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Prince Rupert: Gateway to Skeena Country, Inside Passage and Alaska

by Jerry W. Bird

Jerry W. BirdBack in the days when my parents and I sailed the Inside Passage between Vancouver, British Columbia and Skagway, Alaska, we always looked forward to our stop at the port of Prince Rupert, a city I've always felt was destined for greatness. Yet that dream that has been a long time unfolding. However, the news we hear from the Port Authority and general observation shows signs of exciting days ahead for the Northern Port City. Prince Rupert has been a strong supporter of Air Highways magazines, having been featured in 3 editions since 1996, and thus we hail their efforts and achievements. Much has to be said in terms of location.

As a transportation hub, Prince Rupert is on the Alaska Cruise Route, the Coastal flyway, Via Rail's Skeena Express, and Western Terminus of the fabulous Yellowhead Highway that links the coast and Queen Charlotte Islands with Winnipeg, Manitoba, 3 provinces to the east.

Being close to raw resources, with easy access by ship to world markets, (closer than Vancouver in some cases) Prince Rupert hugs the northern edge of a five mile long island, which has two large peaks. The dominant mountain is called Mt. Hays, after the president of the railway company that developed the port. Charles Melville Hays, who is remembered in many other place names in Western Canada, died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 before the planning of Prince Rupert was completed. Named after the first governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, Prince Rupert, which bills itself as "The City of Rainbows," is a mere 64 km south of the Alaska border.


Air Update: Terrace - Smithers-Prince Rupert, Northwest BC
Hawkair Daily Service from Terrace Airport.
Hawkair will be doubling its flights in late October, 2001, providing a new daily service for Smithers, increasing service to Prince Rupert from twice-weekly to daily, and adding more business day flights in Terrace. Toll-free 1-866-429-5247 and 1-800-487-1216.  Web page
http://www.hawkair.net mailto:reservations@hawkair.

terrace-prince rupert map

Prince Rupert Port Authority Update:
The Prince Rupert Port Authority has now completed two successful shipments of barley malt using the new ship loading equipment at Fairview Agport. Recently upgraded with a state-of-the-art mobile ship loader and an improved receiving system, Agport is now positioned to be a leading facility on the West Coast in the handling of specialty agricultural products. Shipments in May and July loaded aboard Gearbulk Shipping Canada's around the world liner service clearly demonstrated the performance enhancements of the new equipment. For information on shipping your product through the Port of Prince Rupert's Fairview Agport, contact Lorne Keller at 250-627-7545. For information on Gearbulk's around the world liner service, contact Jim Bedard at 604-647- 2112.
Port Information:
http://www.rupertport.com/

About Prince Rupert
The Northern BC city (pop. 16,000) is a port for cruise ships heading to Alaska and for British Columbia Ferry Corporation sailing through the scenic Inside Passage to Vancouver Island. Ferries also take travelers to the Queen Charlotte Islands, the scenic homeland of the Haida people. Though it rains often and heavily, when the weather is good, Prince Rupert is a fine place for walking along the waterfront, past its several fish canneries, ships' chandlers and colorful fishing boats. For an indoor pastime, the top attraction is the Museum of Northern British Columbia, with an excellent collection of modern aboriginal art of the region, artifacts as old as 10,000 years and a totem carving shed.

Prince Rupert Airport: The City of Prince Rupert owns the Prince Rupert Airport and the Prince Rupert Airport society is the operator and holder of the certificate for the Prince Rupert Airport. The only runway is 13/31. The runway is 6000 ft. in length and 200 ft. wide. Runway 13 is equipped with ILS to Category 1 landing limits, and runway 31 is a non-precision runway. The Airport is located on Digby Island, across the harbor from Prince Rupert. Access to the island is by car ferry, operated by the City of Prince Rupert. Generally, access is available by ferry from 0800 hours until 2100 hours, however the ferry schedule is subject to seasonal change. A pilot lounge and briefing area is provided with access via phone and fax to the Flight Service Station, which is located in Prince Rupert. Cascadia Gourmet Cafe opened its doors on July 1, 1997, and provides an assortment of gourmet coffee, snacks and soups. Prince Rupert Airport: 250-624-6274, fax 250-624-6893.

A year round playground: The climate here is quite mild year-round, but rainfall averages a third more than Vancouver. The natural Inside Passage to Alaska, beauty of the area has always charmed visitors stopping off on Alaskan cruises and is giving rise to increased tourism. Outdoor activity includes boating, sailing, fishing, hunting,hiking and camping. There's an 18-hole golf course, several marinas, a yacht club and a large recreation center with a pool and courts for racquetball, basketball and squash.

North Pacific Cannery Museum: North Pacific is the oldest remaining salmon cannery on the BC Coast. The facilities are being restored as a living museum of the west coast fisheries. The cannery village is typical of the turn-of-the-century, isolated coastal company town, complete with management bunkhouses and a company store.

.. Prince Rupert (pop. 16,000) , is a port for cruise ships heading to Alaska and for British Columbia Ferry Corporation sailing through the scenic Inside Passage to Vancouver Island. Ferries also take travelers to the Queen Charlotte Islands, the scenic homeland of the Haida people. Though it rains often and heavily, when the weather is good, Prince Rupert is a fine place for walking along the waterfront, past its several fish canneries, ships' chandlers and colorful fishing boats. For an indoor pastime, the top attraction is the Museum of Northern British Columbia, with an excellent collection of modern aboriginal art of the region, artifacts as old as 10,000 years and a totem carving shed.

New Prince Rupert based cruise: The "Pacific Aurora", an 80 passenger cruise ship sails from Prince Rupert to Vancouver. In the plans is a Cruise-Rail tour package linking up with a rail tour operator. That's thinking multimodal ... and is the kind of idea we at Air Highways applaud.

Prince Rupert - Queen Charlotte Islands
Prince Rupert makes a fine starting point for fishing, boating and kayaking, or for exploring the superb Khutzeymateen Valley, a famous grizzly near sanctuary. The city is also a major ferry and cruise-ship terminus, with vessels leaving regularly to Port Hardy and Alaska, and to the
Queen Charlotte Islands, where the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy. 16) ends. On Haida Gwa'ii (Queen Charlottes), adventurers can head out from Queen Charlotte City or Sandspit to explore this far-flung archipelago. Board a flight or a boat to the abandoned Haida villages of South Moresby Island (special permission required), or explore the endless sand dunes of Graham Island's Naikoon Provincial Park.

Cruise West announces weekly port calls in
Prince Rupert for 2001

Seattle-based cruise company Cruise West has announced weekly port calls to Prince Rupert for the 2001 season. The newly acquired Spirit of Oceanus, Cruise West's latest addition to their fleet, will be stopping in Prince Rupert as part of their Alaska itineraries. The Spirit of Oceanus is 295 feet in length and accommodates 114 guests. The vessel is the largest and most luxurious of the Cruise West fleet and fits well with company's up-close, small ship cruising experience. The ship will be calling at Prince Rupert's Atlin Terminal starting in June 2001.

Atlin Terminal Building project proceeding
The Board of Directors of the Prince Rupert Port Authority approved the tendering for the refurbishment of the Atlin Terminal building at the Port's small ship cruise facility in Cow Bay on July 20. The project will see the former fish processing facility transformed to accommodate passenger handling facilities, retail, commercial, and office space on the Prince Rupert waterfront. The construction project will be going out to tender over the next month. For information on how to obtain tender packages, call 250-627-7545.

Brian Mitchell announced as new user-group
appointee to Port Board


Above items are from Prince Rupert Port Authority
110 3rd Avenue West. Prince Rupert. BC. Canada. V8J 1K8
Phone; (250) 627-7545 . Fax (250)627-7101
e-mail: pcorp@rupertport.com

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