Feel the wind in your hair as you raise the sails on a Two-Masted Gaff Topsail Schooner. Join veteran sailors Ginger Moshofsky ’83 and John Moshofsky ’85 on this exciting adventure exploring the magnificent waters of the San Juan Islands aboard the historic Schooner Zodiac! Professor Stephen Dow Beckham will join us ashore for a series of historical lectures.
Guests are encouraged to join the crew, helping to hoist the 7000 feet of sails. When not assisting with sailing duties, you may be in the chart room, learning about navigation or actually at the helm of this fine vessel. You might grab the binoculars to see a passing orca or actually help with chores and swab the deck. There is plenty of time to share stories, take hikes, and enjoy delicious meals.
Great care has been taken to restore the Schooner Zodiac to the way she looked when first commissioned; varnished mahogany, oak and teak are focal points throughout her main salon and galley.
Magnificent orca whales live in the San Juan Islands year round; it is the best place in the world to see them. You can also view humpbacks, minkes and even gray whales.
While the crew of the Schooner Zodiac can make no guarantees about the weather, they always endeavor to give passengers a fun filled and unforgettable experience.
Captain, First-mate and crew will help teach the group about nautical traditions and what makes the region so special.
Great food, fun, fellowship and adventure! Journey with curios-minded Lewis & Clark alumni and friends.
Sample Itinerary (Final Itinerary will be updated in June 2024)
Wednesday, July 16th
Most participants will travel to Bellingham today, stay overnight in Bellingham.
An optional non-hosted dinner will be organized at a local restaurant.
Thursday, July 17th
9:30 am Board the Schooner Zodiac at Bellingham Cruise Terminal
10 am Set sail and follow the wind!
Possibly drop anchor nestled in behind Decatur Head
Possible hiking on James Island
Friday, July 18th
Enjoy the thermal winds in Orcas Island’s Eastsound.
2:30-ish, go ashore at Eastsound, Orcas Island. Free time to explore..
5 pm, Excursion or Presentation
Possible overnight anchorage at Buck Bay.
Saturday, July 19th
Depending on the wind, sail through Upright Channel.
Or head back out through Obstruction Pass and down Rosario Strait.
Take the kayaks or sailing dinghy out for a spin.
Sunday, July 20th
Make our way north in San Juan Channel.
12:30-ish go ashore to explore San Juan Island.
Visit Friday Harbor.
Meet-up in town with Historian Stephen Dow Beckham for a presentation and discussion.
Reboard the Schooner Zodiac.Watch the sunset from our anchorage at Parks Bay on Shaw Island
Monday, July 21st
Enjoy time with Professor Beckham and another lecture.
A swim, kayaking, possibly crabbing, and more.
Storytelling, and singing.
More sailing!
Tuesday, July 22nd
Find some wind and go sailing!
Time to go ashore and check out the tide pools.
Possible overnight anchorage at Echo Bay, Sucia Island.
Wednesday, July 23rd
Sail back to Bellingham.
Accommodations
The Schooner Zodiac originally launched in 1924. While aboard, passengers stay in single berths or private staterooms and socialize in common areas for meals and other gatherings. The Zodiac is heated and well ventilated.
Being a vintage craft, guests share close quarters on the lower deck. On the top deck guests enjoy the fresh air, starry skies and more open spaces. The 24 guests, plus the crew share three restrooms. While there are showers aboard the Zodiac, for water conservation purposes, guests are not encouraged to take daily showers. Please take the virtual tour here before registering.
Standard berths are 48 inch bunks, adjacent to the ship’s salon and feature a heavy curtain. Guests need to store their gear with them in their berth as space on board is limited.
The ship’s staterooms are located both forward and aft and contain multiple bunks, a sink, a mirror and a door for privacy.
One must be able to negotiate stairs and narrow walkways in order to navigate the living areas on the Schooner Zodiac. See the virtual tour here.
Included Services
Six nights and seven days aboard the Schooner Zodiac.
While aboard the Schooner Zodiac, all meals and snacks are prepared by the ship’s professional chef using the freshest Northwest ingredients.
A 10% tip for the crew has been included in the trip fee
Use of kayaks and rowboat.
Shore excursions to state parks and quaint island towns.
Not Included
Roundtrip flights and/or transportation from home city to Bellingham, WA
Hotel accommodations and an optional group dinner on Wednesday, July 24th, 2024.
Travel Insurance
Meals, drinks, and snacks while visiting port towns. There is always a free option back on board the Zodiac.
Any items of a personal nature
Pricing Information
Standard Lower Berth: $2,895 per person*
Standard Upper Berth: $2,495 per person*
2-Person Stateroom: $5,695 for all Cabin*
2-Person Plus Stateroom: $5,995 for all Cabin
*10% tip for crew has been included
To Register
Please email Andrew McPheeters at: mcpheete@lclark.edu Indicate your request for an upper or lower Berth, or 2-Person Stateroom. Please include your name(s), and any food, health or mobility restrictions. Once space is confirmed we will send you a payment link with the total due within 5 days.
Please Note: Travel Insurance is recommended on Lewis & Clark trips, please click here for more information. Sometimes coverage needs to be purchased within a week of booking a trip.
Honored Lecturer
Stephen Dow Beckham
We are fortunate to have Historian Stephen Beckham join us onshore for a series of special presentations. Dr. Beckham will not be staying onboard the Zodiac but we will enjoy his contributions to our voyage in Friday Harbor and beyond.
Stephen Dow Beckham is the Pamplin Professor of History, Emeritus, having taught at Lewis & Clark from 1977 to 2012. Over the years, he taught at the undergraduate college, the graduate school’s teacher education program, and the law school’s Indian law program.
He is known for his work with Native Americans and the American West, especially the Pacific Northwest and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Beckham is a leading authority on Indian law and has been called as an expert witness in many cases nationally involving Indian treaty rights, casinos, reservation resources and boundaries.
Beckham has been honored as the Oregon Professor of the Year, and has been the recipient of the American Historical Association’s Asher Distinguished Teaching Award, and the Earle A. Chiles Award for “contributions to the understanding of the high desert interior of the American West.”
Beckham has authored over a dozen books including: Requiem for a People: The Rogue Indians and the Frontiersmen (1971) Tall Tales from Rogue River: The Yarns of Hathaway Jones (1974) Indians of Western Oregon: This Land Was Theirs (1977) Lewis & Clark College (1991) Many Faces: An Anthology of Oregon Autobiography (1993) Lewis and Clark in Oregon Country: From the Rockies to the Pacific (2002) Literature of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (2003) Oregon Indians: Voices from Two Centuries (2006)
Beckham earned his bachelor’s degree in history and biology at the University of Oregon. He earned a master’s degree and PhD in history/anthropology at University of California, Los Angeles.
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Trip Coordinator
Ginger Moshofsky ’83
Ginger is the Senior Associate Director for Alumni Programs & Engagement serving Lewis & Clark for over ten years. She has sailed the Zodiac Schooner on six voyages. Ginger is a veteran LC Travel program Coordinator coordinating trips to the San Juan Islands and Internationally.
