Tuesday July 15, 2014

 

 

 Tuesday July 15 it has turned foggy.  Midmorning a sailboat comes into get out of the fog “Lateral Move” registered Bellingham.  They have been here before and know it’s a deep bay.  I am a social butterfly and introduce himself and he reciprocates introducing his lady friend.

He is keen to know about Hugin/Munin and we talk about his trip to Alaska particularly the Behm Canal.

Penny Secures dingy to Island with Gaff

 

 

 

 

They have just sailed from Bellingham to Ketchikan and are on their return slide home. We talk about his family connection to Canada as his grandfather was a shingle weaver a term that I had never heard before. When the newfangled material for roofs came out he had to chase work and that led him to move south for work (1930?).  He connected there and never returned to his home and native land (isn’t there song with that phrase in it?)

It’s a very pleasant morning with the dog, the dingy and my new found friends in the now warming sun, chatting away like brothers that have not seen each for a very long time.

 

We drift in this perfect mirror of the little cove (Horsefly Cove) and yes there is the buzz of the odd horsefly, but they leave me alone as I believe they find Chevy tastier. Time is of no consequence, but of course it is, and the breath of the last of the morning mist has lifted and we both have new bays to discover or rediscover and reluctantly wave goodbye.

We weigh anchor and plot a course for the native village of Klemtu.



Wooden Sailboat Heading North

Jim McLeod and I visited Klemtu perhaps 40 years ago, a friend of ours Hugh Johnstone had taken his boat to Prince Rupert and only wanted the one way trip.  He asked Jim and I if we would return “Star Ship” (her previous owners had been a member of Backman Turner, musicians) back to its home port of Vancouver.

My mother did not teach me to cook, (I have just now mastered the fine art of burning water) so I got to be the chief bottle washer. The trip wetted my appetite for cruising the North Country.

 

Jim was a good buddy and we could get into a little mischief like kids on a dare. We wanted to call home to let the girls know we were not a permanent guest of the briny. We were to complete the last leg of the trip from Port Hardy south with the ladies.

The only phones that were available are pay phones in reserves and there are only 2 on the south, Hartley Bay and Klemtu. BC Tel had two way radio service but Hugh did not have single side band or the licence radio required to utilize this service, hence the stop in Klemtu.

 



Klemtu In the Old Days

  Klemtu Now

This village was on the edge of the planet as far as the big city folks were concerned and it was an eye opener for us. There was a fuel dock, a government dock and a board walk that a truck could drive over to the main village in the corner of the bay (there were possibly two in town). We knew that the village was inhabited as we walked by the old houses (paint peeling off them) a curtain would be pulled back a smidge and we felt a hundred eyes on us (just are imagination). There was a phone booth in town (we are now on dirt streets) a small video rental store, a post box, and a confectionary store.

 

One of most vivid recollections was a very young boy came to see us and wants to know if we were going to the hall for the party tonight. We thank him and continue to stroll through town and I do not remember seeing anyone else. 

 

We were greeted by a large friendly pack of really scruffy dogs. The big, big woolly leader of the pack that came over to greet me personally and I extend my hand to let him get a sniff of me and I spied about a thousand fleas prepared to do the leap to me via my extended hand. I quickly withdrew my invitation and moved on at a brisk pace.

 

New Ferry Landing at Klemtu

Penny and I visited here about two years ago and there was a paved road replacing the board walk and a new long house. We heard it was available to view but we had to have the elder Francis give us a tour and he would be in the locale coffee shop and grocery store. We went up and had breakfast. They had the TV on and Archie Bunker was on in black and white (no one was watching.)

We were traveling with Betty and Mike Davison at the time. Betty is Dutch and Japanese decent and could be easily be accepted as a local, it was handy many times when in a native village, as they extend valued privileges to us that would not be available to others outside their First Nation community at the time. Francis was enthusiastic about sporting us around their new long house.



New Big House



We made an appointment for (9am) and were a little late so we hustled along the road to the lodge about a half a mile. When we arrived he greeted us and he mentioned that we must be from the big city because no one needs to be in that much of a hurry (he said that with a twinkle in his eye). I said it would be rude for us to miss the appointment (he smiled). He then had his way with us as we were not allowed to enter the lodge door, without walking around the pole several times. (I guess it was to shed the evil spirits from are soul or just tease us).  

It was STUNNING inside, a combination of a traditional lodge based on the most recent building techniques. It was large inside with wood timber bleacher seating around the amphitheatre. There are dressing rooms and staging areas for ceremonial events. A large fire pit ringed by large stones and on close inspection a power air induction from a fan room assured good air flow for a large log fire. Two large stunning Thunder Birds poles with wings spanning 24ft overall support the beams. The real support beams are massive engineered glulam beams. The show supporting beam poles (CEDAR) are at least 2 1/2 ft. in diameter spanning at least 60 ft. and just for the authentic look and feel of the lodge THE CARVINGS would satisfy the most discriminating taste of a world authority of native west coast art.

This year we were shopping at the Band store and had the pleasure of meeting George who is the son of Francis our tour guide (who has since passed away).  Enjoyed our talk with George.

The village now sports a new ferry dock that Snug cove and many other coastal communities would have given their first born for and a new generating station that is powered by a water turbine from a high lake.  To enhance the local community economy and employment, a modern fish processing plant was constructed.

The Feds are obligated to support these projects as the community and many like them become bush worn. Thousands and thousands of people lived beyond the great communities of Vancouver, Campbell River, Nanaimo and Victoria. Large communities like Namu ,Goose Bay, Swanson Bay, Ocean Falls , Butedale and not to mention all the hand logging operations , are now all lost in time and now the North Country belongs to fish farms, summer yachtsman, helicopter logging camps on movable platforms,  the odd sports fishing camp and the hermits that hang out in unnamed coves. This country is wilder than 100 years ago.



Anchored in Clothes Bay South of Klemtu

We arrived at the community dock only to find it covered on one side by local junk boats but two cruising boats had secured a space at the head of the dock.
We motored down to a bay that was in strong cell service and this allowed Penny to work on the Blog site, and call the family to check in, and do our banking on line.