Walking and worshiping

Sunday, June 9, 2024

The predicted showers arrived as we were settling into bed on Saturday night, but the wind never did, so our night was very restful. We left the boat at about 9:30 am under overcast skies to walk about a mile to join the little Anglican congregation in worship in the lovely, 145-year-old Christ Church (photo on my blog of May 2022). We’d attended the Eucharist there two years ago while we were docked in Alert Bay for over a week while waiting for a replacement satellite phone to arrive in Port McNeill, and became acquainted with several parishioners and with their priest, who had just been informed that he would soon be leaving the parish. It was wonderful to be with the congregation again, to meet their current priest, with whom I’d corresponded several times, to celebrate the Eucharist, to sing hymns in English and in Kwakʼwala, and to visit with the people we’d met, in 2022 and this morning, during coffee hour! A couple whom we’d met in 2022 very generously offered to drive us to the site of the purported “World’s Tallest Totem Pole”

and the Namgis “Big House,”

neither of which we’d been able to visit two years ago. (Alert Bay is home to about 1,300 Namgis people, a First Nations band within the larger Kwakwaka’wakw nation of northern Vancouver Island.) We also saw the beginning stages of the carving of a huge cedar log into a new totem pole, and visited with the carver.

Our next stop, as the skies cleared and sunshine flooded the waterfront, was the outstanding U’Mista Cultural Center, which we’d visited on previous trips to Alert Bay. The Center helps to ensure the survival of all aspects of the cultural heritage of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, and its potlatch collection of artifacts is especially famous. We encountered Peggy and Steve from our “rafted neighbor” boat and enjoyed visiting with them for a bit; walked through the museum’s excellent displays; watched two videos about potlatch regalia, dances, and traditions; and spent some time in the beautiful gift shop–Walt bought two little espresso mugs to add to the collection he began two years ago, two large insulated mugs, and, of course, a book.

We returned to Braesail to leave our purchases, and walked up the ramp to the marina’s public space, where connectivity is very good and where one can deposit trash and recyclables. Walt brought our empty propane tank to the local hardware store to purchase a refill, but found that they are closed on Sundays, and so that task will have to wait. I took advantage of the Wi-Fi to download the corrected copy of the book of sermons I’ve been editing, which needs to have its changes checked before it’s returned to Amazon for publication—I now have even more projects with which to fill my “spare time!”

After an evening of computer work, we prepared for Monday morning’s departure. We will cross frequently-turbulent Blackfish Sound, look at a few likely anchorages, and then choose one in which to spend the night.