PRINCE RUPERT

After a reasonable night's anchorage in Kelp Passage (we may have not picked the perfect spot to anchor, but it was OK) we headed over to Prince Rupert - our first taste of civilization in a while.

We weren't paying real close attention to the charts, and took an unscheduled tour of Porpoise Bay, then got back on track & went over to Prince Rupert harbor. The primary commercial activity of the area is shipping. It is the closest major port to Asia, and the railroad terminates here. Importers can save several days time by shipping here on a freighter, then transferring the cargo container to rail and get it on its way. Rail time from Port Rupert to Chicago is 117 hours, to Memphis, 137 hours.

The cruise ships stop here, and sportfishing is a draw as well. There is also the RV crowd - this is a popular side trip from the Alaska-Canadian Highway, so campgrounds abound. All in all, it's a bustling town of almost 14,000 people, with markets, cafes, shops, restaurants, etc.

We arrived late morning, got settled in to a nice marina and took a walk through town, stopping for a quick lunch and to pick up a few things to help keep warm (i.e. slippers & thick socks). It actually was one of the warmest days we have had on this trip, and the sun was very nice to see.

The forecast is for reasonable weather the next few days (no more rain until Monday), so we will take off early morning for Alaska. Ketchikan is about 85 miles away - more than double our usual daily milage. I called the US Customs and Border Patrol today to get permission to cross the border, then anchor for one night before reporting in at Ketchikan. If all goes to plan, we will be in Ketchikan by Saturday afternoon.

Not sure how long we'll stay there, and it will likely be our northernmost stop. We will then start to retrace our steps and head back south. There were lots of things we did not see, and lots of places we did not visit on our way up, so maybe we'll hit some on our way back...