BCAA

Push the BEACH - front glimpse of B.C.'s BY KERRY MCPHEDRAN (top right and bottom) Jennifer Gaze, (centre) Kerry McPhedran W hile most of us are snug in bed on land in the dark of night, know that if the tide is right, somewhere along B.C.'s convoluted coastline of bays, coves, inlets and islands, in some remote logging camp, fish farm, First Nations village or rare homestead outpost, the shallow-draught Aurora Explorer is "pushing the beach" powered by two 260-horsepower Caterpillar diesel engines. Like a scene from World War II's D-Day landings, her bow ramp drops down. And under the glare of floodlights, a handful of men, using mostly hand signals and a hydraulic crane, unload freight and pump diesel with familiar ease. Crew cabs rumble off; empty fuel drums and dumpsters take their place. A shore dog races back and forth amid the excitement of new humans and new smells to sniff. The Aurora has been ferrying freight since 1991. But back in 1994, former owner Alan Meadows decided there might also be a market in transporting passengers curious about B.C.'s working coast. Barely a year later, he knew he was onto something. "We were at the Scott Cove logging camp at 2 a.m., when I looked up and saw five of our eight guests – all in their housecoats – watching through the wheelhouse windows. Two a.m.! But they weren't going to miss a single cargo delivery." I know why. In the Aurora's wheelhouse, those passengers had stumbled into one of those rare seats – like astronauts aboard a (opposite) Boomer Jerritt/All Canada Photos p32-35,44-45_Aurora_DriveSmart.indd 33 space shuttle – that provide a privileged glimpse into an unknown world, one no cruise ship or ferry ever reaches. And now every spring, when the Pacific is relatively storm-free, a dozen lucky new adventurers join a crew of captain, first mate, engineer, deckhand, cook and steward every week on a three- or five-night Aurora sail along a protected coastline unlike anywhere else in the world: to the Broughton Archipelago, the Discovery Islands or a "mystery" destination revealed only on the day of sailing. On this particular run up the coast, Captain Ron Stevenson is briefing us over an after-dinner "mug-up," tracing our four-day route on the wall chart in the passenger lounge. We'll travel north from Menzies Bay near Campbell River and through the Discovery Passage for deliveries on Sonora and Stuart Islands, then up Bute Inlet – one of the wildest inlets on the coast. On the return leg, we'll drop down Calm Channel past Cortes and Twin Islands for a stroll on tiny Savary Island's famous white-sand beaches, with a last night tucked inside dreamy Desolation Sound. Thirteen scheduled freight stops lie ahead of us, some as brief as 15 minutes. Still the only scheduled vessel working B.C.'s Inside Passage to welcome passengers, WORKING COAST REVEAL Thanks to a midlife refit that has added significant length, width and expanded decks, the Aurora — piloted here by Ron Stevenson (opposite, centre) — can deliver heavier freight and even more passengers to an ever-changing coast. (opposite, bottom) Corporate retreat on Stuart Island. WESTWORLD >> S P R I N G 2 0 1 2 33 1/27/12 8:33:58 AM

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