July 13 - There Are Wonderful People in This World!

PLEASE, read this story and it will warm your heart!
There are some pretty wonderful people in the world and a lot of them are here in Canada!
Lou and I have spent the last week exploring the Broughton Archipelago while we wait for our son Daniel to arrive for our voyage around Vancouver Island.
On the last leg of our passage back to Port McNeill to retrieve my "lost camera" left in a grocery store, we anchored in a familiar place called "Potts Lagoon". When we arrived in the late afternoon we found about 7 boats anchored in the small lagoon as well as numerous commercial crab traps. Commercial crab traps are attached to a continuous line with a float attached to each trap with as many of 20 traps per line. Needless to say this can create a quagmire beneath the surface especially at low tide in shallow water. We were in such a position and thus snagged a line around our shaft and propeller. We were able to cut and untangle the line enough to get underway but it was evident that there was still some line attached indicated by a rubbing sound and a bit of vibration at higher RP M's.
When we limped into Port McNeill we were greeted with the familiar faces of the two gals that run the dock. I asked if they knew of a diver that could take a look at our problem. They recommended someone living in a blue float house on "X" dock.
We were just about to leave to hunt him down when a handsome young man approached the boat and asked if we needed a diver. We told him our tale of woe and he offered to take a look.
I asked what he charged and he said he didn't. He returned to a boat just across the dock and suited up in his diving gear.
On my way to "Super Value Grocery Store" to check on my lost camera I asked what kind of beer he drank and he said he didn't drink.

Meet "Dave" our Hero!
He dove into the frigid water out of the kindness of his heart and untangled the remaining line then removed a piece that had fused to the shaft from the heat of the friction against the propeller. He had just overheard us when we pulled in and volunteered to help us! He was not the diver from the blue float house on X dock.

This piece fused into a solid ring.

This is the remaining tangled line removed from the shaft.

READ ON IT GETS BETTER!
Dave is in the Canadian Air Force and Helicopter Navigator. He lives aboard his boat "Making Waves" between deployments. In two weeks he will be sent to AFGHANISTAN! We asked him to join us for dinner at a local restaurant. He entertained us with his world wide adventures and especially his interesting experiences in the Middle East as he has been in the Canadian Air Force for about 20 years. We came back to Seventh Heaven and chatted until 12:30 AM.
In the morning about 11am I wanted to invite him over for a Latte and just as he appeared out of nowhere he was gone. His slip was empty . . . .
"Dave, wherever you are we wish you well!
We Thank You for your kindness!
Be safe in all you do and may the "Force" be with you!
We look forward to seeing you again soon!


As if that is not enough kindness for one day, I returned to the grocery store where they cheerfully returned my precious camera and "Thanked me for shopping there!"
"Why do we love Canada? Let us count the ways!!!"

Black Bears of the Port Hardy Region

"Since Goldy Locks ate all my porridge, I have to eat this damn clover!"


"It's not easy being a bear . . ."

"I wonder what they taste like?"

(I snapped these photos from along side the road. We often see black bears on the road to Port Hardy)

July 4th - A Fascinating Trip to Fort Rupert

We rented this 2009 VW Beetle to do some exploring by land.

This is a historical picture of the Hudson Bay Company's Fort Rupert built 1849. It served as a trading post as well as a base for workers in the nearby coal mines. Kwakiutl First Nation's people had inhabited this area for over 9,000 years.

Fort Rupert was destroyed by fire in 1890.


This chimney is all that remains of the fort today.


The present area of Fort Rupert village was the site of an enormous bank of clam shells called a "Midden" , two miles long, half a mile wide and fifty feet high. The shells were the last vestiges of enormous feasts held here for generations and they came to play a part in local history in World War II when they were used to level the airport nearby. Today, there is no such evidence of a Midden just a few scattered clam shells. Middens are now considered archaeological sites protected under British Columbia law, and may not be disturbed.


We located the site of the ancient petroglyphs carved into sandstone by the Kwakiutl.


There many mystical faces carved in the rock.

No one is really sure of the meaning of the carvings and one can only speculate that this might be a ceremonial figure.

The carvings could represent spiritual figures.

Perhaps they could represent the dead from the world beyond.

There are moon and sun like shapes.

Some appear to skeleton heads.

The high tide covers the petroglyphs therefore they are only visible at low tide.

In the small village there is an historic cemetery.

This remarkable "Big House" is the center of the community.

The Elementary School is decorated with traditional impressions of eagles, a frog, a bear and a happy child's face.

Art of the Copper Maker - Fort Rupert

We are very fortunate to have visited with Calvin Hunt, master carver, and his "Copper Maker" studio in Fort Rupert. He was so very gracious to explain the process of carving and decorating the canoe he is working on as well as the other art pieces in his studio. He considered to be one of the foremost artists of the Northwest Coast. His First Nations art works, have been sent to places around the globe, such as Germany, Japan, Australia, China, Scotland, and throughout North America.
Check out his web site: http://www.calvinhunt.com/


His colorful workshop is full of the many works of art he is creating.

There are many individual pieces being worked on and will later be assembled on a 40 ft. ceremonial canoe.



A self portrait watches over Calvin's workshop.

The tools of the carver's trade adorn the walls of the workshop.

This glorious "Whale Tale" is a commission from Victoria.

Calvin explains to us his technique for making a dorsal fin to adorn the adorn the canoe he is carving.

This magnificent canoe is waiting for the completion of the bow carving.

The shape of the hull is "Tlingit" in design from Alaska and will be used to race in ceremonial events.

Calvin was adding a mast to this canoe.

A work in process.

A colorful detail on a 22 ft. canoe.

July 4th - "Just for the Halibut" Port Hardy Docks

These Halibut fisherman wait in line to clean their catch.

These two weight about 75 lbs. each.


This one is closer to 90 lbs.

Some lucky person will have these fresh delicious fillets for dinner!

July 3rd - The Infamous Past of Coal Harbour

Coal Harbor is a quiet little fishing and Eco-tourism hamlet with a population of about 200. However, it has had quite the infamous past. It borders Holberg Inlet off of Quatsino Sound which opens to the Pacific on the west side of Vancouver Island. In the late 1800's there were both coal and copper mines nearby. During World War II there was a Royal Canadian Air Force Base which operated a sea plane reconnaissance station. It was responsible for off-shore surveillance flights searching for Japanese submarines. The only recorded intrusion arrived onshore in 1945, when an incendiary balloon landed in the forest near Holberg Inlet, one of thousands of balloons released by the Japanese with the intention of starting forest fires and sowing panic among the West Coast population. When the war ended the base closed.


We purchased these delicious large White Spot Prawns from a local prawner docked at the wharf for $10 a pound Canadian.


The only store in the area is called: "Lucky Louie's" and lucky we were to find a cold drink on such a warm day.

The 20 ft. high Blue Whale Jawbones, the largest of the whale family, are a reminder of the communities whaling past. If you can imagine just the jaws on this magnificent mammal would be equal to a two story building. In 1948, the Western Whaling Corporation began operating a whaling processing plant in some of the WW II buildings. Bought out by B.C. Packers Limited in 1949, the whaling fleet eventually grew to six vessels. The whaling season ran from April until September however, the operation was not a profitable one. From 1950 until 1957, the company killed and processed over 4,000 whales and lost over a million dollars.
During the 1960’s the whaling station was revitalized by a partnership of B.C. Packers and the Taiyo Gyogyo Company of Japan. An emphasis was placed on whale meat and 85% of the production was exported mostly for human consumption.

By 1964, only two ships remained in operation. It was the last whaling station in British Columbia when it closed in 1967 and the brutal slaughtering of these magnificent creatures ended here.

At one time, before closure and its filling with sea water, it was the deepest depression in the face of the earth. Although not as impressive as when one was able to look down into a cavity – 7,900 feet long, 3,500 feet wide and 1,320 feet deep – it is still awesome to see from the air.
The Utah/Island Copper Mine that operated from 1971-1995, on the shores of Quatsino Inlet’s Rupert Arm, near Coal Harbor was a mine of immense physical and fiscal proportion. Thousands of people worked there over the years with 900 working there at its peak in 1980. Even at closure, 450 employees worked here.
The mine produced 1,360,000 tons of copper, 1.1 million ounces of gold and 11.6 million ounces of silver, as well as 34,800 tons of molybdenum and 62,000 pounds of rhenium – whatever that is?

This is a photo of the pit filled with sea water.

July 2nd - Telegraph Cove

The historic community of Telegraph Cove was established between 1911-12 during the building of the telegraph line from Campbell River and is one of the last boardwalk communities remaining in British Columbia, Canada.


Telegraph Cove has a rich and entertaining history, having been home to a lumber mill, and a chum salmon saltery and cannery after serving as a relay station during World War II. Many of the buildings have now been restored. There is also a marina for small fish boats as well as a camp ground.

You can stroll along the boardwalk past the historic buildings. There is a pub, coffee house and a whale bone museum.

The relics of days gone by line the boardwalk.

Beaver Cove Wet Log Sorting Facility

Along Johnstone Strait between Alert Bay and Telegraph cove there is a huge Wet Log Sorting Facility.


This is an example of British Columbia's declining soft wood industry partly due to illegal tariffs placed on wood products by the Bush Administration coming into the U. S. There was no activity and the facility appeared to be closed.

Canadian Forest Products bought the property and in the early 1950s began construction on the railway that connects the Nimpkish Lake area with the coast. Crown Zellerbach, which had bought Beaver Cove from Canadian Forest Products in 1946, moved the settlement up the hill to Kokish and cleared the waterfront at the end of the rail line to create the flat log-sorting area visible today to anyone coming in by road.

The Nimpkish line is significant due to Locomotive 112, a 135-ton monster that hauled logs as late as 1971, making it probably the last working logging locomotive in North America.

Port Alice by Car

Port Alice's main economic history dates back to 1917 when a series of pulp mills were built utilizing the transportation link of the ocean, the large supply of wood fibre plus the abundance of fresh water found in the area. The pulp mill was the main employer and operated up until October 2004, when it closed due to economic reasons. Fortunately, the "Neucel Specialty Cellulose Company" reopened the mill and saved the community. Port Alice has a bright econmic future.

Port Alice is situated on a south-east slope facing picturesque Neroutsos Inlet. Neroutsos Inlet is part of a larger arm extending from Quatsino Sound and the west coast of northern Vancouver Island just south of Cape Scott Provincial Park.


We drove along the inlet until the road ended at the mill site. We noticed cars and trucks leaving the mill driving through a car wash just outside the gate. Our rental VW Bug was very dusty so we decided to drive through.


We forgot to close the sun roof and ended up getting a bit of a shower inside the car!


We stopped along the way to take photos and noticed many of these lovely jelly fish in the water.

It was very interesting seeing an inlet open to the west coast. It was like a peek at our future adventure when we sail the west coast.

Wild Fox Glove, Butter Cups and Fire Weed add brilliant color to the landscape along the beautiful inlet.

June 21st - The Mysterious Creature of the Sointula Docks!

I heard strange little foot steps scampering across the dock late in the evening. There were weird sounds resembling soft growls and muted barks. When I rushed up to the cockpit to see what was lurking about there was only an apparition of a small chocolate colored creature darting out of sight beneath planks of the dock. I waited patiently with my camera to try and capture an image of this elusive mystery!

ALAS! SUCCESS! BUSTED!

IT IS THE INFAMOUS "STINKY MINKY" as he has been named by the locals. This stealth little mink roams the docks looking for fish, crab or the occasional unsuspecting small rat!


This most famous of fur-bearing animals is a common resident in British Columbia. It is almost always associated with water, and is an excellent swimmer. It feeds on aquatic animals and amphibians, birds and small mammals. On the BC coast, where it is commonly seen, its diet is full of crabs and other marine life. It is a fierce hunter; and has been reported holding the head of a large gull underwater until it drowned.

"Pierre's Echo Bay" and Pig Roast

Pierre has transformed Echo Bay into a wonderful marina with all new docks, upgraded store and fuel station. He erected the large tent on a piece of floating bridge from Seattle to accomodate the Pig Roast Extravaganza.

He moved the float houses down from his old site.

He and his wife host the Pig Roasts. They supply the pig, baked potatoes and dessert and the guests bring a side dish.

The pig is cooked on the huge bar-b-que.

The variety makes for a grand feast!

"The Pig will live on through a lot of happy boaters.

Kathleen and Jim happily await our table to be called.

We fill our plates with the great vaiety of food and the delicious tender pork.

We really enjoyed the food, new and old friends and to know that Pierre and partner have saved an important landmark in the Broughtons!

June 19th - Exploring the Broughtons

We departed Sointula and headed around Donegal Head. "Eagle Wing" Jim and Kathleen's boat is on it's Maiden Voyage into the Broughtons.

We anchored with Eagle Wing rafted to us in Viner Inlet. A badly needed rain storm came in during the night.

"Zorba the Dog" is Kathleen and Jim's Schipperke. It was his Maiden Voyage to shore for a walk when he decided to jump in. Jim's quick reaction plucked him out immediately. He was cold and wet. We considered it his "Baptism"!

In the morning we headed for Echo Bay.

I prepared a fresh Apple and Raspberry pastry with Cinnamon and Splenda.

I had a lot of apples so I also baked a no sugar Apple Pie.


Kathleen and I felt like little girls playing with the scraps of dough. With some Cinnamon and sugar we baked them and were catapulted back to our childhoods.

Louie cleaned and cooked his catch of crab at Echo Bay while we went exploring.

We hiked a rather strenuous trail from Echo Bay to Billy Proctor's Museum. At several points on the wet and slippery trail we had to use ropes to repell up and down embankments. It looks like Billy will have enough wood to get him through the chilly nights.

We passed this log cabin that is being built by a young couple living off the land. They scavenged the logs adrift in the water. They are doing it like in the days of old without modern equipment of any kind. There are so many interesting people here!


We visited "Yvonne Maximchuk" a famous northwest artist, painter, teacher, potter, quilter and author.

She has a divine garden looking over Proctor Bay. It brings visions of Monet's Garden in Giverny.

Her Peonies are magnificent!

We ventured to the Burdwood Island Group and ancient summer village site. You can see the thousands of years of shelling clams, oysters and barnicles in the form of a "Midden". The Kwakwakawakw First Nations have inhabited this area for thousand of years.

The white shells shine through the clear water.

This dog followed us as we explored the island.

The pristine white shell beach almost looks tropical.

We had a very WET ride home in the afternoon winds and bumpy seas. Kathleen and Jim are soaked by the spray!