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Born and raised in Vancouver, Gudewill and Matheson, both 29, metnot here, but during a work stint in New York, where they wereworking wallet in marketing and finance. Canucks tend to stick together,and meeting in the bars of Manhattan, the two realized they hadmuch in common.

Both loved B.C. and wanted to apply their Madison Avenue and WallStreet business skills to something they felt passionate about.

"Whenever we came back from New York, we would bring friends fromback east who would be mind blown from what they saw . . . theboating, the fishing, the wildlife."

Having grown up with summer cottages and sailing in the GulfIslands, they realized that introducing the region to a luxuryclientele held much promise. Numerous business plans and muchresearch later, Exposure was launched in late 2007.

The company offers nine customizable itineraries, from grizzly bearwatching and golf tours to scuba diving with six-gill sharks offHornby Island. To get a glimpse into what their customers mightexpect, I joined them aboard one of their signature trips, a fewdays sailing on the 400-ton, 115-ft. Pacific Yellowfin.

A fully refurbished ex-U.S. military expedition yacht, the PacificYellowfin comes with a hefty price tag: Try $55,000 for a weeklongcharter, or around $9,000 a day. For that, a minimum of eightclients can expect to be treated like rock stars, which mightexplain why recent guests include members of the rock band PearlJam.

Four staterooms glisten with polished mahogany, in stark contrastto the functional outward appearance of the vessel. Private chefCatherine Cafiti, who heads the kitchen of one of Whistler's toprestaurants in the off-season, prepares B.C-based dishes that havewowed both guests and food critics. No wonder a culinary cruisestarts at around $16,000 for three days, with everything from fineB.C wines to sword-opened champagne included.

The diesel-powered Yellowfin also comes with a wealth of toys,including speedboats, mountain bikes, kayaks, scooters, a jet ski,fishing, and a well stocked CD, book and DVD library. Onshoreexcursions are encouraged, and five-star picnics greet the end ofhikes, rides and paddles.

According to Nick and Cory, the aim is for guests to relax andforget about the outside world, and if they can't, well, each clockon board is set to a different time to help. Whether it's sailingamong whales in Desolation Sound or anchoring in a quiet SaturnaIsland bay, it's hard to remain stressed about anything when"snacks" include rare sesame ahi tuna and Caesars with freshlygrated horseradish.