Today, after having anchored for calm, full-moonlit night, we entered the fjordland of southern British Columbia. We, well some of us, anyway, witnessed the rosy dawn tinting the heavens above Jervis Inlet. Spectacular, near-vertical granite walls cloaked in mature coniferous forest from thousands of feet above us down to the high tide line, flanked our passage on both sides. As the inlet zig-zagged its course inland, gaps between the cliffs provided glimpses of ice fields, hanging glaciers and jagged, isolated "horn" peaks far above.
Jervis Inlet had been one of the many candidates for the western portal of the famed Northwest Passage, explored by Captain George Vancouver of the Royal Navy during the early 1790s. He was searching for a long-rumored waterway, navigable by ocean-going shipping, that connected the Atlantic with the Pacific, across North America. Such a passage would provide the nation who found it with the immense benefit of a short cut from Europe to the Orient. Her ships could reduce journey times and avoid the hazards of Cape Horn or the Indian Ocean.
Waiting a favorable slack tide, we transited the seemingly impassible Malibu rapids into Princess Louisa Inlet, a hidden yet still tidal, arm of the sea. The day, mid-September, was warm enough for tee shirts and shorts. We anchored awhile for a barbecue lunch on the aft deck, before continuing to the head of the inlet and the renowned Chatterbox Falls.
Boarding the Zodiacs we went ashore for a guided tour of mature rain forest to the foot of the falls. Brian, our naturalist, pointed out Western Red Cedars (BC's provincial tree and of great significance to the economies and traditions of the local First Nations). We also saw Hemlock, Broad-leaf Maple and many of the less well-known vegetation of the understory.
Many of the more adventurous in spirit then tried kayaking for their first time - under expert guidance, of course. Others preferred the option of exploration in the Zodiacs. In either case, everyone enjoyed a couple of hours of freedom to drink in this magical, tranquil locale. The weather continued to smile most kindly on us. What a wonderful day!
