Jervis Inlet, British Columbia
A misty but clearing morning found the Sea Lion heading north up Jervis Inlet. We were due to transit the Malibu Rapids soon after breakfast when the tide would be at “slack-water - High”. But first, we paused briefly to inspect – barely feet from our bow – some enigmatic pictographs on a small overhanging rock face. Opinions differed as to what the rock paintings meant, but some could make out depictions of salmon, perhaps a killer whale, possibly some tree symbols. Sharon, our staff expert, explained that only the artist who painted the images knew for certain what they portrayed.
We were deep into one of the dozen or so fjords of this region that were first explored by Europeans in 1792 and ’93. Capt. George Vancouver of the Royal Navy, had been sent on a three-year mission to investigate this stretch of the coastline, seeking the elusive North West Passage. The British government had offered a prize of 20,000 pounds – a small fortune at that time – to whoever discovered a navigable waterway linking the North Atlantic with the Pacific. Such a route would considerably ease the trade between Britain and China. Vancouver had taken two of his ships’ boats, under sail when they could, otherwise rowing, to explore and chart the inlets in detail. Jervis was the third, and longest, fjord they had entered. They were at least six days out from their ships, their initial 7-day supply of food almost exhausted, and once again they had found a dead end to the inlet. It was a small wonder that Vancouver’s journal for this part of their journey reflected little optimism or pleasure in the spectacular scenery.
We boarded Zodiacs to transit the rapids and paused to admire the skill of our own captain, Jeff Kalbach, in guiding Sea Lion through the narrow, winding passage. We traveled the five miles to the head of Princess Louisa Inlet (named for the mother of Queen Victoria) in Zodiacs, on the lookout for birds, harbor seals and inter-tidal life. Once ashore, we strolled through the verdant forest trails accompanied by the expedition naturalists to the foot of Chatterbox Falls. After a barbecue lunch on deck, we returned to Malibu to transit the rapids, this time at “slack-water - Low”. As we headed southward, down Jervis Inlet, Sharon introduced us to the concepts, imagery and design elements used by the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest in their sophisticated art forms. This introduction, illustrated with her slides, promises to prove most valuable when we visit Alert Bay tomorrow. During our evening recap session we covered two of the most contentious local topics: forestry policy and the salmon fishery. Lively discussion followed us into dinner.
A misty but clearing morning found the Sea Lion heading north up Jervis Inlet. We were due to transit the Malibu Rapids soon after breakfast when the tide would be at “slack-water - High”. But first, we paused briefly to inspect – barely feet from our bow – some enigmatic pictographs on a small overhanging rock face. Opinions differed as to what the rock paintings meant, but some could make out depictions of salmon, perhaps a killer whale, possibly some tree symbols. Sharon, our staff expert, explained that only the artist who painted the images knew for certain what they portrayed.
We were deep into one of the dozen or so fjords of this region that were first explored by Europeans in 1792 and ’93. Capt. George Vancouver of the Royal Navy, had been sent on a three-year mission to investigate this stretch of the coastline, seeking the elusive North West Passage. The British government had offered a prize of 20,000 pounds – a small fortune at that time – to whoever discovered a navigable waterway linking the North Atlantic with the Pacific. Such a route would considerably ease the trade between Britain and China. Vancouver had taken two of his ships’ boats, under sail when they could, otherwise rowing, to explore and chart the inlets in detail. Jervis was the third, and longest, fjord they had entered. They were at least six days out from their ships, their initial 7-day supply of food almost exhausted, and once again they had found a dead end to the inlet. It was a small wonder that Vancouver’s journal for this part of their journey reflected little optimism or pleasure in the spectacular scenery.
We boarded Zodiacs to transit the rapids and paused to admire the skill of our own captain, Jeff Kalbach, in guiding Sea Lion through the narrow, winding passage. We traveled the five miles to the head of Princess Louisa Inlet (named for the mother of Queen Victoria) in Zodiacs, on the lookout for birds, harbor seals and inter-tidal life. Once ashore, we strolled through the verdant forest trails accompanied by the expedition naturalists to the foot of Chatterbox Falls. After a barbecue lunch on deck, we returned to Malibu to transit the rapids, this time at “slack-water - Low”. As we headed southward, down Jervis Inlet, Sharon introduced us to the concepts, imagery and design elements used by the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest in their sophisticated art forms. This introduction, illustrated with her slides, promises to prove most valuable when we visit Alert Bay tomorrow. During our evening recap session we covered two of the most contentious local topics: forestry policy and the salmon fishery. Lively discussion followed us into dinner.
