Awoke this morning to sea and mountain views floating gently past my window! After breakfast of 'Coastal Bennies' we settled down to watch the coastal scenery slip past - rather like sitting in a giant conservatory!
Part way through the morning there is s gentle tap in my shoulder from the Dutch lady sitting behind - whales!
In front of the boat we have a grandstand view of two humpback whales rolling in the water, waving their pectoral fins and flukes. Finally as a piece de resistance they leapt into the air and crashed down again.
We spent the rest of the day sea-watching from our front row seats in the Aurora Lounge.
There were several dramatic storms and heavy rain lashed against the windows, but gradually the clouds started to disperse and patches of blue sky appeared. At this point the ferry entered the Grenville Channel - only 1700 feet wide in places but 70 km long and 1620 feet deep with steep mountain sides up to 3500 feet high on either side. Beautiful rainbows, reflected in the mirror calm waters appeared on both sides of the ship.
Eventually we approached Prince Rupert and arrived on time at 4pm.
We rolled off the ferry and made our way to Safeways for provisions, before driving west for a couple of hours to Terrace and then up to Kitimat Lodge.
We arrived at the fishing lodge at 7pm to a warm welcome from both Debbie and Tracey the (male) fishing guide. Bill and Chris got themselves set up with fishing licences and waders etc whilst j rustled up a pan full of chilli con carne in our cosy little log cabin. After supper Chris settled down to work on his portfolio and B and K settled down for a snug evening.