After our first night of tumultuous seas, we awoke to a calm, pleasant, overcast morning. As the wind died down and we sailed south into Canada, we were greeted by friendly officials authorizing our passage. Prince Rupert was the first official Canadian stop on the journey, and we were all delighted to welcome aboard our Haida cultural interpreter, Elsie. As we travel farther south, we will enter Haida lands, and Elsie has expressed such excitement and warmth in welcoming us. Her energy completely lights up the room, and she shows a real desire to educate and share with the guests. We are incredibly lucky to have her aboard for this voyage.
Prince Rupert is located within the territories of the Tsimishian First Nations. Our morning was spent at the Museum of Northern British Columbia. We all enjoyed exploring the museum, rich with the history, artifacts, and art of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast.
After lunch back aboard National Geographic Sea Bird, guests headed out to a cannery museum tour at one of the most successful past canneries in BC. The North Pacific Cannery National Historic Site was wonderfully preserved, and our local guide was incredible. The guests boasted about the experience and were pleasantly surprised by the culturally rich and informative tour. The cannery was filled with artifacts left in the exact spots and setup as when the cannery was in function from 1889-1968.
We took Zodiacs back to the ship for cocktail hour and recap. Elsie was officially introduced and welcomed aboard, and she was presented with a gift by one of our guests who is a member of the Navajo. It was a very special exchange to witness, and we all feel incredibly fortunate to have both Elsie and Roy aboard for this voyage.
With rough seas in the forecast once again, we all prepared for the evening, securing for seas and relaxing in our safe anchorage spot before we set sail to Daajign Giids tomorrow.
