Wild horses, friendly Canadians and lots of salt spray were just a few of the things photographer Gavin Howarth saw through the viewfinder during a recent trip on the Spirit of Bermuda.

Mr. Howarth has compiled photographs from his journey in a new exhibition opening tomorrow at the Bermuda Society of Arts (BSoA), 'Northern Exposure'.

"The opportunity to go on Spirit of Bermuda was pretty special," said Mr. Howarth. "Malcolm Kirkland, executive director of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation, asked me to come along about a year ago.

"They had been planning a trip to the Canadian Maritimes. He knew it would be an awesome adventure."

Mr. Howarth was asked to document life on-board for the students and their educational experiences. However, the BSoA show, is mostly a scenery collection. He had his first major art exhibition last year with a show of seascapes.

The 33-year-old has been a professional photographer for five years and is often busy with weddings and portraits. Documenting the trip represented a departure from the norm, for him. "I was there as a participant," said Mr. Howarth. "So I was on watch duties. I washed dishes. I was doing everything that all the participants and crew were doing. I was as much a part of the team as anyone."

Mr. Howarth has done a little sailing locally, and an ocean crossing from Miami, but he had never been on a large vessel like Spirit of Bermuda.

"So it was all new to me, but it was fantastic," he said. "I had a great time. The students all enjoyed it and took something different from it.

"There was definitely some adjusting. One of the challenges was the large age range they were 14 to 20 years old.

"But everyone fell into their own groups and got on really well. They all pitched in, and they all now appreciate where they come from and what they have."

They left in August when tropical storm Colin had stalled to the south of Bermuda.

"The captain decided to leave, which turned out to be a good decision because Colin fizzled out," said Mr. Howarth. "But it meant we left under heavy seas. It was straight into the deep end. However, it wasn't as bad as some of the weather we encountered later. We had to deal on a daily basis with our gear being drenched with salt water. The camera equipment I am using is weatherproof, but the biggest problem is the salt getting into the front element.

"If you are out there and get salt on it you have to clean it before you can take pictures. When the glass gets wet you don't want to lose image quality."

The first stop on the journey was Sable Island, 120 kilometres off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.

The island is approximately the same size as Bermuda, but is basically unpopulated by humans, other than nine scientists and a representative from the Canadian parks service.

"The main residents are wild horses and grey seals.

"It is comprised completely of sand and grass," said Mr. Howarth. "It is one large sand dune. The horses were introduced in the 1700s, and the island also has one of the largest populations of grey seals in the world."

To land on Sable Island, the Bermuda Sloop Foundation had to get written permission from the Canadian Parks Service and the scientists on the island. Physically landing was also a challenge as they had to wait for good weather. Luckily, the group had "exquisite weather" on this day.

"There are no docks or landing areas," said Mr. Howarth. "We had to go ashore on the runabout straight up onto the beach. It was pretty hairy getting myself and camera equipment plus the 13 students and crew on to the island."

After touring the island for a day, they motored through the night and arrived in their next port, Louisbourg, Nova Scotia.

"It is a small Canadian town," said Mr. Howarth. "We were there for two or three days. They had planned various things for the students. We visited a fortress there which was originally French.

"There is a lot of history in the town between the French and English. It is primarily a fishing town and it has deep history with Bermuda for trading and cod fishing."

He said the destinations on the trip were all carefully chosen around the theme of cod fishing and Bermuda. "These destinations were all chosen as part of a specific curriculum for the on-board education," said Mr. Howarth.

After visiting a fish processing plant, and taking a night out on the town, they sailed for a day south to another Canadian town, Lunenburg.

"This was more of a maritime ship building town," said Mr. Howarth. "They have a lot of history to do with ship building and cod fishing and trading. They had a great museum there. Both towns were super friendly."

From Lunenburg they sailed to Bar Harbor, Maine, disembarked and returned home to Bermuda. Spirit of Bermuda went on for its annual maintenance and refitting.

"I wouldn't say there was anything really tough about the journey," he said, "but it was hard work. Besides the sailing, it was great because we were immersed with a fixed group of people for a fixed period of time.

"It was great being able to mix with the different ages and different people. The living conditions were probably the toughest thing. You are confined to a very small space. I had to sleep with my camera gear, but that is life on-board. I would absolutely do it again. Definitely."

'Northern Exposure — Photographic Exhibition', opens tomorrow at the BSoA from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and runs until November 24.

For more information visit www.gavinhowarth.com.