| Quest for the Bay | |
|---|---|
The show's title card. |
|
| Format | Documentary |
| Directed by | Don Young |
| Starring | Ken Albert, Jr. Rob Clark Geoff Cowie Paul Gossen Marits Luinenburg Kevin Mustard RoseAnna Schick Randal Shore |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Jamie Brown |
| Producer(s) | Jamie Brown |
| Location(s) | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Running time | 50 mins |
| Production company(s) | Frantic Films |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | History Television Public Broadcasting Service |
| Original run | 6 January 2002 – 20 January 2002 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Pioneer Quest: A Year in the Real West |
| Followed by | Klondike: The Quest for Gold |
Quest for the Bay was Canadian documentary television series which aired on History Television and the Public Broadcasting Service in 2002. It is the second entry of producer Jamie Brown's "Quest series" which includes Pioneer Quest: A Year in the Real West (2001), Klondike: The Quest for Gold (2003) and Quest for the Sea (2004). Frank and Alana Logie, a couple who had previously participated in Pioneer Quest made a cameo appearance during the first episode. It was the highest rated program on History Television in 2002 and received favourable reviews from newspapers, most notably, the Edmonton Journal. RoseAnna Schick, the sole female crew member, later wrote a personal account of the journey for Manitoba History later that year.[1]
The five-part series was produced by the Winnipeg-based Frantic Films and filmed during the summer of 2001. It followed an 8-person volunteer team, seven men and one woman, as they attempted to recreate the journey made by fur traders of the Hudson's Bay Company during the 1840s by travelling from Winnipeg to the Hudson Bay. The trip was 800 miles (1200 kilometers) and took the team though the heart of the Canadian wilderness. The crew members only possessed equipment used during the period, down to the food and clothing, and included a replica of a 40-foot wooden York Boat.[2]
The trip took eight to twelve weeks to complete, requiring the members to row between 12 to 14 hours a day, and forced them to navigate dangerous rapids and portages over a mile long as they ferried 4,000 pounds of cargo and furs up the rivers between Lake Winnipeg and the Hudson Bay.[2]
Contents |
| # | Title | Writers | Original airdate | Series No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Series One Episode One (The Company of Adventurers)" | January 6, 2002 | #1.01 | |
| The crew of explorers is selected, and they begin the first week of their journey facing the same hardships the original crew would have had to deal with in 1840s Canada. | ||||
| 02 | "Series One Episode Two (The Lake)" | January 7, 1991 | #1.02 | |
| The explorers begin the task of rowing the York boat to Hudson Bay under the hot summer sun, finally arriving at the Cree community of Norway House at the top of Lake Winnipeg. | ||||
| 03 | "Series One Episode Three (The Great Portage)" | January 13, 2002 | #1.03 | |
| Setting out into the northern wilderness, the adventurers fight their way past the beaver dams and leech-filled sloughs on the Echimamish River. But on finally reaching the 1,600-meter Robinson Portage, the group's spirit is tested by a torrential downpour of rain. | ||||
| 04 | "Series One Episode Four (Beyond Hell's Gate)" | January 20, 2002 | #1.04 | |
| The team reaches the magnificent Hayes River, but rapids with razor-sharp rocks damage the boat and a struggle for the leadership breaks out. | ||||
| 05 | "Series One Episode Five (To the Edge of a Frozen Sea)" | January 20, 2002 | #1.05 | |
| The team is still 180 miles from York Factory, but their boat has been destroyed, the arctic cold is closing in, and their food is running low. They must battle illness and distrust to complete their quest to relive the epic journey of the Hudson's Bay fur traders. | ||||