onboard the Great Bear II pages

We drove to the Port Hardy airport, parked, met our co-travelers Trina and Sandra, checked in, and then vanned back to the seaplane dock in the harbor, where Haydon, our pilot, packed our luggage into the little plane, then we boarded...

We mustered for a shakedown cruise, first time into our adventuring outfits: rubber pants, big boots, life jacket, dry bag with all the things we might need (but didn’t), and boarded the Great Bear II’s Zodiac,  the Explorer, for a short excursion to view the Narrows’ abundant intertidal life at low tide...

Up at 7, we found the crew busily making tea and preparing breakfast. Watched the sun come up over the looming Coast Range and got a little photo shuffling done...

Breakfast, then anchor up and away to our next location. Heading west, the sun behind us, Rochelle requested and got a chair, that Captain Eric acknowledged was ‘for the Queen.’ Having gotten her Highness seated, he took a knee in fealty.

            Coming back into the main inlet, two sleeping Humpbacks, one of them probably the one we saw last night, too far away to photograph...

Captain Eric knocked on our door early, about 7:30, advising us of an early breakfast and excursion. Just before breakfast was served, Eric and I were standing on the starboard side, and I asked about the tiny diving birds...

Early breakfast again, and a final farewell tour to this magnificent place.             After breakfast and the quick tour, we upped anchor and headed for our final anchorage close to Denny Island and our date with the Goose.