About

Woman in a wetsuit in a small yellow boat with a green surfboard strapped on top

My name is Courtney Edwards

I like maps.

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My formal education is in Geography. At university I focused on marine resource management with an emphasis on geospatial technologies like GIS ('Geographic Information Systems', just a fancy acronym for software that does spatial analysis and lets you make maps), Remote Sensing (working with imagery from things like satellites, drones, or even a depth sounder), and Cartography (the endlessly fascinating art of making maps). My informal education is far more interesting. I grew up rural on the BC coast. I come from a family that makes things (weavers, painters, pantry stuffing canners, photographers, boat builders) and I have been doing art making things since I was a kid. For me, cartography strikes a perfect balance between the rigors of science, the applicability of a trade, and the creativity of art.

A white sailboat seen from a drone sitting in a bay in the pacific northwest with a paddle boarder nearby

Captain || Cartographer || Ocean Addict

I am the captain of a fine little ship called Whisky Jack II. I live at sea with my husband Tristan (an animal enthusiast, marine biologist, and commercial diver). Most years, we travel up and down the BC coast doing marine science and GIS work. This year we're sailing south, on our first bluewater trip around the Pacific. Because being on the water feels like home I've built a life for myself that revolves around the sea.

Satellite map of the BC coast, with bright pink lines showing a sailboat track over a season

Did I mention that I love maps?

I combined my love of cartography and my love of the sea into this map collection.

Maps are important. They are for remembering where we come from and imagining where we're going. They are for telling stories and coming up with wild schemes late at night around the table with friends. When a map is hung on a wall it gives us a daily reminder of what's possible and helps remind us to put in the work towards our goals: places we want to go, things we want to do, all in the quest to live a life that we can proudly call our own.

A rugged BC coastline, seen from a drone, with a sailboat at anchor

Of all the people in the world who need maps and dreams it’s waterpeople: folks in power boats and fish boats; the people who travel by wind whether they are on sailboats or on boards with sails or kites or wings; and all the surfers and wave sliders and the other board riders; the people who make that hike down to the seashore at low tide, or trek up that mountain to look out to sea at sunset; and especially all the waterpeople who are ocean advocates, tirelessly fighting for the long term sustainability of our shared marine spaces. Waterpeople need more than a nautical chart on the wall, they deserve something that feels like a place feels and makes you want to get out there. Water people need beautiful maps.

I hope you find what you're looking for in my collections.

Every map and design you see here was made by me.

If you are convinced that you have an amazing idea for a map or want something customized then feel free to contact me. I make no promises, but I do custom projects and freelance work when time allows and I am always open to compelling projects.