02:07 At $55,000 a week, a luxury yacht cruise through British Columbia’s Gulf Islands isn’t for the fiscally-challenged. The Pacific Yellowfin draws a clientele of high-rollers who don’t mind dropping some coin on a pimped-out holiday. Last week, members of Pearl Jam chartered the yacht and explored the islands and inlets that stretch 120 kilometres across the Canadian/U.S. border. A week on this cruise costs more than I make in a year, yet there I was, sipping cocktails on deck like a rock star. The wind in my hair, I embraced first-class living on this two-night, three-day maritime expedition. Compared to the gleaming fibreglass speedboats docked at the harbour nearby, the Pacific Yellowfin is understated. She is a classic wooden ship, with a history as diverse as Forrest Gump’s. Through the years she’s been a World War II coastal freighter, a tuna research vessel and a houseboat that accommodated a hippie commune of flower power. She’s travelled clandestinely to search for Che Guevera and was involved in the Bay of Pigs. Today, the Pacific Yellowfin is owned by Captain Colin Griffinson, an Irishman who renovated and converted it into a luxury charter yacht. A 114-footer that sleeps eight, the Pacific Yellowfin offers gourmet food, specially cooked by an executive chef, day excursions to nearby islands and a lot of toys: Jet Skis, wakeboards, mountain bikes, water-skis, kayaks, water trampolines, air rifles, fishing gear and 49cc motor scooters. For those who dig boats, a trip to the engine room is yacht porn. Chief engineer Jack Dixon, 71, gave me a tour and ran through the daily mechanics of operating the vessel. He showed me the slow turning engines built in 1939 and the reserve tanks containing 18,000 gallons of diesel. “We could travel to China non-stop,” Jack told me in his grisly, sea dog voice. Instead of making our way to Asia, we anchored at Lyall Harbour, hopped into a smaller motor boat and toured the surrounding inlets. For those who are into wildlife, the Gulf Islands are home to orca whales, harbour seals and Steller sea lions. I was lucky to see a threesome of sea lions basking their obese slippery bodies on a rocky outcrop. As we approached, the dominant male perked up, waddled around and barked loudly. They were bigger than I’d imagined. “Don’t make eye contact with them” warned the captain. Apparently, if they catch you looking at them, they’ll slink into the water and disappear. I observed them sneakily. With this calibre of animal viewing, it’s hard to imagine I was only a 20-minute seaplane flight away from downtown Vancouver. After an indulgent stay, it was pumpkin time. My days of playing Cinderella on the seas were over, and it was time to return to my life as a lowly land-dweller. Julia’s tips : Exposure, a Vancouver-based tour operator specializing in luxury travel, offers the “Gulf Island Gourmet,” a three-day expedition aboard the Pacific Yellowfin. For more information, visit http://www.exposure.travel/ Freelance writer Julia Dimon is host of Word Travels, airing on OLN. Contact her at http://www.thetraveljunkie.ca |
