Prince Rupert, our introduction into BC.

Here in Prince Rupert, I have had my hair cut by a professional hairdresser for a change. She proudly explained that she herself was First Nation Tsimshian and more particularly part of the Wolf Clan. And although her first husband was a no-good Italian, (her words, not mine) her child with him also belonged to the Wolf Clan thanks to the maternal line which prevails. She then proceeded to explain that her second husband belonged to the Killer Whale Clan and that marriage within the same clan is taboo, since everybody is “kin”. 

Unfortunately, there’s not much hair to cut anymore, so my time to further explore the matter at first hand ran out. That’s when the Museum of Northern British Columbia, housed in a majestic cedar wood indigenous longhouse, came to the rescue. It’s a miracle these ancient peoples and their amazing art have managed to survive after all the colonial horrors that befell them. From land robbery to slave like labor in salmon canneries to horror boarding schools where the goal was to “take the Indian out of the child”. But they survived as a people! Their art, woodcarving and stylized imagery is now experiencing a renaissance which is right up our alley. 

What’s also right up our alley is the change in scenery. Once more, our surroundings are an outdoorsy delight, but instead of cacti or palmtrees it is huge cedar, hemlock and pine trees that abound. And skunk cabbage, apparently a black bear’s favorite. Pelicans are replaced by bald eagles – who are anything but bald – as they come flying over town to go perching in the highest trees. And after all this time in the tropics where the early night falls in sudden and total darkness, we find the way the day keeps lingering on and on until late at night quite thrilling. The sun seems reluctant to set and there are days that we forget to go to bed. But not when it rains and when it’s cold outside. Which it often is.

We are actually somewhat stuck in Prince Rupert. We are waiting for a crucial battery charging piece of equipment to arrive on July 12th. It is being shipped from London under warranty and even free of shipment cost. Which we greatly appreciate. We will be receiving their newest model for free.

My Captain – the early adopter that he is – was one of the first to have the Integrel system installed on one of our Volvo Penta engines. And the software that goes with it cannot be updated remotely whereas in the newer models it can. For 2,5 years our old model performed amazingly well. But just now that the skies are overcast the greater part of the day and our solar panels must throw in the towel because of it so that we must rely on our Integrel, the latter has stopped functioning. Which means that to prevent our expensive lithium batteries from dying, we need the shore power of the marina to keep the batteries alive. 

But the WIFI is excellent and the several hikes in the nearby temperate rainforest -each time followed by either salmon tataki, or ribeye salad and beers in the Wheelhouse brewery – keep us satisfied. Today, it is cold, rainy, and windy. The cabin is cosy and warm, and The Night of Radio 1 is streaming through our Bose Revolve Soundlink System.  A perfect setting for an update. And for Inside Passage planning all the way to April Point Marina on Quadra Island, where this June a farmer threw a rock at a grizzly bear who was after his goats. We have high expectations.