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Saturday, July 17, 2004

Whales and Native Culture

We arrived at Alert Bay yesterday afternoon after completing our trip from Octopus Islands with stops at Otter Cove and Port Harvey.

The trip from Otter Cove to Port Harvey was pretty exciting. We left early to catch the ebb tide and to avoid the strong northwest winds that blow in Johnstone Strait in the afternoons. Unfortunately we had another obstacle to deal with - fog. We managed fine, though I'm sure it was easier for me than it was for Linda. I stayed down in the cabin and "played video games" while Linda was stuck up on deck steering, all the while looking into the opaque void of 1/4 to 1/2 mile visibility. Of course I wasn't really playing video games. I was watching for traffic on the radar as well as tracking our progress on the computer navigation software. After awhile it seems like you're playing a game of "avoid the dots" with the boat. Eventually the fog cleared and we sailed the last couple of miles into Port Harvey, putting the anchor down in the early afternoon. We both took a much needed nap.

After dinner, I entertained myself by casting a jig along the bottom. I didn't really expect to catch anything but after about 10 minutes I got a hit and pulled up a small halibut (about 3/4 of a pound). I set him free, thinking there must be at least a 24 inch minimum size limit, and went down to take a look at the fishing regulations. Imagine my surprise when I found that there is no minimum size for keeping halibut! I quickly went back to jigging the bottom. Soon I had another bite, but this time the fish was even smaller. The thought of spending an hour filleting that fish for 1/4 pound of meat didn't appeal to me so I threw it back too. After a little while longer I had another good sized bite and pulled in a 10 inch halibut. This one was big enough to fillet! I got about a half pound of very nice meat. Too bad we had just finished dinner. It would have to wait until the next night.

We departed Port Harvey at about 0800 in the wake of a big cruise ship (the first we've seen). This time the weather was better: no wind, no fog, favorable current. We made good time and were soon within sight of Robson Bight, a particular place where orca go to gather with other orca. They are also known to rub their stomachs on nearby rocks. It's an ecological preserve so you have to maintain a 1/2 mile distance. Even at that we were rewarded with the site of two orca, one male and one female, doing orca things. I don't think there was any rubbing going on, but who knows.
On our way we passed two humpback whales who seemed to be feeding in the area. One surfaced about 100 yards behind us and we could clearly hear it breathe at the surface.

We completed our trip to Alert Bay, tied up to the public dock, and immediately set out to do laundry and shopping. These chores completed we treated ourselves to cheeseburgers and fries at the cafe next to the laundromat. The only hiccup in the day was when I was working in the storage bins beneath the pullman berth. I was drilling 1/4 inch holes for a wire to control a remote deck light switch and dropped the drill. Of course the drill landed on my foot! Not only was I barefoot, but the drill also contrived to land bit first, giving me a new 1/4 hole in the skin between toes #3 and #4. Yeeeouch! I bandaged it up and completed the wiring project.

Today (Saturday) we did touristy things. We went to the U'mista Cultural Centre where the local Natives have built a longhouse style building to show masks and other artifacts from their history. It's a pretty moving exhibit (see www.umista.ca for details). Afterwards we chatted with a local wood carver/artist who was working on a mask. Except for having to limp around everywhere it was a beautiful and educational day.

Tomorrow we're beginning our time in The Broughtons which I've always referred to as Queen Charlotte Strait. Whatever it's called it promises to be an exceptional cruising area with many opportunities for exploring, fishing, hiking, crabbing and wildlife viewing.