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Reconnecting with Friends

It takes a special kind of friendship for two couples to share a cramped boat with for 6 days. You get to know each other very well, and there is little leeway for petty intolerances and inhibitions. Thankfully the weather is good and we do a mix of quiet anchorages and dock visits, sharing stories of each other's travels and playing bridge. After several marathon games, there is no clear winner. We like it that way.
Echo Bay is always a favourite ..... we spend two nights there nestled among million dollar yachts and take in the pig BBQ on Saturday night. In settings like this it's sometimes unsettling to try to make social connections, but it seems all boaters have some commonality - love of the water, appreciation of marine life, and quiet spaces away from it all.

The Broughton Islands are full of the province's history of logging, fishing and native culture. Many abandoned First Nations villages dot the islands, although nothing remains in most cases. That that does will soon succumb to the elements.

Fallen Totem on Village Island

Our favourite is Alert Bay on Commorant Island, an intriquing community with a nice blend of native Namgis and white peoples. It's history fascinates. Previously used as burial site, it did not become a permanent settlement of the Kwakwaka'wakw until the 1800's. The Anglican Church established a large residential school there in 1921, where native children were taken from their families and forced into white culture, forbidden to speak their language or practice their traditional ways. A whole generation of those people, along with their language and culture, was lost. The school, closed since the 1970's, still stands, its drab brick walls a symbol of a particularly shameful chapter in our history.

The community was also the setting for the clash between the Namgis First Nations and the Canadian government over potlatches. The government had banned the potlatch, viewing them as "wasteful, immoral and heathan" - a symbol of the "intactness of Indian culture". In 1921, potlatch partcipants were arrested and potlatch paraphernalia was seized, which was quick to disappear into public and private collections around the world. The Namgis began a period of repatriation of these artifacts, and over time have brought most of them home, where they are now exhibited in the newly constructed U'mista Cultural Centre. It is a marvelous acheivement and a breathtaking collection.

U'mistra Cultural Centre

What strikes us most about our visits there is the fact that the Namgis people are so warm and welcoming, without any trace of resentment over their past treatment.

Alert Bay is also the "Home of the Killer Whale". We prefer the name Orca.  A short distance away is Robson Bite, where these magnificent creatures can usually be found. B.C. Parks maintains a patrol to ensure proper human behaviours are observed. These resident pods are an "endangered" species. We experience a large pod of about 18 whales over the next two days, and are saddened by their enevitable fate.

Orcas at Robson Bite

After our farewells with friends, we travel quickly back to Desolation Sound to meet up with Herm and Shelly in Squirrel Cove. We raft off for the night, treated to a fine meal, catch up on each other's lives and get the tour of their new boat, Gecko II.

And Larry finally does it .... he falls off the boat. While stepping between the two boats, his foot slips and he goes into the water, smashing legs and arms on the toerail on the way down. For the public record, he wishes it known that this happened before "yardarm".

The Final Day

As we head down Malispina Strait towards home on glassy seas, we reflect on the experience over the past 3 months.

"Would we do it again?" Pam queries.

"I don't think so", Larry responds after quiet reflection. "It was the trip of a lifetime, but it's too far. I'm weary".

For us, it was a journey of epic proportions. A drifting through time and space, with the natural world opened up to us as never before. It's so very difficult to describe those sensory experiences in simple words, so we accept that they become part of who we are. We know ourselves better as a result, and as a couple we have drawn closer together, having worked together a team, endured the difficulties and shared the joys.

 Last Night on Lasqueti - Looking North to Alaska

We cross the Salish Sea on the last day. A small bird lands on the boat and stays with us for a short part of the journey. It is our albatross - that sign that you, the mariner, are approaching land and will soon be in port.

Our "Albratross"

We thank our good fortune on this journey.  We praise DreamWeaver ..... she has served us well.

Amani comes up into the cockpit and blinks in the sunlight. She senses something too.

We're home!