Fishing boat finds new life as a floating resort

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This article was published 19/06/2010 (5902 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A rain squall crept toward our open 18-foot sport-fishing boat. Heavy droplets began to crater the glassy-calm water.

We trolled solowly along the eastern side of the rugged Gnarled Islands, blissfully aware that we were the only boat within kilometres, and enjoying the solitude.

My wife, Suzanne, steered the boat, working the fishy edges of the wind-and wave-eroded shore. Our fishing lines shuddered and vibrated as they passed through tightly packed swarms of baitfish. With our fish box already holding a couple of silvery salmon, what more could we wish for?

As if on cue, two tall plumes of spray rose from the ocean a hundred metres behind us. A pair of immense backs broke the surface, followed by the long, bumpy pectoral fin of a humpback whale. Broad tail flukes lifted high in the air as the two whales made a steep descent.

We fumbled to extract our cameras from waterproof bags, and did our best to shield them from the rain while agonizing minutes elapsed. Had the whales passed us by?

A sudden ripple broke the surface scant metres away, then loud geysers of misty breath. We could almost reach out to touch the broad, barnacle-studded backs and short, pointed dorsal fins. The great humpback whales swam right beside us for a few surreal moments before gliding back into the depths.

Craftsmen at the historic Matsumoto Shipyards on the Dollarton Highway in North Vancouver built the classic 72-foot wooden seiner Ocean Star in 1955. When Willis Crosby purchased the Ocean Star in 2001, he had every intention of using her to fish commercially for salmon with his son, Shawn. By the end of the 2003 season, though, with diminishing stocks and fewer opportunities to make a decent living commercially, Willis and Shawn began to reconfigure the interior space into comfortable private cabins and converted Ocean Star into a family-run cruising ship and fishing resort. Their operation, Ocean Star Charters, is based in the port of Prince Rupert.

Willis captains the ship, deciding where to tour in these northern B.C. waters, which tourists have only recently begun to discover. While Shawn also has a master’s ticket to command the ship, he prefers to act as head guide, managing the sport-fishing side of things. Mom Gayle is the ship’s hostess and looks after guest accommodations and food. Josh Pallister is their only hired hand, guiding and doing other shipboard chores. Ocean Star runs Tuesday-to-Friday charters each week, with weekends free to clean and provision the ship. Willis notes guests have a direct say in almost every aspect of the operation because the ownership is right on board to listen.

Willis draws upon his decades of commercial-fishing experience around Prince Rupert to bring his guests to the best fishing spots, with protected anchorages where Ocean Star can safely moor. For most of the summer, Willis heads to Dundas Island, about 40 nautical miles north of Prince Rupert, and just a few short kilometres from the B.C.-Alaska border in Dixon Entrance. Dundas boasts excellent fishing and is one of the best places on our coast to spot sea mammals.

The journey through Chatham Sound to an anchorage deep in Brundige Inlet, at the north end of Dundas Island, takes about four hours. We all sat and chatted at one table right next to the galley while Gayle prepared delicious meals for us. Hot brunches after fishing or sightseeing included Manhattan-style clam chowder with tasty hits of shredded smoked salmon, a condiment that also made her eggs Benedict sensational.

We mixed fishing sessions with time to explore the north end of Dundas Island. Brundige Inlet plunges deep into the island, with several well-protected arms that provide safe anchorage. We snuck in and out of the small bays and passages, admiring the yachts that had also discovered this spot.

As Ocean Star pulled into her berth in Prince Rupert, she looked downright petite next to a mammoth Alaska cruise ship just docking at the city’s new terminal. While a big cruise ship is a relaxing and luxurious way to see these northern waters, a trip aboard the Ocean Star offers something more: a chance to experience life aboard a vessel that represents a quickly passing era of commercial fishing in British Columbia.

— Canwest News Service