Lost at Sea

I had more faith in three leaky, arthritic Craigslist cars making it to the ferry terminal this morning than the three of us — decided not morning people. But we made it! They sorted us by destination and vehicle type, then loaded us in. We got split up into different lines going in and they packed vehicles by size so they’d pull whichever length vehicle from the queue for the most efficient pack. We drove in through the bow, which seemed kinda odd because that means not only would they have to back away from the dock, but that they would also have to back into our destination.

We regrouped on the main passenger services deck to check in to the cabin we reserved. It’s a small stateroom like on a cruise ship, which sleeps two, has room for a little luggage (access to the vehicle deck is restricted to 15 minutes every four hours), and a private bath/shower. We dropped our stuff off and went out on the walkways around decks 5 through 7. It was only just starting to get light out but the harbor was full of a heavy fog and low cloud cover. The morning stillness was detonated by a deafening horn blast. Remembering that the ship was docked bow-first into Port Hardy, I have to assume that there are no survivors left of that shockwave. But seriously — how does the town tolerate that blast every other morning at 7am? That was oppressively loud.

We continued our explore for a bit. The M.V. Northern Expedition launched in September 2008 from Germany and traveled through the Panama canal to British Columbia for her maiden voyage on this route in January of 2009, replacing the M.V. Queen of Prince Rupert. The vessel displaces over 8,000 tons with capacity for 600 passengers and 130 vehicles. The ship has three restaurants, a few lounge areas, a small movie theater, and cabins. As a passenger service ferry, it full of luxury, but as a luxury cruise ship, it’s rather spartan. An interesting mix.

There didn’t seem to be a particularly full passenger load. Everywhere we went, we felt like we had it to ourselves with lots of quiet areas. But not everyone purchased a cabin, so there were lots of people who put out sleeping bags or small camping mattresses in all the nooks and crannies.

We hit up the breakfast café which had surprisingly good food. After breakfast, we split up and I ended up asleep on a bench over the stern as the morning rolled in. The power nap helped me regain some humanity before I went on a long walkabout and watched the rest of Vancouver Island pass by.

The fog continued to slowly retreat and the sun warmed up as a small crowd of passengers gathered on the sun deck where “the barbecue” spot was. Without much else to do today, we joined in for the brats and beers for lunch, served up under the warm Canadian sunlight but kept chilly by the biting wind.

Just after lunch we made the only stop on this line, in Bella Bella. They unloaded a handful of passengers and vehicles there before continuing. Bella Bella is a fishing and logging community with a hospital, schools, and a cultural center. It’s also one of the largest First Nations communities on the coast. BC Ferries started passenger service here in 1977 and it offers service year-round.

The first “scenic point of interest” after Bella Bella was the Dryad Point lighthouse, first established in 1899. It sits on the east side of Campbell Island and marks the entrance to the Lama Passage, the narrowest point of this whole channel at about 800 feet.

After the passage, I had a real nap, that really helped. Engine noise plus vibration and rocking of the ship is apparently my magic “pass out completely” sauce. We spent the afternoon wandering around, taking pictures, and watching the scenery pass by. Until, you guessed it, it was time to eat again. We went to the buffet which was quite nice, and while we were there, the ship overtook an entire fishing camp that was in tow moving for the season!

The Third Officer came over the PA to explain what that was because even the crew in the dining hall ran over to the windows.

After dinner, it had gotten properly dark out, but with clouds and rain, we couldn’t see any stars. We grabbed a beer back in the café and Evan prepared his post for OppositeLock requesting help identifying an issue with the Volvo while I edited photos.

We got into Prince Rupert a little earlier than expected and got checked in. Driving off the ferry inspired another wave of “how in the world are we driving cars we own off a boat in a rural Canadian harbor?” Tomorrow ends the coastal section of this drive as we head inland up the Skeena River toward Stewart, we won’t see the ocean again until Alaska.