Sunday, April 15, 2012

2012 SE Alaska Trip Preparations

Since our return from the Holland America cruise to Tahiti in the Fall of 2011, Spirit under went maintenance and upgrades in Seattle before returning to our home port in Anacortes in December 2011.  We joined several other Selene Ocean Trawlers (Seeker and Wild  Blue) for a few days in late December and January, celebrating the arrival of 2012 in Ladysmith, BC and then stopping in Chemainus, BC before returning to Anacortes via Roche Harbor.

We spent most of the month of January in Tanzania and Kenya on a photo safari.  Returning from a fantastic trip we began serious preparations for our fourth trip to SE Alaska.  Spirit is nearly ready to go, needing just a few days of dry weather to complete the exterior waxing and varnishing.

Our route this year will hopefully retrace, in part, a journey taken by Bill Craven 60 years ago on the Canadian National Railway steamer "Prince Rupert" from Vancouver to Ketchikan.  Bill and Ruth Craven will spend the first month with us as we visit some of the ports of call of that voyage 60 years ago.  Weather permitting, we will stop in Vancouver for provisions before heading north. We also hope to take a brief side trip to Princess Louisa Inlet before passing by Powell River, once a regular stop for the steamers.

Places like Ocean Falls, BC, once a thriving community, are now deserted, with most of the buildings torn down.  Other sights, like the once thriving canneries at Namu and Butedale are now ruins decomposing back into dust.

Stay Tuned!

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