Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/309330
A colony of sea lions sunbathe in the Belle Chain Islets. created magic: roasted butternut squash soup with a garnish of prosciutto and pear, followed by teriyaki salmon with wild rice and beets. Suffi ciently forti- fi ed, I ascend to the deck to catch the last of the eve- ning light, which glows amber on Mt. Baker, stateside. e nearby forest of Monarch Head, the site of an old farm, is beautiful in a classic West Coast manner that evokes the art of E.J. Hughes, the B.C. landscape painter. The twisted, orange trunks of arbutus trees weave among mast-straight Douglas fi rs in a study of natural asymmetry. Later I join Shea in the wheelhouse, where he monitors the radio for a marine forecast. I run my hand along the smooth mahogany wood details; this boat is a fl oating work of art, legendary on the Pacifi c Coast and instantly recognizable, when its sails are aloft, to any mariner worth his salt. If the massive Douglas fi r timbers of the Maple Leaf 's hull could speak, they could tell amazing tales. Every time Shea captains this ship he knows he carries the legacy of a vessel that dates back to 1904, when Vancouver businessman Alexander MacLaren Join Tall Sails & Ales Oct. 26–31 for ve nights of sailing and brewery tours – or any Gulf Islands voyage on the Maple Leaf. 1-866-667-4777; AMATravel.ca/ Voyageur (far left and far right) greg shea, (middle and opposite page) shannon mendes p14-25GulfSchooner.indd 21 14-04-29 9:14 AM