B. C. Mania

Shortly after our arrival

There are times when you get to do something that you have long wanted to do. This is one of those sorts of stories. After the Cathlamet Cruiser’s Rally we went to Port Townsend and dropped off the Trailer (perhaps now named Errol) at our friend Sue’s house (that would be Sue of Sophie). Then we headed for Port Angeles and Catherine’s home. Now Catherine is someone that Sandy knew from growing up in P.A. and there are continued family ties there even though Sandy has not seen her for many years. We were fed and put up for the night and then deposited at the ferry dock to make our way to across the channel to Victoria, British Columbia. Catherine could not possibly have been a better hostess!! I have never been on that sized ferry before and as a family run business it was a great experience. After less than an hour crossing we were entering the customs and immigration area on the Canadian side and waving at Angus and Rolande of Periclees waiting to pick us up.

The Great & Colorful

Interesting Signage

We bopped around the downtown area for a few hours and included a shopping fix for us all; though our list of what we were looking for was pretty short it was a pleasant day of wandering. Traffic was interesting as we toured via Rolande’s mini-van after giving up on the shopping. This culminated in a stop for wine, and I have to say here that Canadian wine prices are high, before going to Jean-Guy and Fran’s of Gosling for dinner and a stay for the night. Talk about awesome, this was a fantastic night of fun and chat.The next morning Angus and Rolande took us to Butchart Gardens.

Small arch...

This is a place I had wanted see for a very long time. It lived up to expectations in triplicate!!! If you want a dose of gardening envy or inspiration this IS the place to come to. I know that initially Angus had hopes that we would cruise through this experience in a speedy fashion but he graciously succumbed to our slow pace quickly. Getting the chance to see such a wide variety of flowers arranged in so many ways was incredible. I am given to understand that it does not matter what season you go there (except the dead of winter) there is always a great experience awaiting you. By the time we got to the Hidden Garden, which we saved for last, we were floating on a garden high. There is simply no comparison with any garden I have ever seen before. The temperate climate here is the perfect place to carry out the vision of such a fantastic display.

Tiny portion of organization...

Form here we slowly cruised up the east coast of Vancouver Island visiting several small towns and crossing occasionally back to a relatively untraveled freeway. There were views to be appreciated at every turn and the camera rarely left my hand. What a nice place to live!!! On arriving at the Pericleesian’s home in Comox we had yet another great evening. Maybe later I will get around to incorporating some of this into an entry… suffice it to say that these are some wonderful folks living in an incredible place.

Bearly fun towns...

The next day we got on Evening Breeze with Jim and Donna (another couple we had met while we were in Mexico) and the Periclees crew after a breakfast omelet that included the Chinese from the night before. Evening Breeze is a Morgan 41 like Faith. The deal was for us to spend two or three days aboard cruising the Gulf Islands. Out we went to our first lesson… Jim dropped some prawn traps just outside the anchorage at Hornsby Island (Tribune Bay) and then four of us dinghied into shore for a romp around the path going inland for a bit then back around along the coast to the initial beach. When we got back aboard we retrieved the pots with only about nine prawns (Note: Jim had previously declared that we were not likely to catch much there but it was something to do while we were there). These were designated as breakfast prawn to be dealt with in a couple of days. Off to the better anchorage in Tribune bay and a party that night aboard.

The signs on the side of the Morris car said something about going around the world

In the morning we were treated to breakfast (including some of our left over Chinese food from a day earlier). Great omelet Angus!! Up the anchor came and we ended a bit of sailing with a very tight anchoring job in Codfish Cove at Jedediah Island. When I say, “Tight,” I mean it. We came in next to a rock wall to drop the anchor in about 30 feet of water then slew around to tie a line aft to a tree ashore! There was another boat there as well, in a place with room for not much more than that. Kudos to Jim for knowing how to go about this and still allow for the 15 foot tide!!
This time five of us hopped off the boat for a walk about. Fascinating place and views. It even included a helicopter landing for a picnic while we were there!!

With six people on board we were still comfortable, as we have been many times on Faith too. The meals were really well coordinated and the party atmosphere came from sailors who know how to get along. That is something that I think is one of the best things about the folks we have met while cruising… we tend to be some pretty happy people.
When we left Codfish Cove the wind had come up. Jim negotiated some narrows and we popped out to into the channel with more waves and wind than we had the previous two days. Fortunately Evening Breeze has a full enclosure for the cockpit and we were very comfortable sailing across to what I think was called Blaine Channel to head back to Comox. This was a wonderful time for me as I watched the scenery and had a shot at steering the boat. The hydraulic steering does not give the same feel and feedback as Faith’s cable steering and the full keel was slightly different than I am used to as well. In any case, we had a super time on this sail and enjoyed every minute of the cruise.

A Hobbit Shed in a park

More pictures...

The next thing we had to do was to get back to Victoria so that we could board the ferry for the return to Port Angeles the next day.