7/31 Victoria

Since the docks have not been filling up at all the past few days, we were speculating as to whether they'd be busy this coming weekend.  Well, they'll be busy for sure.  We have, under quite serendipitous circumstances, found ourselves in a prime spot for a celebratory weekend.  British Columbia and Victoria are celebrating their 150^th year, and several special events are taking place this weekend.  First, we heard from someone on the docks that the symphony would be performing on a barge in the bay here in the inner harbor this coming Sunday.  Boats were coming in throughout the day, and some are being rafted between boats along the fairways.  We have a 40' sailboat rafted next to us, operated by a nice couple from Friday Harbor.  From them we learned that there would be a parade on Saturday down Government Street, directly between us and the Empress Hotel.  They're here because they own a 1922 Cadillac fire truck that will be in the parade.  Next Monday is some sort of holiday here as well, and I'm sure we'll learn of some events for that day as well.

 

Later in the morning, Barb, Erin and I went off into town for another walk, again leaving Trav and his bad wheel behind to mind the store.  We walked along Wharf Street north to the Johnson Street Bridge, then on into town.  We browsed several shops and walked through Bastion and Market Squares, areas where street vendors set up to display their wares.  We stopped for a break at a local Starbucks, where Erin treated us to lattes – I had the iced Chai.

 

Next, we headed a little further north into Victoria's Chinatown, which was marked by a large ornate gateway over the street.  There we saw some very fresh vegetables on display on the sidewalk, and all sorts of businesses from herbalists and acupuncturists to galleries, restaurants and cheap souvenir stands.  On a wall plaque we read a little of the history of how Chinatown here developed back in the late 1800's and wandered through some of the narrow alleyways that were lined with small businesses.  We stopped at a little deli market where we bought some barbecued pork and almond cookies.

 

Barb had a one item shopping list, which was to pick up another bottle of Gibson's whiskey for Trav to take home.  We had an idea where a liquor store was from one of the maps Erin had, but it wasn't very specific.  We got some directions to a couple of stores, and chose the one that was on the way back towards the marina.  This one turned out to be a private store that didn't stock Gibson's.  They recommended another government store that was several blocks away in the opposite direction.  By then we were getting a little foot weary, but trudged on to find the other store.  They didn't have the larger size Trav wanted, but we got the 5^th they had and Barb stuffed it in her purse.  We returned to the boat to put our feet up and do some relaxing.  Our return timing was very good, as the few sprinkles we felt during our walk turned into some regular rainfall for the next few hours.

 

Yet more boats came in, and an older wooden boat ended up tied stern-to to the main dock and rafted to the Bar-T-Na.  It had a couple of young bouncing boys playing around as they maneuvered back in, much to Trav's chagrin, but it turned out they were just along for the ride down from Sidney, and soon returned home.  The boat, an early Canoe Cove, is now vacant, apparently to be used sometime during the coming weekend.

 

Trav prepared his beef stroganoff for dinner, and we all dined aboard the Bar-T-Na on a scrumptious meal while having good conversation.  We followed up by finishing the prior night's domino game.  Erin and I walked the docks to check out the new arrivals before retiring for an evening of reading and relaxing.

 

7/30 Victoria

Around 9 o'clock or so this morning, the sailboat across the dock from us left.  Trav had asked the dock attendant yesterday if there would be any problem moving up beside us and at the time she indicated that it would be okay.  We knew ahead of time that the sailboat would be leaving, so Trav had his shore power already disconnected and lines and fenders ready to go.  He backed away and moved into the new spot immediately, getting both a front row to the harbor and making the dock between us our personal patio.  Not even five minutes after we'd secured his lines, the owner of another boat came over asking whose boat that was.  He said he was planning on moving there, and that the dock attendant had said it would be okay.  We had the same story, and since the sailboat on the next dock over would be leaving within the hour, we suggested he take that spot.  He was nice about it and we assumed that's what he would do.  He must have said something to the dock attendant though, as she came over later to ask how long Trav would be there.  When she learned we'd both be here through the weekend, she said that was fine.  She's the one who yesterday both sold us the extra days moorage and said it would be okay to move, so we didn't hear any more about it.  So now we're side by side in what we consider the best spots in the harbor.

 

Later in the morning, Barb, Erin and I went for a walk into town to check out a few things.  We gathered a few brochures, especially checking out the bus tours.  There are three different companies that offer various tours, and they're all fairly similar.  They have 15 to 20 stops around the city and surrounding areas, and give narratives about each part of town.  At any of the stops, you can get off and go explore on your own, return later and catch a later tour bus to continue, so it will give us some flexibility, and also give Trav's knee a rest while seeing the town.

 

We continued our walk up Menzies Street, eventually coming to a Thrifty Food Market, where we did some light grocery shopping, being careful to not buy anything we didn't want to carry all the way back to the boat.  That was enough activity to call for a rest and lunch break.  More people watching ensued in the afternoon, and Erin and I took a short walk around the harbor to check out some of the mega-yachts that had come in.  We also poked into the gift shop end of the Empress Hotel, and saw some wonderful sculptures in one of the shops. 

 

The weather was mostly cool today, although there were some sun breaks.  Tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same, so we'll factor that in as we decide what tomorrow's activities will be.  I'm sure it'll include an excursion to at least one of the nearby attractions.

 

Tonight we played more dominos, and tomorrow Trav is preparing beef stroganoff for all of us.  Yum!

Photos from Sidney to Victoria

Flower baskets at Port Sidney Marina

Sky gazing, Sidney

Barb snares an anchor buoy for the Bar-T-Na

At anchor off Sidney Spit

Sidney Spit evening

Potentate anchored at Sidney Spit

Erin and Barb on Victoria waterfront

Potentate and Bar-T-Na docked in front of the Empress Hotel

7/29 Victoria

Today we made the decision to take advantage of our prime location by extending our stay through the weekend.  We had no problem adding on another 4 days right here in the front row since the docks aren't being fully utilized.  Now we have plenty of time to explore the town and see a few of the attractions, like the Royal BC Museum, Parliament Building, Undersea Gardens, bus tours and the like.  We've also been doing a lot of people watching, as the harbor front here is a major pedestrian concourse for all sorts of folks.

 

Chores took up some of the day today.  In a major reversal of rolls, I gave Erin a haircut, with her close supervision and instructions.  It looks pretty darn good if I don't say so myself.  I mentioned that she probably owes me 60 bucks for that fine cut, and she countered that in that case I owed her several thousand dollars for all the haircuts she's given me over the last 18+ years.  I withdrew my fee.

 

Since our washing machine on the boat has gone on the fritz again, we (Erin) also did laundry today, along with Barb from the Bar-T-Na.  There are only two machines some distance away, so they were gone for about 3 hours on that endeavor.  While she was gone, I got under the floor of the guest stateroom to tighten the shaft packing.  It didn't look like all that bad of a leak, but it was enough to cause the bilge pump to come on every hour or so.  I think I've got it tightened up to where it'll only kick off once or twice a day.  The packing gland around the shaft is what keeps the water out of the boat where the propeller shaft passes through the bottom of the boat.  It is lubricated by the water so it needs to drip slightly so it doesn't run dry and burn.  Like most things on this boat, this is old technology.  Nowadays most boats have dripless seals around the shafts.  It's possible to retrofit those, but it would involve pulling the shafts to do it – so we're happy with the drip.

 

We had some rain today, and we aren't complaining too much, since it's the first rain we've encountered since the first or second of the month.  We put the windows up around the bridge last night and the rain came early this morning.  It's now 10 o'clock in the evening, and a weather front has come in with wind gusts.  We're enjoying the storm from the security of the dock, watching the ivy on the face of the Empress Hotel waving in the breeze.

 

I haven't posted any photos for a few days due to sketchy Internet connections, but will see if I can remedy that soon...

 

 

7/28 Cadboro Bay to Victoria

What a difference a day makes.  We woke to clear skies and a calm harbor.  Yesterday there were wind surfers and Hobie Cats scurrying around the harbor – this morning there was a guy standing on a surf board with a long paddle propelling himself across the bay.

 

Because it appeared so calm, we made plans to weigh anchor(s) and head to Victoria, just less than 9 miles away.  We noted a fog bank out a ways from shore, and could hear fog horns, but from our position it appeared to be further out in the straits and not affecting the waters near the shore.  Alas, that was not to be.  By the time we reached Oak Bay, where we'd stopped briefly the afternoon before in the wind storm, we could see that there was fog ahead on our route.  We continued on through Mouat Channel as the fog thickened, leaving the visibility at about 1/8 mile.  It also closed in behind us as well.

 

We both had radar, gps and computer aided navigation, and since the waters were calm and we could see beyond the bow of the boat somewhat we pressed on.  We could see the buoy marking Mouat Reef, and it was heeled over in the flood current that was coming at us through Enterprise Channel at about 3 knots.  At this point, the shore was not visible, although we knew it was there a few hundred yards to starboard.  We continued on past Harling Point and on to Clover Point.  Our loudhailer has an automated fog horn feature that sounds one blast every minute or so, and we turned that on so we could be heard by any boats in the vicinity.  From the radar image, we were the only two boats in the channel.  The Bar-T-Na was behind us just visible in the fog, and its blip was on the 1/10^th mile circle of our radar.

 

Further west we could see some additional blips on the radar, and eventually some other boats that corresponded with those blips.  In the distance, where the fog had lifted slightly, we could see the Coho, the ferry that runs between Victoria and Port Angeles.  It was southbound, and we knew that it had left Victoria.  We broke out of the fog as we approached the breakwater that guards the harbor entrance, but it continued to follow us.  As we passed the light at the breakwater, we noted the cruise ship Dawn Princess at the terminal just inside the harbour.  Trav mentioned over the radio that was the ship they took to Alaska on a cruise some years back.  Continuing on, we passed some other industrial sites and a fuel dock.  As we passed Shoal Point, we reduced speed to 5 knots and followed the harbor markings and buoys that directed us around the area reserved for seaplanes.  The waterway is a busy airport, especially in the summer, and we saw both a twin engine and a single engine Otter taking off in this area as we passed by.

 

Further into the harbor is Laurel Point, the turning point for entering the inner harbor.  We had to stop momentarily as a Victoria Clipper was on its way out.  At this point we made radio contact with the harbor facility, and were assigned to a dock for the both of us.  We are moored in James Bay at the docks directly across the street from the Empress Hotel.  To our right is the Parliament building, a magnificent structure with patina-covered copper domes, and all across the harbor in front of us is a walkway that is a base of operations for many artists and street vendors, as well as musicians, jugglers and other entertainers.  A fleet of small harbor ferries operate from the dock directly across from us, providing both tours and hops to other destinations within the greater Victoria harbor basin.  To our left are various tourist services such as whale watching and sailing tours, as well as the seaplane terminal.  Just behind us to the right is the dock where the ferry Coho comes in from Port Angeles to disgorge its load of passengers and cars, and there's also a customs facility there, where both the Victoria Clipper and Coho passengers utilize.

 

This is definitely a highlight for all of us to come cruising in here and get a nice front row seat to all the harbor views and activities.  We've signed up for 3 days moorage, as the cruising guide mentioned there was a 72 hour limit here in front of the Empress.  We will most likely extend our stay by a few days if possible.  Although usually packed, the marina is only half full, probably due to economic conditions, specifically fuel prices, hitting the boating community in general.  But, without the demand of more boaters coming in, it may bode well for us to stay put longer.  If not, we can relocate to another marina just around the corner.

 

We plan on being tourists and exploring around the town for the next few days.  To celebrate our arrival we played a full round of dominos aboard the Bar-T-Na, well into the night.

7/27 Sidney Spit to Cadboro Bay

We awoke to another calm morning, with clear skies and flat water.  Looked like another perfect day in paradise.  Trav and I went around the bay in their dinghy to gather up our crab traps.  We eventually found all four, and only one had a single crab in it.  It was a keeper, so I guess we can't complain.

 

Our plan was to cruise south and around the "corner" to Victoria.  It's a place we've all been many times before, but neither Trav and Barb nor Erin and I have ever cruised in there in our own boat.  The tides and currents were such that an early afternoon arrival at the Straits of Juan de Fuca would be best, with a slack or slightly ebb current for us.  With this in mind, we lazed about the rest of the morning, planning for a noontime or thereabouts departure.

 

Leaving Sidney Spit, we headed for the northwest corner of James Island and turned south through Cordova Channel.  The seas were calm and we were proceeding at a little over 7 knots, with a 1 knot flood current still against us.  The ride was uneventful and we continued on past Cordova Bay and Arbutus Cove.  At times we had some gentle rollers, but as we approached Ten Mile Point the wind from the west increased and we could see some weather building around the corner.

 

We had two escape routes should the straits prove to be not to our liking.  The first was Cadboro Bay, a good anchorage but without a marina, other than the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club.  The second was Oak Bay, a smaller harbor with a marina.  The wind was strong as we passed Cadboro Bay, and we decided to head into Oak Bay to see if we could get moorage.  We took a beating the last half mile or so into the bay, with salt water drenching the boat from top to bottom.  As we entered the breakwater we contacted the marina on the radio to find that they had no space for the Potentate, but they could assign a slip to the Bar-T-Na.  We decided to anchor while Bar-T-Na took the slip.  It didn't work out that way.  The wind was whipping around quite a bit inside the harbor and the fairway to the dock was narrow, making it difficult for Trav to maneuver.  He decided to abandon that attempt, and we both anchored outside the marina.  There were a lot of local boats on buoys so there wasn't much swinging room for us, and we weren't comfortable with it as an anchorage long term, especially with the wind gusting to over 30 mph inside the harbor.  We decided to head back to Cadboro Bay, which is listed as the best anchorage spot in a blow by some of the cruising guides.  With the wind and seas at our back it was a much better ride going the other direction for the mile and a half to our current anchorage.

 

We gave our windlass some extra exercise today to make up for all the days at docks in the past couple of weeks.  In Oak Bay, we were blown back further than planned before the anchor got down, leaving us too close to a boat behind us, so we pulled the anchor up and reset it.  Now, after getting all settled in Cadboro Bay, we noticed a crab buoy just 15 or 20 feet behind us as we swung back and forth in the wind.  That was okay, but I wanted the option of letting out more chain – so we hoisted anchor, relocated a bit and anchored again here.

 

Our anchor chain runs down through the hull on the starboard side through a hawse pipe.  Being a little off center, the boat tends to swing back and forth even a little more than usual in high winds.  Somewhere at Oak Bay or here, the chain caught on the chrome trim strip that runs from the bull nose bow down to a bit below the waterline.  Erin noticed it was a bit loose below the waterline when she last set the anchor.  When I went out later to let out more chain, the chain managed to get behind that piece, pulling it out even further and stripping out a few screws up two or three feet above the waterline.  It wasn't a serious situation, but every time we swung back into the wind, the chain would catch that piece, then twang it against the bow as it would break free when we swung back the other way.  We decided to see if we could secure it somehow, so both Erin and I got in the dinghy and went around front, armed with a screwdriver and a pocket full of screws.  We quickly decided it would be much more prudent to just take the thing off, so Erin backed out the screws while I stood in the dinghy holding us against the bow.  We had to let go a couple of times as the wind caught one end of the dinghy and blew us away, but we eventually removed all the screws except the very top one.  We then got back on the boat and removed that from the bow, lifting the piece onto the boat for later repairs.  It was a successful team effort and we'll have a somewhat quieter night for it.

 

We'll see what tomorrow brings.  We're only a little over 8 miles from Victoria, but we're not about to take a major beating if the weather doesn't play nice.  Hopefully it'll clear up, but if it doesn't we'll either wait it out or head back the way we came.

7/27 Cadboro Bay

Just a brief note while we have a connection here at anchor. Left Sidney Spit at noon headed for Victoria, but we're now hiding out in Cadboro Bay, as it was kicking up pretty good as we turned the corner into the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Will most likely spend the night here at anchor and assess the situation in the morning.

7/26 Sidney Spit

We awoke around 6 o'clock to a beautiful sunrise and mostly clear skies.  It didn't last, though.  By 8:30 or 9:00 it had clouded over, and started to rain lightly.  On the agenda for today was setting some crab traps and going ashore for a walk on the spit.  We had a short rain delay while Trav and I prepared our crab traps aboard our respective boats, but it didn't last long.  We headed out with two traps per dinghy, and laid the traps in a line between the end of the spit on the north end, and the edge of the lagoon to the south.  We had some chicken bones in our traps, and Trav had fish scraps for one, and being short on bait for the other, tried a can of cat food and some shrimp pellets.

 

Erin and I headed back over to the Bar-T-Na to pick up Barb for some shore exercise while Trav rested his knee.  We first walked along the spit, but not all the way out to the light, which is nearly a mile.  The tide was low, so there was much more beach showing than the afternoon before.  Although the water off the spit is rather shallow, the beach itself was relatively steep, and the waves lapping up against the shore provided an almost ocean-like sound effect.  There is a shore on each side of the spit, and where it's wider, in the center was an area of tide pools, kelp and sea grasses.  We took lots of photos, and both Erin and Barb collected rocks in their pockets.  We returned to the landing to drop off our jackets at the dinghy and explore some of the trails on Sidney Island.  We first climbed up a bluff where a split rail fence drew our attention.  Of course we climbed up the wrong side, then ducked through the fence to get where we were going, which was along the upper trail that overlooked the shore facing towards Washington.

 

The trail was lined with mostly fir and cedar trees, although we also saw some maple and other deciduous trees as well.  Along the trail we heard someone call Erin's name, and were surprised to see Charlie and Claudia Young, a couple we had met last year up in the Broughton Islands.  They had seen our boat at anchor and had stopped by the day before, but we were off in the dinghy at the time.  We had a nice visit, and then they headed off towards the other end of the island, where they were going to have a picnic lunch.  We wandered back along the loop trail on the other side of the island, eventually returning to the dock to hop in the dinghy and ride back to our respective boats.

 

A little later in the afternoon Trav and I headed out in their dinghy to check on the crab traps.  The water was a little choppy at the time, and some of them were a little hard to spot at first.  One of our traps ended up against the side of a large sailboat.  They weren't there when we set it, but came in and anchored too close to it and swung right over it.  They didn't seem concerned about it, and we were just glad the line was fouled in their rudder or prop.

 

By the time we had checked all 4 traps, we had 5 keepers, and had reset the traps for the night.  The cat food and shrimp pellets didn't seem to hold interest for any crabs at all, but, hoping it was just the location, we moved that trap over to an area that had been more productive.  We brought our catch to the Potentate, where Trav helped me clean them while Erin started a pot boiling.  We sent Trav home with a share, and we all had crab for dinner.

 

The evening was spent over at the Bar-T-Na, finishing off a game of dominos we'd started as teams; Erin and Barb against Loren and Trav.  It was nip and tuck, but the fellas prevailed.  We had a slow cruise back to the Potentate in the dark, and although it was cloudy, some stars were showing through.  It's a very peaceful night.

 

7/25 Sidney to Sidney Spit

A few departure chores took up some of our morning – we walked into town to the Sidney Bakery for a few more of those butter horns, and  made a side trip to the Ace Hardware store to pick up some D cell batteries for Trav.  I wandered out to the overlook by the breakwater to see what the water was like on the outside, and it was nice and smooth.

 

The boat behind us had planned on leaving an hour before us, around 10 o'clock, so we made sure to get back to the boat to help fend off, as he'd have to squeeze by a bit.  He must have decided to just wait for us to leave.  He seemed nervous about it when we talked to him, and at his scheduled departure time, he was still connected to shore power.  We decided to get cranked up about 10:30, both to get out of his way a little early, and also to give us some extra time to get away from the dock, as we were angled in pretty good at the end of the fairway.  We were able to crab away from the dock then rotate around to back out without any assistance, or scuff marks either, so that was good.

 

We left the breakwater and began our lengthy cruise to Sidney Spit.  It was well over 2 miles.  We left the engines at idle and proceeded over at about 5 and a half knots.  There were only three or four boats here, and lots of empty mooring buoys.  In Washington, boats over 45' are prohibited from tying to the buoys – we didn't know the rule here, but we knew the bottom had good holding for anchoring, and that being free we just dropped the hook next to a few vacant buoys.

 

Trav and Barb were leaving the marina at about the time we were setting anchor, and they were soon at the Spit, approaching a mooring buoy next to us.  Barb was on the bow with a boat hook with bow line and carabineer attached to it.  She had on her headset, and was giving Trav directions as they approached the buoy, putting it out of sight from the helm.  She reached down with the boat hook and snapped right onto the ring – excellent job!

 

That lengthy cruise over here must have been taxing, because the crews on both boats settled right down for a rest for the next two or three hours.  The wind picked up somewhat providing some chop and roll, so it was a good time to be doing nothing.  When the wind died down we both launched our dinghies and went for a nice ride around the spit to check out our surroundings.  To the south is a lagoon, and along its shore we came upon a couple dozen Canada geese resting on shore.  A few of them appeared to be burrowed into the sand in such a way that we speculated if they were nesting there.  We continued on around the west side of Sidney Island, where we spotted some crab buoys, and one boater retriever their trap.  They told us they'd gotten several keepers in about 45 minutes.  We plan on doing some crabbing tomorrow!  After our dinghy ride we stopped at the Bar-T-Na for a visit and a treat of brownies and spiced chai tea.

 

Our anchorage is not really a bay, although it's surrounded by some sandbars that remain underwater for the most part.  To our northeast is the spit that extends from Sidney Island about three quarters of a mile, ending with a beacon that marks the passage Miner's Channel.   The spit is traversable by foot most of the time, but at high tide parts of it are awash, so if you went out there for a hike at the wrong time you'd be getting your feet wet getting back. 

 

At the other end of the spit, the island end, is a dock that can be used by dinghies, passenger ferries from Sidney, and even a few pleasure boats.  It provides access to shore, where there are many trails around the park.  We plan on going ashore tomorrow to hike and explore the island and spit. 

 

Although there were just a few boats here when we set anchor, they continued to arrive all afternoon and there are now over 40 boats either anchored or tied to the park mooring buoys.  It's now about 8 o'clock in the evening, and it's actually warmed up quite a bit from earlier this afternoon.  I'm sitting up on the bridge as I type this, with outstanding views in all directions.  To the west is the town of Sidney, with the sun soon to set behind it.  To Sidney's north I can see some of the Gulf Islands that we cruised through over the last couple of days.  A little earlier a Washington State ferry cruised by the end of the spit on its International run between Sidney and Anacortes.  To the east we have a panorama across Haro Strait of the San Juan Islands and Mount Baker in the distance.  I can clearly see Orcas, Spieden, Stuart and some of our other cruising grounds over across the border.  To the south, in the distance I can see the Olympic Mountains rising above the low lying islands between us and the Straits of Juan de Fuca.  As I said, outstanding views in all directions.

7/24 Sidney

We had a luxury breakfast this morning – waffles with eggs over easy and a slice of ham, compliments of the resident chef, Erin.  We followed this with a walk into town later in the morning.  Barb accompanied us as we did some exploring into town.  We walked along the shore between the marina and the public docks, and had a great view of Sidney Spit, and across Haro Strait to the U.S., where we could plainly see Spieden Island.  Mount Baker was looming in the distance.  As we walked further along the shore we came upon a group of seniors doing Tai Chi exercises on the lawn adjacent to the walkway.

 

We headed on into town on Beacon Street, the main drag – at least here next to the marina.  We poked in and out of a few gift shops and galleries, and came upon the Sidney Bakery, in the same place it was when I was first here nearly 30 years ago.  We returned there on the way back and picked up a few items – a couple butter horns, a couple apple donuts and a fresh strawberry rhubarb pie.  Oh yeah, and a few of one of our favorite items up here in Canada, sausage rolls.  Barb picked up a few treats to take to Trav, who was back on the boat minding the store.

 

As we walked along the streets we'd come to bronze sculptures of various figures sitting on park benches.  There was always room for a person or two as well.  We saw a sea captain, an old lady with her purse and shopping bags, an old man and his dog, and maybe a couple others I can't recall now.  They added a nice touch to an already well laid out pedestrian walkway.

 

Once back at the boat, Erin did some work on her paintings, using some of the new paint she bought at one of the galleries – our only purchase on the walk.  I worked on a crossword puzzle, which turned into a nap.  A little later in the afternoon we went out and walked a couple docks, then went back into town to the grocery store.  On our last two grocery trips, we'd forgotten to get the sour cream we'd set out to get, so we were focused on finally accomplishing that.  We did, but not before another $30 worth of stuff found its way into our basket.  We headed back with our booty so we could rest up before going to the Thursday Market.

 

We got a radio call from Trav just before six that Rubber Ducky, their dinghy, was leaving their moorage so we walked down to meet them at the head of the dock.  From there we walked up to the foot of Beacon Street, which was now closed to vehicular traffic and lined with arts, crafts and food booths.  It stretched out for about 4 city blocks, with the booths on either side and a somewhat orderly progression of people heading west on one side of the street and east on the other.  We joined in the crowd and perused the various wares on display.  Spaced far enough apart so that they didn't interfere with each other were street musicians, or buskers, as they're called here.  There were two marimba bands, and we particularly enjoyed a performance by one that was all women performers.  They played with a lot of energy and were obviously having a good time.  They had a bin of musical toys for children, and several kids were helping themselves and shaking tambourines to the beat of the music.

 

We stopped at one of the street vendors for dinner, and Erin and I both got an Italian sausage sandwich with caramelized onions.  It sounded better than it was, but it suited its purpose of sating our hunger.  Trav and Barb split a hamburger from the same stand.

 

As we headed back towards the marina, we invited Trav and Barb to swing by the Potentate and share some of our strawberry rhubarb pie we'd purchased earlier at the bakery.  They parked their dinghy behind us and came aboard for dessert and conversation.

 

Tomorrow we have somewhat loosely made plans to head out to Sidney Spit, and Provincial Park, to stay at anchor for a couple days.  The spit is within sight of the marina, so it won't be a very long cruise.  We've been fortunate to find an Internet connection at almost every harbor we've visited, but I'm pretty sure we'll be out of touch if at anchor out there.  If that's the case, the next time you'll see an update on the blog will probably be when we find our way into the port of Victoria, where we'd like to spend a few days.  In the meantime, photos may or may not appear within these last couple of posts.  Our connection is weak, and sometimes it will choke when trying to upload a picture.  I did manage to get out a series of photos Erin took via an email to the blog, so I may use that method again where the connection is tenuous. 

Port Sidney Heron

Erin snapped several shots of a great blue heron foraging in the shallows near our moorage. These were taken with a 300mm zoom, then cropped.

7/23 Maple Bay to Sidney

Last night the wind picked up and gusted quite a bit into the wee hours.  Fortunately it seemed to have blown itself out by morning, as it was nice and calm.  We made plans to leave around 10:30, catching the ebb current through Sansum Narrows.

 

I filled our water tank and removed both propane tanks for refilling.  As I was carrying the tanks up the ramp, one of the marina employees was driving by in his electric cart.  I asked him if he was also the propane guy – he was, and I put both tanks in the back of his cart.  That was sure a lot easier than carrying them to the far side of the parking lot where the refill station was.  He came back a few minutes later to tell me he couldn't fill one of the tanks.  I knew which one right away.  We have an old tank that predates the OPD valve regulations instituted in the USA several years ago.  I have been able to refill it only in Canada since then.  The valve wasn't the problem, but its manufacture date was.  It was made in 1992, and has to be inspected or retired after 10 years.  Many of the small marinas up north apparently ignore that, as I've been getting it refilled regularly in Canada for many years.  Anyway, it's still half full, and the empty one, which we added new for the Alaska trip, was refilled with no problem, so we're good for longer than we'll be out anyway.

 

We left the dock first, which provided Trav with some extra maneuvering room.  We were against the main dock all the way into the fairway with a port side tie.  I needed to swing the stern around and back out, so I tried a new technique I'd read about a few years ago.  Instead of port reverse and starboard forward to rotate the stern out while holding the bow against the dock, I started out by doing the opposite along with hard left rudder.  Port forward provided some thrust away from the dock, while starboard reverse kept the boat from going forward and rotating from the port thrust.  The net effect is for the boat to crab sideways.  Not sure it looked pretty, but I did manage to get the bow far enough away from the dock that we were able to swing the stern around without fending off the bow.

 

We backed out the fairway and waited out in the harbor for Trav and Barb to appear, which they did a few minutes later.  We cruised out of Maple Bay and south towards Sansum Narrows, the passageway between Vancouver Island to the west and Saltspring Island to the east.  We then proceeded down Satellite Channel following the Saltspring Island shoreline.  At one point we spotted some dolphins swimming nearby, but they weren't in the playful mood that ends up with them frolicking in our bow wake.  They ignored that opportunity and continued on with their own business.

 

Rather than enter Saanich Inlet we turned to the east and headed for Colburne Passage at the top of the Saanich Peninsula.  We proceeded east past Swartz Bay, where a B.C. Ferry was at the dock loading.  Beyond that is Goudge Island, which has a passage on either side.  We chose John Passage on the east side, a more straightforward route.  We zig zagged past the markers and reefs and headed for Sidney.

 

We radioed Port Sidney requesting moorage for our two boats as we entered through the breakwater.  At least one thing they don't have down pat here is an efficient system for knowing which slips are available.  We listened to them chat among themselves and with other boats as they tried to ascertain which slips were open.  The area where we could wait is fairly small, and other boats were entering the harbor behind us.  One boater, who had reserved a spot for temporary moorage, gave up, canceled his request and left the harbor.  Neither of us ended up in the slips initially assigned to us, but we eventually both got settled in.  The Port Sidney Harbour is a large marina enclosed by a rock breakwater.  It has moorage for 400 boats of all sizes, with nice concrete docks and all the amenities.  On every piling hangs two flowering baskets, each with a small hose for an automated watering system, coiled to accommodate the rising and falling of the tides.  We're between F and G docks on the main dock, and Trav and Barb have a slip on D dock, a little closer to town but still a substantial walk to the head of the dock.  We've done some investigating, and it looks like Trav will have the option of taking their dinghy to the head of the dock to save on "knee time" going ashore.  We're here for at least two nights – we read that they have a Thursday Market tomorrow evening that we're going to stay and see.

 

We arrived here before 1 o'clock, but it seemed like it was nearly 6 o'clock before we knew it and all we'd done is lounge around – which is an entirely acceptable vacation activity.  We dined one some sausage "bangers" and sweet potatoes, then headed over to the Bar-T-Na for an evening of fun conversation and more dominos.  As we returned to our boat late in the evening, the stars were out, and a blood red three quarter moon was rising to the west.  What a beautiful evening.

 

Chemainus Mural Photos

Here are some photos of the murals we saw in Chemainus...

 

7/22 Maple Bay

Erin and I got up at our normal time, but we didn't have the usual leisurely morning, as we were supposed to be picked up by Budget Rent-a-car between 8 and 8:15.  We walked up to the marina office where we'd get our ride at 8 o'clock and began waiting.  I finally strolled over to the Perkins diesel mechanic's shop at 8:15, figuring that would cause our ride to arrive.  Shortly after that Erin called over to me that our ride was here.  In fact, he had been there the entire time.  He was sitting in an unmarked car, figuring we'd see the little bookmark sized tag marked "Budget" hanging from his rear view mirror behind the tinted windshield.  Oh well, no great time lost.

 

We headed on into Duncan, about 10 or 12 kilometers (they've pretty much abandoned miles on the distance and speed limit signs, as well as the speedometers here) inland from Maple Bay, where we signed up for a car.  They had set aside a mid-sized sedan, but we upgraded to an SUV, a Nissan X-Trail, for a little more room and comfort.  We were back at the marina by 9 o'clock, and after a few minutes of gathering up cameras and stuff, the four of us were off on our adventure.

 

The Maple Bay Marina is actually in Bird's Eye Cove at the southern tip of Maple Bay, along the Genoa Bay Road.  We headed north along the shore of Maple Bay, and took a brief detour down to the Maple Bay landing, a small government dock in the northern and more open part of the bay.  From there we headed to Crofton, a mill town along Stuart Channel.  They have a small government dock and a waterfront park here, as well as a walkway built up along the shore.

 

Our main focus was to head on to Chemainus, so we continued on along the country roads that followed the shoreline.  We passed pastures and fields of corn, as well as a beautiful salt marsh while the tide was still up.  We made note of some views and attractions, such as an old wooden highway bridge, that we'd look at more closely on the way back.

 

We soon arrived in Chemainus for a look around.  About 25 years ago, the folks in Chemainus invited several internationally known artists to "paint the town", using the blank walls of buildings as their canvas.  Today there are nearly 40 murals and a number of sculptures around the town, depicting various aspects of the town's history.  We drove up and down most of the streets at least two or three times, snapping photos left and right.  Some of the homes were fixed up pretty nice as well – one had several topiary projects going, from elephants to jumping dolphins. We parked the car for awhile and walked up and down one of the main streets that was lined with several shops.  Erin and Trav were hoping that at least one of the several ice cream parlors in town served licorice ice cream, but they were skunked in that quest.

 

We also visited the waterfront parks and saw the ferry landing where you could catch the ferry to Thetis Island and Telegraph Harbour.  Although the Chemainus tourist literature lists arriving in your own boat and mooring at their "enchanting harbour", all the boating and cruising guides recommend staying at one of the marinas in Telegraph Harbour and taking the ferry over for the day for a visit.  We think the cruising guides have it right on that one.  But, it's a great place to visit and spend some time, and we definitely missed more attractions than we saw during our brief visit.  I didn't realize it at the time, but I see by the brochure that there is an artificial reef offshore made from a retired and submerged Boeing 737.  I recall seeing a documentary on TV a few years back on how that was accomplished, but didn't realize it was here.

 

We decided we'd head further north to Ladysmith, another seaport town, to look around and have some lunch.  Erin and I had stopped at Ladysmith a couple of years ago, but found the docks not all that inviting and anchored across the bay, skipping a visit to the town.  The cruising guide describes the town as an "energetic walk" from the sleepy public wharf.  They're understating that quite a bit, although they do concede that you'd best call a taxi to get back to your boat if you buy anything in town.  After taking a drive down to the docks we were glad to be visiting by car.

 

We were looking for a place to have some lunch, and our choices seemed to be somewhat limited, although later we saw a couple of restaurants we had missed in our search.  We eventually settled on the K & S Diner along one of the main streets in town.  It had tables, booths, and a walk up counter where we could place our orders.  We all found items to our liking so did just that.  Trav had previously told us the story of their visit to Ladysmith back in 1992 when they had spent quite some time touring the Gulf Islands.  They had made that arduous hike up the hill to town, and had seen a store front with the sign "Trav's Tav".  It was originally "Traveler's Tavern", but some of the lettering had come off the windows.  To top it off, across the street was "Barb's Kitchen".  Well, it turns out the diner we were in was formerly Barb's Kitchen – there was even a certificate on the wall declaring Barb's Kitchen had the best French fries in town.  And, as we left after finishing our lunch, we saw the Traveler's Hotel across the street.

 

On the way into Ladysmith we had been stopped at a construction site along our country road for about 15 minutes, so on the way back out of town we took the main highway until we were well past that point.  After that we turned off to again take the back roads along the shore, where we passed through Chemainus and Crofton once again.  By now the tide was out, so we saw some different views of the waterfront and shoreline.

 

We stopped at the wooden highway bridge, pulling into a parking lot next to a cemetery.  A small river was running under the bridge, and across the way was a swimming hole, complete with some young boys who were taking advantage of it.  We took photos and admired the structure of the bridge, and also toured the cemetery, noting dates back as far as 1848.

 

By the time we got back to Maple Bay, we still had a couple hours left before we needed to return the car, so we continued on down the Genoa Bay Road to its end, at Genoa Bay.  There we took a look at that marina and looked out over the waters south of Sansum Narrows.  This afternoon the wind was blowing briskly, and the whitecaps were churned up.  We're hoping it'll blow itself out by tomorrow so we can continue on south to Sidney.

 

After dropping Trav and Barb off at our moorage, Erin and I took the car back to Duncan.  We did a little shopping there, filled up the tank and returned the car.  There were two other couples there as well who had returned another car and were waiting for a ride back as well.  They were moored at Genoa Bay.  We all fit into a 7 passenger van for the ride back.

 

Tonight's entertainment was the beginning of a new round of dominos.  We had a good visit aboard the Bar-T-Na for a few hours before retiring back to the Potentate for the evening.