“Wake up — there’s a sea otter!” Going from zero to sea otter in 30 seconds was more than my sleep-addled brain could process and I missed one of Canada’s most rare animals.
My luck changed when we spotted three killer whales leaping from the water as they chased fish.
They surfaced repeatedly, so near to the boat you felt like you would smell fish on their breath if the wind changed direction.
This may sound like a whale watching tour but it was anything but.
I had hitched a ride on the MV Uchuck III, a working supply vessel plying the waters of Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island’s northwest coast.
If paying to watch someone else work sounds like a strange holiday, you might be surprised at how much fun you can have onboard a freighter.
The Uchuck III started its career as a minesweeper in the 1940s and was reinvented as a supply vessel for logging camps, fish farms and aboriginal communities with no road access.
Up to 100 passengers tag along to peek at a lifestyle vastly different from one with roads and big-box hardware stores.
There is no set itinerary on the Uchuck III and no one tells you exactly where you will be going — just that you will return to your starting point of Gold River, a community of 1,500, by suppertime — more or less.
If the captain takes longer to offload fuel or stops to watch whales, you will be late for dinner.
It was a bit like that when Capt. James Cook sailed these waters in 1778.
His first encounter with Canada was at Nootka Sound, where he was so enamoured with the sea otters that he stayed to trade for pelts and to claim the land for Britain.
Unfortunately for Cook, Spain had already claimed these lands.
But Spain had opted for drive-through trading, swapping metal for pelts while anchored and never sending ashore a landing party.
That decision almost led to war as Britain and Spain — ignoring the 4,000-year presence of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht people — disagreed over who had title to the land and lined up their allies.
The Dutch backed Britain in the dispute and France sided with Spain.
With these superpowers threatening each other, the world’s eyes were on Nootka Sound for 20 years.
War was averted when France decided it was overextended from the French Revolution and Spain searched for a negotiated settlement.
By then, the sea otter population had been overhunted and the world lost interest in Nootka Sound.
Now, the world is paying attention again as adventure-seeking tourists come from all over the planet to ride the MV Uchuck III.
After the last Canadian sea otter was shot in 1929, a small population of Alaskan sea otters were reintroduced in British Columbia.
Now you can see the animals that almost caused a war and enjoy touring the area that spurred our forefathers to extend our country from sea to shining sea.
If you go
• Book one of the 100 passenger spots on the Uchuck in advance at www.getwest.ca. Allow 90 minutes to drive from Campbell River to the pier where the Uchuck departs.
• Consider extending your Uchuck III voyage by staying overnight at one of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht-run cabins at Friendly Cove where Capt. Cook first anchored.
Kayaking, hiking and cultural interpretation available. www.landofmaquinna.com/friendly-cove-cabins.html
Carol Patterson helps businesses and people reinvent themselves through adventure. When she isn’t travelling for work, Carol is travelling for fun. More of her adventures can be found at www.carolpatterson.ca.