Fully provisioned and with our overhauled two-stroke dinghy engine securely attached to the push pit, we left Campbell River travelling through Discovery Passage and Seymour Narrows into the waters of Johnstone Strait. I had an enormous respect for this particular body of water with its strong westerly winds and turbulences which turned out to be a good thing. You usually fear what you don’t know and so I prepared for the unknown and unexpected demands. I spent hours reading about weather patterns and currents while listening to marine weather updates and forecasts. When we finally embarked on our journey, I felt very comfortable and the potential challenge of Johnstone Strait had lost its scarry touch.
While we don’t have much use for an alarm clock (anymore), there are days when it comes in handy, especially if you want to pass Chatham Channel on slack. 5:00AM sounds awful but actually isn’t too bad as there is something to be said about misty, early mornings on the water – as long as you have a strong coffee in your hands to warm up.
We spent two eventful days with the friendly folks at Lagoon Cove Marina, socializing at “Appy Hour” with the only others guests who treated us to some fresh prawns and entertaining stories from their years as fishing guides. Before we departed for the night, Torsten had been invited to go out “with the boys” early next morning on their fishing boat. Thank you, Steve and Glenn – you made one German sailor’s night as my husband went to bed in full anticipation of the next morning. Little did we know how much excitement we would be up for.
I was up by the time Torsten came back with a bucket of fresh prawns: lunch was secured. I was just wrapping up my conversation with the family, thanks to the excellent Wi-Fi connection in the marina, when I heard a loud knock on the boat followed by a breathless “Grizzly bears! Steve and Glenn saw Grizzlies – wanna come?” 30 seconds later, equipped with camera gear and PFD’s we were on Glenn’s Grady White for the short ride over to Minstrel Island.
This was one on those amazing moments in life that will stick with you forever. Words fail to describe what I was feeling, watching this majestic queen of the woods digging for food for her babies, who never left their mum’s side. Torsten’s camera was constantly clicking, zooming in and out, trying to get some good shots of this unexpected wildlife adventure. Glad he did, as I was totally wrapped up in the moment as we were watching the bears for a few minutes. They weren’t bothered by us at all; we were on a boat, a safe distance away.
Thank you, guys, for this unexpected treat.
As our journey continued into the Broughton Archipelago, I found myself reminded of my first visit to Canada in 1994. We were cruising through the Rockies on motorbikes and every time we turned around a corner, I thought to myself that it can’t get better than this … until the next, more spectacular site just five minutes later.
I quietly dismissed Torsten’s observation of “raw beauty” when describing the scenery that lay ahead of us, as it sounded like a cliche but failed to come up with a better description myself. With my brain taking a creative pause, I take the liberty to quote Isaac Newton “Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy.” Exactly my thoughts!
