Our Team

Farewell Harbour Lodge boasts a talented pool of deeply passionate guides and lodge staff who all contribute to our success as a team.

Tim McGrady - managing partner

Tim is the General Manager and lead guide for Farewell Harbour Lodge. He brings over 30 years of diverse experience in the tourism industry.

After completing a degree in biochemistry at the University of British Columbia in 1990, Tim began guiding sea kayak expeditions moving between Baja, Mexico’s Sea of Cortez in the winter and the west coast of Vancouver Island in the summer. He also led month long sailing, hiking and sea kayak expeditions for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Mexico, Alaska and coastal BC.

After a brief stint on faculty in the Tourism Department of North Island College on Vancouver Island, Tim began working in Knight Inlet, leading bear viewing and whale watching excursions. He also helped establish the Commercial Bear Viewing Association (CBVA) in collaboration with a number of other top bear viewing companies in BC.

With the completion of a Masters degree in Leadership from Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC in 2007, Tim took a hiatus from the tourism industry to work as a leadership development consultant in Latin America. In 2010 he found his way to Klemtu where he began managing the First Nations owned Spirit Bear Lodge in collaboration with the Kitasoo/Xaixais Nation.

Tim brings passion, experience, a drive for excellence and a strong belief in the principles of Kaizen to his work as General Manager of Farewell Harbour Lodge.  He has been married to Kelli for 27  years and they have 2 grown boys, Connor and Kai - both of whom have been active in the business in some form. They live in Comox on Vancouver Island in the off-season.

Ryne Brockway - Co-Owner & lead guide

Ryne Brockway, shown here with his wife Rebecca, is the Co-owner and lead guide at Farewell Harbour Lodge. Ryne built our predecessor business, Bones Bay Lodge, single handedly from the ground up into a thriving, niche wildlife lodge which was very recently recognized by the Canadian government’s tourism marketing arm as a Canadian Signature Experience. This prized accolade is a testament to Ryne’s ambition, passion and work ethic. He derives his strong work ethic, personal responsibility and sense of integrity from his roots as a child growing up on a family farm in southern Alberta.

He graduated from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary in 1979 with an Associate Degree in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering. He worked in the heavy equipment and transportation sector managing a fleet of 125 trucks along with his sales team and dispatchers.

He began laying the foundation for Bones Bay Lodge in 2009 to fulfill his passion for the BC west coast wilderness while simultaneously continuing his sales career in the commercial trailer sales sector. In 2015 he started his own commercial trailer sales company in partnership with a colleague in Spokane Washington called Inland Pacific Trailer Sales. Ryne, a dual US/Canadian citizen, has been married to Rebecca Brockway for 27 years and they have 4 grown children and a home in Spokane, Washington.

KellI mcgrady - Co-owner & office manager

Kelli loves wildlife, wild places and her family. After graduating from Simon Fraser University in 1988 with a degree in Criminology, Kelli worked with high risk youth and families and also attained a diploma in family and marital therapy. While working as a counsellor in the Alternate School system in Vancouver, she spent the summer volunteering as a field assistant on a killer whale study in Johnstone Strait in 1990. This fed a lifelong passion for orcas as well as a desire to work in a wilderness setting.

After meeting Tim, it didn't take long to leave the city behind and begin guiding sea kayak expeditions in Baja Mexico's Sea of Cortez in the winter and the west coast of BC in Haida Gwaii and Clayoquot Sound in the summer. Kelli then co-ran a youth wilderness program over a number of summers on the west coast of Vancouver Island and led month-long sea kayak expeditions for 5 years for the National Outdoor Leadership School in Baja Mexico, Alaska and coastal BC.

After years of amazing adventures in wild places, Kelli happily embraced life at home in the Comox Valley to raise Tim and Kelli's two sons, Connor and Kai. This involved homeschooling and lots of time spent outdoors on oceans, rivers, lakes and mountains.

Kelli began working for Spirit Bear Lodge in 2010 in reservations and operations support and she brings this experience with her to Farewell Harbour Lodge.  She divides her time between the lodge and home/office in Comox. She hopes that a visit to Farewell Harbour Lodge will inspire guests to connect with themselves, each other and nature. In doing so, she hopes it will help foster a commitment to living more sustainably on our beautiful, fragile planet.

 

James Hallett - Operations Manager

A little over 10 years ago James decided to leave the urban jungle of Toronto behind and pursue his love for wild things and wild places. He spent many years living and working abroad as a wildlife guide and dive guide. He has been fortunate to check off many items on an ever growing bucket list. Not long after returning home to Canada he started looking for an opportunity to spend time in our beautiful Great Bear Rainforest. We are happy that James landed here and has stayed with Farewell Harbour since our first season. He has become an integral part of the team!

 

Dylan Morris - HEAD CHEF

Born in the small Alberta mountain town Jasper, Dylan moved to Whistler at a young age. Raised in the mountains of B.C., he has always loved being around nature and all it has to offer. Having worked in kitchens for over 8 years, Dylan’s culinary knowledge has grown substantially over the past few years. If he’s not out enjoying nature or traveling to different parts of the world, you can find him cooking up a storm in the kitchen, always seeking to provide amazing food wherever he goes. Dylan loves what he does and always wants to share his passion for cooking with others.

 

Vicki Petrie - GUIDE

Vicki is a marine animal. If it weren’t so cold she would live in the sea! As an alternative, Vicki brings her experience here to work at Farewell Harbour. She brings a life spent on the sea and a degree in marine biology; she is also a teacher, a naturalist/guide and a mom of two boys and one dog. Her motto in life is to ‘do what you love’ and so she is here, and is enthusiastic to share that with our guests. Whether it is watching the whales, cruising in the boats, exploring the shores for bears, or hanging out in the kitchen looking for ‘what’s for dinner’, Vicki is here for it all!

 

Daryl Dancer - Guide

Daryl is a textile artist, wildlife naturalist and commercial mariner. Daryl has almost two decades of combined experience escorting guests to view grizzly bears and other wildlife in Knight Inlet and the Central Coast of British Columbia as well as working as a watershed technologist responsible for the monitoring and assessment program for a Stream Stewardship group in the Comox Valley. Daryl has also spent over eleven years with the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue as a Volunteer Search and Rescue Specialist and as a Coxswain in charge of a rescue crew out of Comox, BC. You'll see Daryl anchored off the lodge this season in her little C&C 25 sailboat, the "Merrow," which she skippered on her maiden voyage across Lake Superior arriving on Prince Edward Island almost two months later. After many years cruising around Maritimes, Daryl and her family arrived on Vancouver Island (overland) twenty years ago. During the  off season, when Daryl isn't hibernating like the bears, she is the Lead Adventure and Awesomeness Guide and founder of the Experience Nature Academy, where she helps women to step out of their comfort zone so they can do the unexpected, by adding a little adventure and curiosity to their lives. If you'd like to find out how to make Bear Poo Paper, just ask Daryl, she might tell you her secret or better yet she may even ask you to help collect the raw materials.

 

Rebecca Crilly - guide

Originally from the UK, Becca traveled to Canada at the age of 21 and fell head over heels with the west coast of British Columbia. In 2019 she made the move and found herself at Farewell Harbour Lodge. She’s been here ever since and loves  spending each day sharing her favourite place with our guests. She is happiest on the water or anywhere near whales, but sometimes needs a little extra encouragement for the swim club!

 

Joa Macphail-mcgrady - LODGE OPERATIONS ASSISTANT

Having grown up in Comox, a small town on Vancouver island, Joa spent lots of time near the ocean and in the mountains, inspiring in him a love of nature and the outdoors. Joa, as a high school student, is the youngest member of the Farewell Harbour team. Joa works as a lodge operations assistant completing various tasks while enjoying the great outdoors in his time off. Beyond work he spends his time playing sports and hanging out with his friends and family. Joa is looking forward to traveling the world and is interested in continuing his education after he completes his high school diploma.

Lauren Webster - guide

Lauren has been passionate about wildlife and animals since she was a child, but life took her on all kinds of different paths around the world before finding her way to Farewell Harbour this season. From working as a Fashion Buyer in London, co-owning her business in street food and music events, and most recently she worked as a support worker in a homeless center. Always seeing the better side of life, Lauren will greet you with her big smile and ensure you have a great stay.

sébastien McGrady - guide

Growing up in the natural wonders of Vancouver Island's Comox Valley, Sebastien has fostered a lifelong love for the ocean and mountains. As an adventurer, he has honed his skills skiing, mountain biking, and paddling, exploring the breathtaking landscapes of his home. This fall, Sebastien is excited to embark on a new chapter in his journey by pursuing the Adventure Guide Diploma at Thompson River University. At the lodge, you can find Seabass equally at home leading tours deep into the heart of the rainforest or doing carpentry or maintenance around the lodge.

 

Elodie Peli - lodge operations assistant 

Elodie left France for the US when she was 18, to improve her English. She then studied hospitality management in Belgium and Argentina. After working 5 years for a cruise ship company, she traveled the US and Australia. She worked a summer season in Corsica and then she moved to the UK in 2018 where she worked in the hospitality sector in Northern Ireland and a non-profit in London. Elodie came to Canada to experience the wild nature of the Great Bear Rainforest, and to fulfill her lifelong dream of seeing orcas in their natural habitat. She is excited to be a part of the Farewell Harbour team.

 

Renée cross - GUIDE

Renée is in her happy place whenever she is exploring wild places. Growing up on Vancouver Island and spending much of her time outside has given her a deep love and enthusiasm for everything to do with the West Coast of BC. Drawn to being on the water, Renée decided to take the Adventure Guiding Program at North Island College where she fell in love with sea kayaking and the world of guiding! From whales to barnacles (and everything in between) Renée is fascinated by the diverse life in the ocean and never tires of exploring it. She is beyond thrilled to be at Farewell Harbour where she can share her passion for nature with guests in the stunning and inspiring Broughton Archipelago!

Marlie Temple - Guide

Growing up next to the ocean and spending winters in the mountains, Marlie is at home and in her natural habitat working on our beautiful BC coast. After playing 4 years of varsity volleyball in the United States and Canada, Marlie was eager to travel and so ended up finishing a Global Studies degree working for the local government in Belize. After graduating, she spent summers working remotely along our coast, and the winters adventuring abroad including mapping out island reefs in northern Fiji and becoming a paragliding pilot in Columbia. After taking on New Zealand, Baja Mexico, and South & Central America by van, she hopes to take her next mode of travel to the high seas!  Nothing inspires Marlie more than new places and wild spaces. Recently, Marlie completed the adventure tourism program at Westcoast Adventure College in Sooke, BC. When not lying with her head over the dock, you can find her getting really excited about moss and whales, and everything in between.

Sylvie Stewart Grantham - GUIDE

Sylvie finished her degree in environmental biology and has been thrilled to be back on the West Coast ever since, where she grew up and feels most at home. Sylvie’s passion for the natural world has always been evident, but during her studies she found particular interest in wildlife conservation and forest ecology (in particular fungi!). On any given day, you might find her poking through the ferns, looking for some cool mushrooms. Sylvie’s education spread far and wide, taking her around the world to Hong Kong, Iceland and Belgium, but she always felt lucky to call Vancouver Island home. Sylvie loves being a part of the Farewell Harbour team, and sharing her passions with each and every guest she meets.

 

Marc gerrard - BUSINESS SERVICES MANAGER

Marc Gerrard is a dynamic individual with a Business Degree from the University of Lethbridge, driven by a passion for personal growth and creating meaningful experiences. His adventurous spirit led him to live in The Netherlands and Finland before returning to Canada. Drawn by the allure of Northern Vancouver Island after countless wilderness adventures with family, Marc moved to the Comox Valley in 2018, seeking a deeper connection with the west coast. With experience in project management, commercial renovations and working towards a Home Appraisal designation, he now thrives as Business Services Manager at Farewell Harbour Lodge. In this unique role, Marc assists Tim and Kelli in administrative and strategic capacities while also contributing to strategic planning and execution at Alder Bay RV Park & Marina, owned and operated by the McGrady & Brockway families. Driven by a vision to share his love for the Northern Vancouver Island wilderness with an international clientele, Marc collaborates enthusiastically with staff and ownership to create unforgettable experiences at Farewell Harbour Lodge.