Over the past couple decades I’ve been incredibly fortunate to spend a ton of time in Great Bear Rainforest. Home to Coastal First Nations, the area represents one of the last great temperate rainforests on Earth and is home to enough Apex predators to rival Africa’s Serengeti.
The Great Bear Rainforest is also a Mecca for boating, angling, eco-tourism and wildlife viewing and this region, located roughly between Port Hardy on the Northern tip of Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert on British Columbia’s North Coast, boasts one of the finest maritime ecosystems on Earth.
Back in early June, we had the great fortune to set out on a Great Bear tour with Eric Nelson and Andy White from Mercury Marine and James and Don McNeice of Bridgeview Marine. The plan was a simple one: depart Bella Bella Cannery for North King Lodge in Caamano Sound, then travel North to Gitga’at Traditional Territory. After a fine drop-in on Hartley Bay, our crew would run 
Southbound to King Pacific Lodge in Milbanke Sound before finishing travels in Klemtu, home of the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation.
Now most boat trips all start the same. But not this one. That simple fact was based on our ride…Don McNeice’s new Bridgeview BV30 Center Cabin with Twin Mercury V12 500hp Outboards. In short, the custom welded aluminum rig was akin to a rocket ship with it’s 1000hp and penchant for serious speed. Motorsport, really, at its finest!
North King Lodge is one of the finest fishing lodges on the BC Coast, Mercury-supported and as remote as you can find. Our crew had some incredible angling and boating adventure, not to mention North King hospitality during Stop #1. The stopover featured some great calm water halibut and salmon fishing and an incredible humpback whale show, something these parts are well known for!
After another night and fine meal at North King, our crew departed for the short Northbound jaunt to Hartley Bay where we visited good friend Cam Hill and toured the community. Hartley Bay is on the forefront of the Indigenous stewardship movement and now features a First Nations Coast Guard/First Responder station that will become the new norm on BC’s coast.
After an incredible lunch in Hartley Bay we set out for the big Southbound run back to Milbanke Sound. Much of this run was in glass calm water, allowing us to explore local inlets, waterfalls and incredible coastline along the way. Unfortunately weather took a turn for the worse on the Southbound run and we ducked through Kitasoo Bay and over and around into Klemtu.
This was a big day on the Coast as National Indigenous People’s Day was celebrated and we were fortunate to be invited to performances at the Big House and met with a number of local Guardian Watchman, fisherman and bear viewing guides. It was 
during this visit we teed up the next day’s adventure…a tour of Mussel Inlet with Chief Doug Neasloss and some grizzly bear viewing!
We departed Klemtu with a thunderous roar and headed across Milbanke Sound to King Pacific Lodge, our home for the final two nights. After a great dinner and fine wine, we turned in for a great night’s coastal sleep in Heiltsuk Traditional Territory after some incredible nautical adventure.
The next morning started early with a quick breakfast and loading up the BV30 for a trip back up to Klemtu. Once again, the twin 500hp V12 Mercury Sea Pro outboards were something else and Captain Don wasted no time in showcasing what serious RPM and 24 cylinders are capable of. Arriving in Klemtu at Spirit Bear Lodge, we met Doug and Brady, our guides for the day and made the 1-hour run up Princess Royal Channel to Mussel Inlet, an inlet and estuary system on the mainland…and Grizzly Bear haven.
We spent the better part of the day hiking and touring the estuary, watching grizzly bears and checking out the amazing landscape and beauty of place. There is nothing quite like observing grizzly bears in the wild, and our entire crew was mesmerized by the opportunity. The information and culture and history Doug provided during our tour was simply incredible. The eco-tourism component of our trip and wildlife viewing was the definitive highlight!
At day’s end we motored back across Milbanke Sound to King Pacific Lodge for our final evening, completely tuckered from hundreds upon hundreds of miles of boating Great Bear Rainforest and experiencing some very special coastal moments.
As the sun set at King Pacific Lodge and the BV30/Mercury rig rested tied up to dock, we were a pretty happy crew. The Mercury/Bridgeview Great Bear Rainforest tour was an incredible boating journey, aided by 1000hp and healthy fuel supply, providing memories for a lifetime.
