Those aboard: Judy Harding, Jack Rodnick, Don Heyneman, Liz McLoughlin and Tom Hall
Our last leg, and what a delightful one it was! Liz & I spent all day July 19 checking boat systems, tidying up, reading, relaxing, and exploring the area. In the evening we went to the Port Hardy International Airport to meet our new crew. Judy (aka Tanya) Harding is a family law lawyer; Judy's husband, Jack Rodnick, is professor and chair of Family and Community Medicine at UCSF; and Don Heyneman is a parasitologist and professor emeritus in Tom's UCSF home department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
The next morning, we all made inexpensive visits to the grocery and liquor stores, and a considerably more expensive visit to First Art, a fine gallery featuring First Nation and Northwest crafts. At noon we made the short six-mile crossing to the predominantly First Nation (the Canadian term for their indigenous peoples) community of Alert Bay, where we spent the afternoon visiting their excellent cultural center. It features a collection of the masks that were confiscated in the 1920s by the Canadian government when the First Nation chiefs held a potlatch, which the government had outlawed. They held the potlatch in a relatively inaccessible place during the dead of winter to avoid the authorities but were discovered. In the 1970s, the First Nation residents of Alert Bay finally convinced national museums to return their treasured masks, and built the cultural center to house them.
The next day we were up early for a long trip down Johnstone Strait, (in)famous for its strong winds, tides, and resultant rough seas. We were blessed by a light following breeze, sunny skies, and a sighting of three Orcas, including a calf, in Robson Bight. As a result of the good weather, we were able to continue down the Strait, thus bypassing two of the strong tidal rapids traversed on the way up. The following morning we joined a small parade of other boats for a 9 AM transit near slack water of Dent and Yuculta Rapids, two of the strongest ones in the northwest, and soon thereafter entered famous Desolation Sound. For two days, in two great anchorages, we hiked, swam (the salt water temperature was up from its usual 50 degree temperature to a high of 73, and a fresh water lake was of similar temperature), learned about everything biological from Don H, read, and enjoyed the spectacular scenery (including several gazillion jellyfish).
The many boats of all sizes which crowded the waterways and anchorages gave notice that we were re-entering so-called "civilization." At Lund, on the minimally protected west coast of the mainland facing Malaspina and Georgia straits, we decided to stay at a marina and had a great dinner at the Starboard Café. During dinner we were treated to a 20-minute show put on by two large river otters who swam and walked very near to our water's edge restaurant.
The next two days involved early starts and relatively long passages, the first down the length of Texada Island next to the BC mainland to a wonderful marine park at Smugglers Cove, and the second for a bumpy passage across the Strait of Georgia. After the crossing we stopped in Nanaimo for several hours to await slack tide at Dodd Narrows, the last of the major rapids, and then into the Gulf Islands for the last three days of our trip.
Re-entry to the yachting & urban scene: Our overnight stop in the Port Sidney marina was memorable - our re-entry into the populated and very affluent world of high-end boating. We docked amid many hundreds of yachts, large (to 150') and small, with nary a fishing boat in sight. The poles at the end of each slip had two hanging pots of multicolored flowers, as did most every pole in both Sidney and Victoria. The marina had hot and cold running everything, with stores and boutiques galore. Jack rented a car and we all went to Victoria for an afternoon in the wonderful Royal BC Museum.
Canoes: We then had the thrill of happening upon the welcoming celebration for >20 dugout canoes, in the harbour in front of the Parliament building (see photos). These canoes were paddled by First Nation men and women, predominantly young, some of whom had been paddling for two weeks from as far north as above Alert Bay. Elders with microphones made speeches, underlining the importance of heritage and tradition for the next generation. First Nation peoples on shore and in the canoes sang chants to the rhythmic beat of paddles against canoes, and rear-oarsmen paddled slowly to keep the canoes aligned. The canoes were works of art; most were of traditional shape but made of fiber-glass, although there were several wood ones. The paddles of each canoe bore distinctive art work.
Attending this celebration provided a sense of "full circle" for Tom and Liz. The dugout canoe maker, Chief Al West, in Alert Bay (whose picture we posted on the web in Leg 1) had told us that this canoe odyssey would happen this summer, and in fact hoped that his canoe would be ready for the trip. When we revisited Alert Bay on Leg 6, he was still working away, finishing the art work on bow and stern. He told us that the canoes had come through Alert Bay two weeks before. And then to be present at their arrival in Victoria was magical to the max.
How we spent our time. On this leg as with previous ones we all benefitted from the diversity of our backgrounds. Don H. was a veritable storehouse of information about most everything that walked, flew, swam, or grew out of the soil, and regaled us with tales of travels and perilous encounters with the perils of the natural world. He was even pressed for guidance about how to keep Liz's mammoth tusk pendant carving from cracking. Jack could answer all our questions about human ailments and together with Don, enlighten us on UCSF lore, and Judy took us through the family law legal labyrinth and the difficulties that clients find themselves in. Liz provided us an update on efforts to reduce injuriesm and with the rapid evolution of the Million Mom march/movement to promote responsible gun laws, and Tom covered the international health scene and the art and science of boating. And when we tired of learning about the outside world, there was always plenty to discuss about the twists and turns of our individual lives.
Our reading preferences were diverse. By way of a very partial sampling: Don read about the imperative of major reforms if the Christian church is to survive; Judy about God and the scientific confirmation of Darwins theories of evolution; Jack about the history of medical education since Flexner; Liz about the history of the Sacred Heart Order; and Tom about the history of French secret societies from the 9th century onward and their challenges to the teachings of the Church. Most everyone on all six legs read Rabun's widely acclaimed book, "Passage to Juneau," which blends his personal experience of making the trip from Seattle to Juneau with the explorations of George Vancouver et al., and of the history of the region. Our eclectic readings provided further topics of conversation.
Every evening, as soon as the "sun passed under the yard arm," enjoyed our favorite libations, popcorn and nuts. Our meals were, as usual, great! We especially enjoyed four Tasty Bite dinners given to Judy by a colleague. Prepared and freeze-dried in India, the rich spices and curries made ordinary rice taste like a five-star treat. And when Don sensed we needed a bit more of a challenge, he would bring out written puzzles for us to solve. Only Judy had both the perseverance and "smarts" to solve the most most difficult one.
Enough musings, on to Liz's photos of our trip!
Leg 6 itinerary
Thursday, July 20, Port McNeil to Alert Bay, 6 miles
Friday, July 21, Alert Bay to Handfield Bay in Turston Bay Marine Park, 67 miles
Saturday, July 22, Handfield Bay to Walsh Cove, Desolation Sound, 32 miles
Sunday, July 23, Walsh Cove to Melanie Cove/Prideaux Haven, 11 miles
Monday, July 24, Melanie Cove to Lund, 17 miles
Tuesday, July 25, Lund to Smugglers Cove, 43 miles
Wednesday, July 26, Smugglers Cove to Thetis Island Marina, 39 miles
Thursday, July 27, Thetis Island to Sidney, 24 miles
Friday, July 28, Sidney to Anacortes, 36 miles
Total travel = 275 miles
Weather - Great weather for most of the trip - sun, light following winds, glassy or moderate seas. When we reached the middle section of the Strait of Georgia several "fronts" resulted in mostly cloudy skies, rather stronger winds from the southeast, and intermittent light rain.