Conservation in Focus and m/v Westward

Conservation in Focus and m/v Westward

CONSERVATION IN FOCUS

Cloud Ridge’s Conservation in Focus voyages embody the true spirit of expeditionary discovery. Our naturalists have dedicated their professional work to portraying the inherent beauty and complexity of the natural world as well as the environmental dramas that threaten the fragile fabric of life. If you wish to share your trip experiences with images, our photographic leader can help you master or refine those skills. After each of our trips we create a book—a visual memoir that weaves together the group’s best images of our explorations.

COME ABOARD THE M/V WESTWARD

Pacific Catalyst’s M/V Westward serves as our “classroom afloat” for our voyages in the North Pacific and in the Sea of Cortez. This Ted Geary- designed, 86-foot cruising yacht is a wooden work of art with a history to match! She was launched in 1924 as the flagship for the Alaska Coast Hunting and Cruising Co. For 20 years, Westward pioneered Alaska adventure travel and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for her maritime contributions. In her earliest years, she hosted a noteworthy clientele of celebrities that included George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak, and Walt Disney, the legendary film producer. The men’s shared travel experiences aboard Westward are thought to have provided the inspiration for Disney’s launch into nature programming. Westward is also an accomplished world traveler, having logged a 47,000- mile circumnavigation of the globe in the 1970s and an equally impressive circumnavigation of the Pacific in 2007-2008. Elegant and supremely seaworthy, Westward is still powered by her original 1923 Atlas Imperial diesel engine and is equipped with stabilizers for rough seas. She recently underwent a major restoration and the period-perfect transformation of her 4 staterooms (with en suite heads) by a master craftsman. Westward accommodates 8-12 passengers and a 4-person crew, which includes her owner/captain, Bill Bailey, an engineer, a chef, and a naturalist/ kayak guide. Although the heart of this historic vessel is her venerable engine, her soul is revealed in the magical alchemy of flavors that emerges from the galley thanks to Chef Traci Triolo. Westward has a full complement of sea kayaks, a motorized skiff and a passion for exploring.