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Therapy Under Sail
Catherine
Freer Wilderness Therapy Expeditions
541-926-7252
www.cfreer.com
Visit to Haida Gwaii, British Columbia
On 3/26/03 by Will Twombly
 Starting two summers ago the Catherine
Freer Wilderness Therapy Expeditions (CFWTE) began collaborating
with the Gray’s Harbor Historical Seaport Authority (GHHSA) to
organize therapeutic tall ship expeditions for teenagers. Twice
we have offered a “Voyage of Self-Discovery”, sailing around Vancouver
Island on a reproduction of the historic Lady Washington,
with the third voyage scheduled to start July 20th, 2003.
These voyages create unique therapeutic contexts within which youth
actively learn to sail a tall ship, participate in group and individual
therapy and learn about history, marine ecology and culture. Interestingly,
the Voyage of Self-Discovery has generated it’s own momentum. We
are now discussing ways to use the Lady Washington to address a
historic conflict that occurred between early American explorers
and indigenous people on the Northwest Coast in order to
facilitate community healing and reconciliation.
People react quite differently to the image of a tall ship depending
on their cultural background, but generally people’s reactions are
quite emotional. The original Lady Washington was the first American
ship to land on the northwest coast, arriving from Boston back
in 1789, accompanied by the Columbia Rediviva. The primary
objectives for sailing to the northwest were to profit from the
fur trade and to establish a U.S. presence on the west coast.
Conflicts occurred as the sailors traded and interacted with indigenous
people, and though they happened over two hundred years ago, the
negative repercussions still have an influence today. One of the
most notable conflicts occurred in Haida Gwaii, also known as the Queen
Charlotte Islands.
Last August a Haida man sent an e-mail suggesting a coordinated
effort to sail the Lady Washington to Haida Gwaii to constructively
address conflicts that occurred in 1789 through 1792 between the
Haida people and the Lady Washington. Discussions are currently
underway to determine if and how such a process could be organized.
If the Haida Nation and the collaborating organizations deem it
to be appropriate and realistic, we may engage in a powerful process
to address healing an historic conflict. This would be an amazing
opportunity that was never envisioned when the collaboration between
CFWTE and GHHSA first took shape.
One conclusion that emerged from my visit and discussions with the
Haida Nation is that we should not rush into an historic healing
process this summer. Rather, we should plan for something to happen
in the summer of 2004, in order to allow more time and thought for
this process so that the addressing of historic wounds can be done
in a good way.
It is interesting, especially in light of current events, to reflect
on how conflict that occurred over two hundred years ago continues
to impact people today. The notion of slowing down a process of
healing stands in stark contrast to the speed by which conflict
often escalates. The idea of using the Voyage of Self-Discovery
as a mechanism to facilitate historic reconciliation testifies to
the power and benefits of organizational collaboration and exemplifies
how all of our efforts in the field of adventure therapy can influence
people far beyond the scope of those we typically identify as our
clients. It has been my experience that collaborations can strengthen
organizations and allow for creative and meaningful programming
to develop and grow, and I encourage people to actively explore
ways that collaborations can enhance the organizations and the programs
they represent.
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