Blackfish differs in that our overnight kayak mother ship tours are able to cater to persons who love the camping experience and kayaking, yet  wish to "pamper" themselves with fresh foods and  such  basic "luxuries" as ice, chairs, tables, stoves,

comfortable tents and mattresses and sit-on toilets that only a support vessel such as ours, with its additional carrying capacity can  justify taking along. Instead of sleeping aboard the confines of a vessel, we prefer to tent ashore every night- with resultant savings in costs!

Ours is a " hybrid" kayak mothership operation combining the best of two worlds- the rudiments of unencumbered paddling with the pleasures of well-equipped camping facilities ashore.

Convenience Factor: By carrying all of your camping gear and supplies on this Giant Canoe our guests can travel light and avoid the daily routine and challenge of packing and unpacking your gear. In essence, our wilderness expeditions prove that you don't have to rough it to enjoy the more wild and remote areas of our B.C. coast.

Convenience Factor: By carrying all of your camping gear and supplies on this Giant Canoe our guests can travel light and avoid the daily routine and challenge of packing and unpacking your gear. In essence, our wilderness expeditions prove that you don't have to rough it to enjoy the more wild and remote areas of our B.C. coast.

This means spending more time enjoying the water and greater safety in making crossings. It also means that overtaxed paddlers have the opportunity  to rest up on the Giant Canoe and/or enjoy marine attractions which would normally be beyond their kayaking abilities (the Canoe has a capacity of over 12 passengers plus gear, and a top speed of 15 knots under power). 

It also means that we can take along non-paddlers who would be able to enjoy the ambiance of the Giant Canoe and the many other activities this vessel offers such as fishing and crabbing, diving, nature photography, whale-watching, hiking, sailing instruction, or just plain lazing on board or on land while the others paddle behind. Note, we offer reduced prices for "non-paddlers'.

Unique Kayak Mothership: Our sailing canoe is presently the largest cedar strip canoe in North America. It took the tour operator considerable research and two years to build her. At launching, she was blessed by the Nanaimo Indian Band of Vancouver Island, and named "Qaanas" (the term for whale in the Salish language). 

While principally motored, hand-carved paddles and sprit rig sails are provided to give adventurers a taste of the traditional. We offer both day as well as overnight tours using our giant canoe as a "mothership" to transport people, supplies, gear and kayaks, and to serve as a touring vessel on those occasions when distances, waves and other obstacles are not conducive to paddling.

Safety: Our Giant Canoe is Coast Guard inspected annually, and features safety equipment which includes a VHF radio, cel phone and Avon inflatable. Our kayak guides carry either a VHF and/or cel phone for communication. It should be noted that our 47 foot Canoe is large enough to carry both kayaks and paddlers when required.