The Inside Passage proves every bit as spectacular as we expected, with pristine mountains and forests, and small settlements on the shore gradually giving way to built-up areas as we approach Vancouver. Just as we're enjoying an evening cup of tea, we're passed by a beautiful cruise ship. It's Royal Caribbean's brand new "Radiance of the Seas". Based in Vancouver for the summer season, it does cruises to Alaska and back. A little more upmarket than our Alaskan cruise, for sure.
It's about one o'clock in the morning. We've been through some painfully bumpy conditions at the southern end of the Inside Passage. On our right is Victoria, in Canada, to our left the San Juan Islands, belonging to the USA. Steve is on watch and shakes Alan awake urgently.
"I don't know what this boat is up to," he says. Every time I get out of his way he comes round again. He won't get out of my way." The mystery is quickly solved as two blue flashing lights come on, and we're illuminated by a powerful searchlight. But we're not sure which side of the border we're on - it turns out to be a big 18 metre catamaran called "Nadon", a Royal Canadian Mounted Police / Gendarmarie Royale du Canada West Coast Marine Detachment patrol vessel.
We pull alongside him and tie up. The mounties on board are somewhat bemused to find three Englishmen on a round the world expedition. They'd actually pulled us up because our mast light wasn't working. "Sorry officer, we'll get it fixed..."
It's at this point that we come clean in a sudden burst of guilt, admitting we'd been asked to divert to Prince Rupert on our way to Telegraph Cove in order to clear Canadian Customs. We didn't because we weren't keen on going out of our way, and besides, we didn't have detailed charts for the area. But they seem perfectly relaxed about it all - they even laugh when we wonder where the stables are on board.
In fact, whilst we expect them to board us, we end up boarding them. The boat's master Jim Vardy explains to us that while they're normally on the lookout for drug runners, they're on heightened alert because of the impending G8 summit in Kananaskis, near Calgary. The Canadian land borders are so well stitched up that the loony protesters who are a feature of every G8 summit are trying to gain illegal entry by sea.
We're invited onto the bridge, where Jim shows us some of the impressive equipment on board - sophisticated radar, charting, image intensifiers. The catamaran, powered by twin 830hp diesel engines, did the whole of the North-West passage in 2000, taking 169 days to complete the journey.
He warns us there's a gale blowing up from the west. "Why don't you let us clear you for immigration so you can land in Victoria?" he says. "Lots of nice English-style pubs there."
But no, we have to keep going, even though we're going to have a fair-sized wind coming at us as we head down the coast. It seems we've alleviated the boredom for a moment during their seven-day patrol, and it's been an interesting experience for us, too. OK officer, I'll come quietly. But society is to blame...
Clive Tully
Copyright Clive Tully ©2002
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