We woke at 6 a.m. aboard National Geographic Sea Bird as we reached our Canadian checkpoint in Prince Rupert on the western coast of British Columbia. Canadian customs agents boarded the ship and then cleared us to set off in our expedition landing crafts to explore the town. We spent the morning and early afternoon walking about this sleepy port village, visiting the Museum of Northern British Columbia and perusing the shops, business-front murals, and cafés. Prince Rupert has a population of more than 12,000 people and is one of the deepest water ports on the western Canadian coast. The city is served by a road system, the Alaska Marine Highway, and a rail system that serves mainland Canada, delivering goods that arrive from overseas by container ship. After we departed, we cruised along the Canadian Inside Passage, watching for wildlife as cumulus clouds built up and drifted overhead, and we passed what at first glance appeared to be a barge adrift in the sound. We realized that in fact what we were seeing was a light station situated on an island in the shape of a small ship. Onto Hecate Strait and Haida Gwaii.
5/7/2025
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Daajing Giids, Haida Gwaii, Hecate Strait
After an evening cruising from SG̱ang Gwaay, National Geographic Sea Bird made one last stop this morning in Daajing Giids to drop off our cultural interpreters, DeeDee Crosby and Grace Garvie. At dock, we had two unique opportunities. The first, our daily morning stretch class had the opportunity to meet on land, and second, we welcomed the incredible artisan, Aay Aay, aboard. We were familiar with Aay Aay, who we had met two days prior as an interpreter at the Haida Heritage Center. His specialty is a revival of traditional Haida weaving. During Aay Aay’s time on board, he shared with us his personal story about discovering and mastering his art with spruce root, cedar, and wool weaving. He taught us how to hand spin the warp threads that would be the beginnings of a wool piece. After an artistic morning, we embarked on our journey across Hecate Strait to reach our next destination along our expedition, Alaska. This evening, I write as we make our way into Dixon Entrance preparing to wake up to the scenery of the famed Misty Fjords in the morning.
