June 4th - Campbell River to Port Harvey

The main street of Campbell River in 1950.


We departed Campbell River at 7am, filled our tanks with fuel and headed for Seymour Narrows. This is the infamous area where currents can reach 18 knots at max tide. We timed our Passage through Seymour Narrows on slack tide with the wind on our nose and the incoming tide against us. Things were going well until we hit "Current Passage" and we were confronted with max tide. I had to wake Lou from his nap to take the wheel and give me some relief from fighting the whirlpools that form in this narrow stretch of Johnstone Strait. Eight hours from our departure we pulled into Port Harvey one of our favorite anchorages.

We anchored in 41 feet of water tucked behind one of the Mist Islets. It was such a perfect evening that we decide to go exploring in Wings.

The little float house with the small sailboat is really living the "Northwest" lifestyle. Lou waited for me in Wings while picked some Sea Asparagus.

I found a lovely patch growing on a pristine white shell beach.

I had borrowed Lou's Swiss Army Knife to cut it as not to disturb the roots for future growth. I soak it in fresh water overnight to remove salt and any foreign bits then blanch it for 2 minutes in boiling water. It can be a delightful addition to a salad, or as a vegetable or a garnish for presentation of seafood. It is full of potassium and vitamin A.

Port Harvey is in the "First Nation's Keecekiltum Reserve" and was a summer encampment for the "Tlowitsis Tribe". The evidence is everywhere. This is an ancient shell midden where clams, oysters and barnacles were shelled by the women of the tribe. There is an abundance of shell fish in the area.

The fading pictograph along the smooth surfaced cliffs commemorate trading with a large sailboat. It appears that 5 canoe's greeted the white man's trade ship.

You can see the five canoes and the faint outlines of the trade ship.

The evening light shines on the ancient abandoned midden.