Summer Cruise Day 14 - Home Again!

We woke up at 4:00am so we could get an early start back to Everett. The currents were going to work against us but the Strait of Juan de Fuca was like glass. We headed out and were blessed with a beautiful sunrise.

Summer Cruise Day 13 - Victoria

This morning Bob and I got up at 7:00 to beat the heat and went for our run. We found a wonderful path that runs along the waterfront and is very level so it worked well for us. We enjoyed the quiet and lovely scenery before all the tourists were out and about.

At 10:45 the water taxis performed their "world famous" taxi ballet. It was fun to watch them do their maneuvers to music and to see all the people lined up to watch.

After the show we went with Jack, Moon, Al and Sue to wander the streets and look in the shops. Several of us found clothing items at the Tilly and clothing stores.  There are a lot of street performers in the tourist area but our favorite was a group of kids and their teacher who were part of a "Summer Fiddler Camp". These kids were great! We enjoyed watching them perform and put money in their donation box. The kids were having so much fun being the center of attention and some just couldn't stop smiling!

When we got back to the boat we had a small lunch and then spent the afternoon on the boats and visiting. Victoria is a beautiful city with all the old businesses and is very picturesque.

Our day ended with dinner at Pagliacci's restaurant. They didn't take resevations and are very popular so we went for an early dinner at 4:00. The food was fantastic and we all left feeling really good about our dinner choice. It was a wonderful chance to be together for our last night before we head back home.

Summer Cruise Day 12 - Victoria

We left Mill Bay at 8:00 this morning planning to arrive in Victoria about 12:30. The current was pushing us so we had to slow down to idle speed to avoid getting here at 11:30. Check in wasn't until 1:00.  Saved us lots of fuel, though!

Along the way we noticed a small barge with an outboard motor on it. It appeared to be a boat house that was being constructed and moved to its future site.

As we approached Victoria I noticed one of the large BC ferries that was loading. It was amazing to me to see how small the cars look as they drive onto the car. It just illustrates how huge these ferries are.

As we pulled into the Victoria harbor I got a few photos of the waterfront buildings. It is a very fun city with lots of activity. The marine traffic was crazy as water taxis, sea planes, ferries and pleasure boaters moved in and out of the harbor.

We even saw a First Nations canoe coming into the harbor.

We decided that for lunch we had to check out Red Fish Blue Fish down on the waterfront for fish and chips. It is a very popular place and the restaurant works out of an old container that has been converted. The wait is always an hour long! We got our fish and chips and took them back to the boat to enjoy.

This evening we decided to just have appetizers together since we were so full from lunch. We gathered on Jack and Moon's boat for a couple of hours then enjoyed brownies and ice cream for dessert. Thank you, Sue and Cheryl for the desserts!

Summer Cruise Day 11 - Mill Bay

We started off this morning with our run and the running app surprised us by changing mid-week. We thought we were doing three five minute runs but it turned out to be two eight minute runs. That worked out well, though, because we did it!

When we got back to the boat, showered and ready to start our day we were asked by the marina staff if we minded moving our boat. The people who normally use the slip were returning early and needed it back. We were happy to oblige and really like where we are. Before we were a little way away from our friends. Now we are across the dock from two of our boats and right next to the tables and awning. Perfect!

After we got the boat moved most of us walked up the hill to Tim Horton's. I had never heard of them but apparently they are a popular Canadian restaurant. It was sort of a cross between a Starbucks and a McDonalds. They had great coffee as well as a nice assortment of donuts, pastries and muffins. We had a nice time visiting and enjoying our "breakfast" before heading back to the boats. The shopping center just up the hill from the marina is really nice. They have every kind of store or medical facility you might need on a day to day basis.

This afternoon Sue and Virginia rented paddle boards for an hour and paddled around the marina. They had a great time and said they definitely felt like they had a good workout.

I caught this picture from the parking lot above the marina. I just wish the daisies were not so wilted. It was a pretty view from that angle.

For dinner we went to Bridgeman's at the marina. The food was excellent and we all left quite full. Bob did suggest he and I walk up to McDonald's for an M&M McFlurry, though. Somehow we found room for that. As soon as we get home it will be time for diets!

When we returned from McDonald's we found everyone at the tables play a game of Blitz so we joined in on that and had a lot of fun and laughs. We ended about 10:00pm and then all headed off to our boats to prepare for our departure in the morning.

Summer Cruise Day 10 - Mill Bay

This morning we went for another hike up the hillside but this time we went all the way to the top of the trail. It was a beautiful view and we all did well. It was pretty steep so it was a little difficult coming back down but we had no problems.

On our way to Mill Bay we spotted a huge freighter that was anchored. Bob pointed out where they store their life boat. He said they are launched from that height so we were speculating on what a ride that would be if you had to abandon ship!

After we arrived in Mill Bay we walked up to the grocery store and stocked up on fresh fruit and vegetables for the remainder of our trip. We scoped out where we might run tomorrow and were pleased to see the road along the waterfront is fairly level.

This afternoon Jack came and got Bob to check out the five guys on jet skis. It is a tour group who are running from Prince Rupert, BC to Seattle. They do it in 6 days then another group comes in and does it the other direction all summer long. They also do runs from Prince Rupert up to Glacier Bay.

Tonight we ate dinner on our boats and then gathered at some picnic tables by New Era and Eight Bells for my "famous" apple pie.  Of course we had to bring out the ice cream to go with it. When we arrived, the marina staff told us since we were five boats they would move the tables and awning over by our boats so we would have a nice place to gather!

Summer Cruise Day 9 - Genoa Bay

This morning Bob and I went for our week 7 run. We had to run three five minute stretches with 3 minutes between. It was tough! The only place to run was on the main road which was a series of hills. We made it through but we were very glad when we were done.

Once everyone was up and about we took a walk up the hill to the first lookout. It was quite a hike and we were worn out when we got back but it felt good to get out and moving. There is a higher lookout about another 15 minutes up from where we were that we decided not to check out.

After our hike we gathered at the Genoa Cafe and had a wonderful lunch. We remembered the food was good there last year but they had changed the menu around. We all enjoyed what we ordered and had a great time visiting.

All five girls decided to do some kayaking this evening but it got a little rough. We had a good time but four of us came back in after awhile. I had my camera with me and didn't want to risk getting it ruined.

Last night we all gathered after dinner to have more ice cream!

Summer Cruise Day 8 - Genoa Bay

We are planning to leave Tod Inlet about 11:00 so Cheryl, Sue, Virginia and I took our kayaks out for one last time. We saw a couple of "critters" while we were out that surprised us. Cheryl was just paddling along the shoreline and heard a funny breathing sound. Suddenly she realized she had paddled up right alongside a sleeping (?) seal. He lazily woke up and rolled over before quietly swimming away from us. It took me a minute to grab my camera but we did get a picture of him.

 We also saw a raccoon up on the beach. Surprisingly, he was not afraid of us at all and continued to watch us as I took pictures.

We saw some Canadian geese and some other kind of bird on the shore but I'm not sure what it was. The water was packed with jelly fish and we saw quite a few starfish.  Most of the jelly fish were small ones but we saw two that were huge. One was probably 14" wide and his tentacles were 3-4 feet long. It was fascinating to watch.

We pulled up our anchors, wound up the stern ties and headed over to Genoa Bay. As we were leaving Brentwood Bay which is the exit from Tod Inlet we looked at all the derelict boats. We noticed that one had what looked like a greenhouse over it. Sure enough, he had a nice marijuana grow operation on it!

We were given dock space on one long dock so we were able to all be together. This evening we decided to have heavy appetizers on the dock so since the weather turned bad with a heavy rain squall we decided to use the covered patio provided by the marina. They even had propane heaters which helped a lot. We had a great time visiting and then retired to our boats.