Great Weather = Great Progress

Writing “Glacier Bay or Bust!” on our whiteboard made Mike nervous. So I borrowed from Ted Lasso, but I couldn't erase the old phrase well. It kinda makes it more meaningful.

I’m noticing more often that retirement is providing me the gift of pausing. I pause long enough to focus on the voice of a raven or wait for a stranger to start a conversation. Even with the swift progress we’ve made, we have plenty of time to pause and get into our heads while we're underway.

The weather has been great--little wind and generally favorable currents. With every passing day, we can allow ourselves to believe a little more that we’ll be able to stick with our plans.

HAKAI ISLAND

We stopped at a neat place called Pruth Cove, home of the Hakai Institute. (1) The anchorage is a lovely large cove poised in front of a well-maintained dock and the institute. It felt very “Fantasy Island” with clean, motel-style buildings, manicured gardens, and helpful signs at every turn describing rules and directions for visitors. They’ve made visitors super-welcome by installing narrow boardwalk trails deep into the forest. This enabled us to reach the white sand beaches on the far side of the beautiful island. We were surprised to find abalone shells and periwinkles.(2). 

On the boardwalk on Hakai. We thought there must have been major efforts to build and maintain effort the 100s of yards of boardwalks through the forest jungle.

One of the beaches at Hakai.

After days of racing, we decided to put down temporary roots for two nights at Pruth Cove. On day 2, I did a bit of kayaking around the cove while Mike went salmon and halibut fishing (3). Although Mike only pulled in a rockfish and greenling, they made a tasty dinner. 

We thought the rock walls along the little islands next to Hakai looked different and worth sharing:

We left Pruth Cove and returned to civilization: Shearwater and New Bella Bella. We expected it to be just a good place for laundry and groceries. It ended up being much more. 

Nicest laundromat ever at Shearwater! Ten-foot-long handmade laundry folding table. 

SHEARWATER & NEW BELLA BELLA

We learned from welcoming, talkative locals that 4 local villages are home to 4 First Nations tribal bands, each with a chief. The boat “bus” drivers who deliver passengers back and forth from Shearwater and New Bella Bella recommended that we visit the new and impressive Big House. We walked around the village and made our way to the Big House.

Big House exterior at New Bella Bella. See the two front doors on the lower left to get a sense of the large scale.

I appreciated the cavernous space, supported by 4 large totems which appeared to hold up enormous yellow cedar beams. The cool, peaceful, and reverent space reminded me of the interior of the Gothic churches we just stepped into in the Yonne Valley in France. 

A local woman walked by me on her way out and, observing my smile, said, “Hello. Don’t you love this space?” She continued to tell me how important the House was to her and the community. The sand in the center as well as the large stones around the firepit were brought in from the land of all 4 tribes, she said. And, the first gathering was opened by a traditional dance by children, emphasizing the importance of the House to the endurance of their culture. 

Later, we got to know our marine gas attendant. She was a woman about my age who opened a conversation with us by saying she was new to the job. “Why here?” we asked. She said it was to return to her tribe to discover her roots. She was part of the Sixties Scoop and had grown up as a foster child in another part of the province. She explained that to feel a part of the community, she just represented her great, great grandfather, who she just learned had served locally during WWII. She represented him by rowing in her band’s tribal canoe which escorted a wounded vet’s group that is kayaking from Olympia, WA to Skagway, Alaska through their territory. She opened herself to an amazing personal journey.

We left Shearwater with an appreciation for the struggles among the Heiltsuk Nation, and their willingness to share their stories.

This self-important raven had something to say on its soapbox at the marina entrance. Wish I  knew the language:

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“Stop” sign in New Bella Bella. Language is so important to a culture. Wouldn’t the sign imply control by an outside culture if it read “stop” in English?

GREAT PROGRESS

Sunshine and moderate winds over the next 3 days enabled us to make long transits. There were no villages, just quiet anchorages where there were 1 or 2 other boats. 

Typical glacier-cut mountains and valleys along our route.

We’d pass one recreational boat about every hour during this long leg. And then, we were surprised by a Disney cruise ship. 

The narrow waterways for this leg were filled with unnamed waterfalls. What beautiful sites (very rare to see in California).

I’m writing this from a good stopping point at the large town of Prince Rupert. Tomorrow at O-dark-hundred, we cross another long, exposed gate, the Dixon Entrance, to Ketchikan, Alaska, U.S.A.

Boat Miles: 622 miles

Boat Hours: 76

Footnotes for Fun Fact Fans

(1) Imagine the intense competition to get into the Haikai Institute and be part of that academic community. 

(2) Guidebooks say Haikai Island has the best beaches on the upper BC coast and that’s not an exaggeration.

(3) The area is famous for salmon and halibut. The Haikai Institute’s buildings used to be a fly fishing lodge.

Quiet evenings in the cove.

Shearwater for fuel, water, garbage, best laundry. Handmade one piece folding table, 15ft long. Two older gentlemen are dockhands ready to help with lines. Encouraged to visit new bella bella via water bus. 

Read about it too.

3 first nations men in the bus. Very open and warm, sharing their feelings about their community.

The marine gas station attendant says she's new. Recently returned to the community. Not just a buzzword. Says she learned her great great grandfather served locally in ww2. They weren't in the army because they were an Indian unit. To join community she participated in a row that accompanied a veterns group that is kayaking to alaska from i dont know. As a sign of respect and reconciliation. 

Community makes you feel something larger than yourself.

Saw humpback purposing towards us fron about a mile away. Awestsruck to see huge gape of mouth going up in the air and down submerged completely only to rise again. As it continued to quickly get closer and closer we wheeled to the right to move out of the way. After a few more appearances it disappeared completely.

Community of the sea.