Sue Frause

Tourists are part of the freight. The Everett Herald, April 13, 2003

As I spotted the MV Aurora Explorer in the early spring mist of Menzies Bay, I knew one thing for sure: This wasn't your rich cousin's cruise ship.

But after spending four nights aboard the Aurora Explorer, I knew she was the boat for me. This funky working freight vessel captured my heart.

The MV Aurora Explorer is a 135-foot landing craft, built in 1972 at Hay River in the Northwest Territories of Canada. The funny looking flat-bottomed boat can load vehicles and equipment over the bow ramp at the front of the vessel, and a side mounted hydraulic crane loads and unloads freight.

The vessel transports a variety of heavy equipment and freight throughout the Gulf of Georgia and the remote inlets of Johnstone-Queen Charlotte Straits in British Columbia. For the past 10 years, Marine Link Tours has been offering passenger accommodations, the only such vessel to do so in the region.

I was on the inaugural trip of the 2003 cruise season that runs through October. Billed as the "Mystery Cruise," our destination wasn't revealed until shortly before boarding at Menzies Bay, 10 miles north of Campbell River on Vancouver Island. We quickly re-dubbed our cruise the "BST," with our route taking us to Bute Inlet, Stuart Island and Toba Inlet. We would eventually cover more than 300 nautical miles including such locales as Sonora Point, Big Bay, Malaspina Inlet and Desolation Sound.

The passengers included eight Canadians and three Americans, all Aurora Explorer rookies except for Jim and Betty Tyre of Victoria, B.C. The longtime sailors were making their third trip in two years, hoping to see all four seasons.

"We like the scenery, the wildlife and the people," Jim Tyre said. "I should get tired of it, but I don't."

Dorothy Bartholomew of Langley, Wash., was accompanied by her sister Florence Batha of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

"I told her we were going to Alaska; she wouldn't know the difference anyway," Bartholomew said.

That line became a running gag among the passengers, and at one point Batha posed for a picture in front of snowcapped peaks, dressed in winter wear. Yes, Florence, you are in Alaska.

In addition to the 11 passengers and six crew, we were hauling 70 tons of freight. The packed cargo deck was jammed with fish food for salmon farms, building materials and equipment, vehicles, diesel and more than two dozen mattresses that would be dropped off at Odyssey Camp, a floating logging operation in Fanny Bay. En route we'd pick up thousands of small frozen cottonwood trees in a giant refrigerated container and haul back the used mattresses.

As on most cruises, food and mealtimes are a highlight. Cook Donna Sawatzky cranked out "three squares a day" from her small but efficient galley, providing passengers with hearty and tasty breakfasts, lunches and dinners. A "prebreakfast" was available every morning, and appetizers appeared during the cocktail hour. British Columbia wines are served with dinner. Passengers are welcome to bring other beverages on board.

Meals are served family-style at two tables, and there's no assigned seating; the crew dines nearby.

Fresh baked bread and homemade cookies were my downfall. After dipping my hand into the cookie jar one too many times, I vowed to spend quality time on the antique exercise bike outside on the bridge deck (my fellow passengers made sure I stuck to my statement, and it must have worked, as I didn't gain a pound).

Accommodations are on the lower deck and are straightforward and cozy, with three premium twin berth cabins and three standard bunk bed cabins. The only time I spent in my cabin was to sleep, so the small quarters were just fine. The boat doesn't travel at night, so you won't miss any sights.

On the same deck are shower rooms and washrooms. Gena Sandberg, a delightful 25-year-old who has been working on the Aurora Explorer for five years, is the steward on board and will make your bed every morning. She'll give you an extra piece of cake if you're really nice.

We spent our first night at Kanish Bay. The rumble of the generator was offsetting at first, but after reading a few chapters of "Fishing With John" by Edith Iglauer, I was soon fast asleep and dreaming of life on the sea.

There's no need for an alarm clock on this cruise. Friday morning at 6:30 a.m. the boat fired up the main engines, and 90 minutes later we were at the Young Pass Fish Farm off-loading pallets of fish food. I preferred the eggs Benedict that our cook served, and after breakfast headed up the steep steps to the bridge deck lounge or wheelhouse. This is the soul of the Aurora Explorer, and passengers are welcome to perch on a stool with a pair of binoculars ("Puffins ... aren't those puffins out there?") or settle into the settee for a bird's-eye view.

If you've ever had dreams of being a sea captain, you'll love it here. From the nautical charts and ship's log to the radio ("Comox traffic, this is the Aurora Explorer") it's the place to hone your nautical talk ("Looks like a lot of chop out there, Captain!") or spot a seal lying on its back with its fins in the upright position.

Captain Philippe Menetriere has been with Marine Link Tours for 15 years, working his way up from a deckhand. The affable French fellow is calm while navigating the big vessel, pointing out landmarks or detailing our route. He's also a captain aboard the AG Ford, a freight-only boat owned by Marine Link Tours.

"I like the variety of being on both boats," Menetriere said. "On this boat, the social aspect is huge."

It was a drippy gray day as we slipped past green islets and delivered more pallets of fish food to Brent Island and Venture Point Fish Farms.

The crew at Venture Point let us tour their operation; I was amazed to see a pen containing 65,000 leaping salmon (the farms are controversial among environmental groups and Indian tribes who say they pollute the coastal waters and increase parasites that prey on wild fish). Two hours later we arrived at Greensea Bay, dropping off logging equipment and pumping diesel into awaiting tanker trucks. The fuel exchange takes two hours, and passengers disembark and explore the beach.

The rest of the trip ebbed and flowed as we settled into each day's routine. Saturday's highlight was Teakerne Arm Provincial Park, where the Aurora Explorer was so close to the spectacular Cassel Falls that you could hear the whoosh and feel the mist (passengers have been known to wash their hair in waterfalls along the route, but not on this trip). Most of us got off and scrambled up the hill to an overlook, with our boat glistening in the sun below.

On Sunday afternoon, we pulled up to a picturesque beach, one that I named Heartbreak Beach because of the trio of heart-shaped rocks I discovered along the shore.

Spotting eagles. Deconstructing clouds. Falling asleep in the B.C. sun.

Doing crossword puzzles. Spotting a school of 50 dolphins. Watching a helicopter logging operation. Playing Trivial Pursuit (the Canadian version). Waking up at 4 a.m. to see an apple-slice-shaped moon appear over snowcapped mountains. Hugging fellow passengers as we bid farewell at journey's end.

The MV Aurora Explorer is my newfound friend.

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