Prince Rupert to Port Hardy on the Inside Passage

Early yesterday morning – very early! – we boarded the MV Northern Expedition, the newest addition to the fleet of ferries operated by BC Ferries. I was unable to get my own photo of the ship because it was too dark when we boarded in Prince Rupert at 6:00 a.m. and pitch black when we arrived at Port Hardy on Vancouver Island at 11:30 that night. But, courtesy of BC Ferries, here’s one of their photos.

 This vessel can accommodate 130 vehicles and as many as 600 people. There is a cafe serving a variety of simple fare and a sit-down restaurant serving breakfast and dinner. There are even several dozen cabins, each accommodating two persons … perfect in our case because we arrived so late at Port Hardy. It was great to be able to lie down and nap under clean sheets in privacy until our arrival.

Our route from Prince Rupert took us south, threading our way through countless islands, most appearing to be uninhabited. The trip was smooth and quiet from start to finish.

Along the way, we overtook and passed several dozen smaller vessels. Most were clearly fishing boats of one kind or another — small, plain and utilitarian. There was this one excption, however … a luxury yacht described by our captain as a “50-meter motor vessel”. It’s name: Legacy. Wow!

It was midnight by the time we reached our hotel in Port Hardy. This morning, we stepped out onto the small balcony overlooking the harbor to see more than a dozen bald eagles … some perched in the tops of nearby pine trees, others fluttering around on the rocks looking for food during low tide, and others soaring around effortlessly.

This beauty — a young bird yet to blossom out with white feathers around the head and neck — came sailing by just seconds after I had snapped my long lens into place. Spectacular!

From Port Hardy, we’re driving some 300 miles south to Victoria. We’ll be there tomorrow night. More to come.