A magical launch to Festival Afloat

Last night was magic. 

We raised nearly $5k at Festival Afloat’s amazing Vancouver launch thanks to folks who donated and bought tickets. Our amazing sponsors Scout & Guayaki continue to match donations, dollar for dollar: give now.  

Here are some pictures to give you an idea of the colour, the smiling faces, and the majesty of the Providence set against the north shore mountains of Vancouver: 

The day began a drenching downpour. But by afternoon, the skies had cleared and we sailed our way to Vancouver’s Jericho Beach aboard the Providence tall ship. As we were dropping anchor, little groups of paddlers began to surround the ship, coming close enough to chat and mingle with the crew aboard. Meanwhile, families and friends spread blankets on the beach as Desiree Dawson launched into her Juno-nominated hit song, “Meet You at the Light”. 

Seeing the families with little kids perched on the bow of their paddleboards, groups of friends chilling in rowboats and kayakakers nimbly dancing through it all was overwhelmingly beautiful. Here you all were: ocean lovers, land and water protectors, RAVEN supporters new and old, gathered to paddle together. For fun? Absolutely! For serious impact & transformative change? Hell yeah. 

After enchanting us with a sun-kissed set of soulful r&b, she peeled off her gown and dove into the sea. The post-show patter consisted of Desiree and her guitarist Matt swimming from boat to boat, mingling with  from their grateful audience in lieu of signing autographs. 

We are overwhelmed with gratitude to the artists, sailors, chefs, on-the-water safety crew, and volunteers who pulled off last night’s event. Last night was an unforgettable experience… that we intend to repeat… immediately! Our next stop is Gabriola, then we sail on down the east coast of Vancouver Island and through the Gulf Islands with floating concerts at every port

Funds raised support Heiltsuk and Gitxaala Nations as they work to enshrine Indigenous stewardship practices into law. Indigenous Peoples in Canada have some of the most powerful environmental rights in the world: but only if they can afford to uphold them in court. Together, we’ve stopped pipelines, pushed back against open pit mining, and created better laws to protect beautiful, sacred places. Thank you for joining forces to put reconciliation into action and defend this incredible coast we call home. 

If you missed this, never fear: you can join the fun via livestream on Friday July 15th at 7pm. Sign up and you can watch live, or catch the recording in your inbox the next day. We’ll have one camera on the band and another roaming camera paddling through the crowd so you can experience some of the sweet solidarity for yourself. Get your tickets here.

Meet you at the light…

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