A nautical pilgimage

Our Saturna returned to her namesake Saturna Island.

We're sure Wm Garden, the designer of our "Oystercatcher" found charming and compelling many of the same things we did about Saturna Island. That's why he named his best boat after it. Of course.

The sandstone cliffs and formations are wildly eroded and Boat Channel funnels the tide through at a fast clip. We saw several thrill-seekers run this rapid in powerboats.
Monique is wondering if Saturna Parks needs a Superintendant.

The general store and Saturday market were nice. Lots of fresh-baked goodies.

We really think the island has it's priorities right. This recycling center is wildly busy, taking almost everything. All garbage must be shipped off the island, so they save a lot of money by sorting into recycleables. The Free Store was awesome. All donations and loaded with goodies.

Having lived through many many park bond defeats, we also loved seeing the brand new community/recreation center facility - verses the Fire Department. The joke in Anchorage being that the voters would never turn down a fire bond...

The bikes finally got unpacked form their bags, and we rode all around the island. Visited the Saturna Island Winery and other places all along the narrow hilly roads. We recommend not trying to ride too many hills after the winery tour. Very few cars, though so nice rides. We both had bike-butt in the mornings for a while.

Blain is becoming quite the woodsman. We forgot utensils on our bike ride to East Point lighthouse, and had to improvise a soup spoon with an apple and leatherman. It gave a nice apple-y flavor to the gazpatcho Mo made.

A photo of Mt. Baker from the Island.

Blain had to rub off 6 months of seaweed from the waterline. Chance is lending advice.

We are now in Ganges (not the one with the bodies floating in it) and enjoying the Canadian Public docks and Wifi. Life is good.

The offending tank is out.

Before Canoe Cove repairs, we enjoyed Sidney Spit for the beaches, warm (relatively) swimming, and rhinocerus auklets with mouths stuffed full of fish. Like Blain at All-you-can-eat Night at Skippers. This is where we caught the crab.

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We enjoyed meeting John and Daleen, who saw our boat and came over to say "hi". Their "Omega" is the prettiest Saturna33 we've seen. We also ran into them in Canoe Cove and got to have dinner and drinks with them. A fun and very knowlegeable couple, we hope to run into them again. And we can't wait for the grudge match drag races.

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We promised some holding tank photos.

Monique mumbling something like, "I wonder now about not marrying that plumber..." A beer and a book. Hard to top that when your whole boat smells like a pig lot.

The practice tank is fitted. Note: don't use as a real tank...

The project commenced with ripping out fine woodwork and plugging hoses.

Blain mumbling something like, "Why didn't I pay attention in Geometry class?"

Four rules of plumbing:

1. Interesting things happen under pressure. Be sure to stand back for the view.

2. Sh#t flows downhill.

3. Fingernail-biters won't for long.

4. It's never the freshwater.

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Life is better now that the tank is out and, if all the repairs hold, we are going sailing tomorrow. Around some of the local islands, then back to Sidney/Canoe Cove in a few days for the final installation of our fabulous new RONCO holding tank. It'll be beautiful, I'm sure. The old one took two days to rip out, and man, was it fun to toss in the dumpster!

Well, Canadian customs sure enjoyed our request for one year in the country. They must still be laughing about it.

Strike number one came when the officer on duty asked the make of our boat. The conversation went like this.

"There has to be some make besides 'Saturna'."

"Well there isn't; It was built in British Columbia..."

"That doesn't help ma'am." Is there some other name?"

"Nope, just Saturna. Sorry."

So we have a nonconforming boat. And we like it that way. But apparently Canadian Costumes(sic) doesn't.

Aside from the rude welcome of two armed law enforcement officials rifling through our underwear drawers, we enjoyed Victoria. Timing it to arrive at Oak Bay - where they still had space - we rode the bus into downtown for the Canada Day festivities on July 1.

Thier Cap't Cook looks more scholarly than Anchorage's version. And less of a skirt, too.

At the Victoria Maritime Museum, we got to see Tilikum - John Voss's round the world canoe. It's an amazing little craft. Buy the book, it's great.

Boy, those canucks really get patriotic. Scads of gents wrapped in maple leaf flags, or near naked and painted red, and the lasses in very short red shorts.

Fifty thousand was a good guess for the day-long party and fireworks.

Oak Bay was nice but expensive. Blain got a fishing licence and we can now set crab pots. He never in his life thought he'd ever utter these words to his wife: "I sure hope I catch a case of crabs tonight..."

The first one we got that was legally large enough was boiled alive and became sushi rolls.

First stop out of Oak Bay was Sidney Spit. A shallow lagoon and long sand spit, it was perfect for anchoring, crabbing, beach frisbee, and sunning. Years ago they decided to improve the biodiversity and imported fallow deer, peacocks, and of all things - chipmunks. Of course. We did see one, unfortunately.

We did see purple martins, though. A recovery success story for BC, there were only 6 breeding pairs in the 1980s. Through a program of building nest boxes, they have recovered to 700 or so now. A new bird for both Blain and Mo. We are on to Butchart Gardens for the Saturday fireworks.

On to the backside of Victoria for the Butchart Gardens fireworks and flowers festivities. They accidentially timed them for the Fourth of July and not Canada Day.

We lucked out and found a mooring ball right in Butchart Cove, so we could simply row to the dock and hop off in the gardens. The mooring is free with admission, but that's another story. Admission is outrageous. But we both have to say it was a truly spectacular garden.

Built in the 1920s on 21 acres beginning as a mansion and again another limestone quarry (but this one had Jennie Butchart in charge). Jennie transformed the sunken pits and sheer walls of the quarrying into waterfalls, hanging gardens, japanese gardens, rose garden, an italian garden, etc...

Japanese Garden path.

Very civilized catered picnics.

Cool flowers from all over the world.

The fireworks were truly fun with firework bicycles, a firework viking ship, suns and moons and firework flowers (of course). All told, we spent (I kid you not) 11 hours roaming the grounds, listening to live music, and watching fireworks. Nice nice place.

The row back to the boat in the dark in the thick firework smoke and a hundred unlit dingies all looking for their boats was a lot of fun. A bit like blindfolded bumper cars.

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We're now in Canoe Cove, near the Sidney, BC ferry terminal for some repairs. We are hoping for a speedy fix to the holding tank dilemma. Photos will follow, I'm sure.