Prince Rupert-Canada

It was a glassy morning when we left Foggy Bay. And yes, there was a little bit of fog about. We were the last ones to leave, the motor boat leaving first at 0630, Orpao next at 0700 and finally ourselves at 0730. We couldn’t have planned a timed exit down the narrow channel better if we’d tried!

Here is a screen shot of the path we took in and out of this wonderful little anchorage.

As we came out of the protected waters of the inner bay, the swell from the previous day had died down, but the long lines of sea foam were still hanging around from those crashing waves.

We heard over the radio a fisherman warning Orpao that they were too close to his gill nets, so we ensured we gave the shore a large berth when we exited. It is the last of day of the season for the commercial fisherman so I am sure they wouldn’t be happy to end it with a yacht snagged in their nets.

We knew a blow was on its way and we started getting securitay warnings over the radio from Canada. But clearly we were in the lull before the storm as there wasn’t a breath of air and the water was like glass.

We were sitting in the cockpit when I saw something land on Dean’s head. I gave a shriek before I even registered what it was, he swatted his head in response, and a little fluffy bird flew off and landed next to him, completely unfazed. For the next hour this cute little fella made himself at home hopping around the cockpit, even on the floor. It deftly ate up every single dead midge lying about from the night before, flew away, and came back again straight onto Dean’s head one more.

Is this not the cutest little guy?

We got our Alaskan bird book out and identified it as an Yellow Warbler.

Common to Alaska they are prolific insect eaters and start their migration in August, returning to Alaska in late April. They migrate at night in flocks, to the rain forests of Mexico and Central America, and rest and feed during the day. It is hard to believe that this cute little fluffy thing has the stamina to fly that far.

It was definitely a lowering sky as we approached Canada. We got a glimpse of snowy mountains through the gaps in the cloud, but mother nature wasn’t giving much away view wise. Still, look at that layer of fog. We were happy it remained high enough for us to maintain our visibility.

With no fanfare we crossed into Canadian waters. There were more whales about, easy to see in the flat water, but never close. We passed by Green Island light house, lovely and traditional looking. Canada has clearly made a conscious decision to maintain its lighthouse keepers which is really nice in this era of ruthless automation.

A few short minutes later, looking back it was shrouded in fog. Weather changes so quickly up here in the North.

Working our way across the bay we were surrounded by hundreds of birds. They are the funniest things, flying away or ducking under when we got too close. This small group was particularly brave as we passed them by.

As we came across Prince Rupert Harbour the fog was constantly forming and reforming. It was really quite beautiful. Especially while the lower level was above our heads and we could see.

Dean tried calling the marina a few times until we realised it was closed for the season. So we headed for the public wharf at Cow Bay and pulled in behind Orpao and another yacht.

Clearing into Canada was super easy and just involved calling Customs over the phone. After providing our details we were issued a number that we needed to write on paper and have visible in our window, and carry in our passports.

We went for a walk around the pretty little town. While this is a cruise ship destination, from what we could see it was unobtrusive and the essential character of the town remained intact.

Unfortunately one of the prettiest shops in the village was the 24 hour Cannabis shop. You will notice the bins and bollards in the image are all painted with a cow print, very cute. The legalised cannabis has been around long enough in Canada now to be able to compare effects on issues such as abuse, addiction and mental health to a similar country like Australia. Note to self- check the research!!

The gate on our dock locked at 8pm but there was an emergency number to use on a keypad that allowed you to open it to get out. We were in before that however a boat came in and the two men wanted to go to dinner and asked us if it really locked. We had no idea but I gave them my phone number in case they couldn’t get back in.

Sure enough about an hour later we got a call and Dean made a mercy dash to open the gate. But their acquaintance was worthwhile. The older man had bought the boat and the younger man was delivering it to Ketchikan for him. He was able to provide Dean with detailed notes on safe anchorages along the coast so that was a great bonus. Local knowledge is always welcome.

We also met the couple off Orpao, and it was lovely to make their acquaintance and become friends. And both of us having 46ft yachts meant a bit of rivalry was going to grow between the two captain’s as they ” didn’t” race to the next destination. They fooled no-one.

When we woke the next morning a huge cruise ship had arrived. It was like a giant pair of eyes looking down on us. Dean said it arrived about 5am.

And who was it, but the Ruby Princess! At the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, it wasn’t Australia’s finest moment when the blame game erupted over the passengers of this ship disembarking whilst COVID positive. So now it appears the ship has been relegated to the San Fransisco-Alaska run for a few years, counting on people’s short memories, and waiting for the negative publicity to be forgotten.

The grocery store was nearby so we were able to stock up. And although there was a cruise ship in town it was nice to see people just exploring and none of the frenzied crowds we experienced in Juneau.

We topped up with fuel at the nearby fuel dock in preparation for our next leg. We also took the opportunity to come back into our dock for the night facing bow out, for an easy exit the next day.

All in all Prince Rupert was a nice entry into Canada. It provided everything we needed to resupply , had a welcoming atmosphere and a free wharf.