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.

Summer Cruise Day 7 - Tod Inlet

Our first night anchored went well. Each boat took at least one shift during the night to check on things but it was calm, our anchors held and all went well!

One thing about being anchored is that every day is a lazy day. We didn't do much in the mornng but then for lunch we took two dinghies and went over to Brentwood Bay where we had lunch at the Brentwood Pub. The food was great and it was nice to get off the boats and go somewhere. Larry and Cheryl did not join us but stayed and kept an eye on the rafted boats.

When we got back we went for a walk with Larry and Cheryl. There is one sandy beach down around from where we anchored. It was very popular with the families that were boating in the area. It is one entrance to the Gowlland Tod Provincial Park. From there we found a few trails that ran along the back side of Butchart Gardens. They weren't long but I would guess we got in close to a mile of walking.There were a few old ruins along the way that are left over from the days when the cement plant was operational back in the early 1900s.

Sue got a picture of an interesting sun phenomenon that I had never seen before. It was a circular rainbow around the sun. I guess they are fairly common and are called sun halos. They occur when sunlight passes through ice crystals in cirrus clouds within the earth's atmosphere.

I did some kayaking with Sue and Virginia in the evening and we paddled over to where boaters enter to see Butchart Gardens. There were lots of jelly fish and we had a lovely and serene time on the water.

Summer Cruise Day 6 - Todd Inlet

Bob and I went for our run this morning along the waterfront and into town before leaving Sidney. It was a beautiful view and we managed to get our run into between rain squalls.

After returning to the marina we prepared our boat for departure. We left Sidney at 10:00am and cruised to Todd Inlet which is just around the corner from Butchart Gardens.

Once we arrived in Todd Inlet we set about trying to get all five boats anchored, side-tied and a couple of stern lines tied to the shore. It took awhile because of the wind and current but we got it done and are securely set so we should be good for the next three days. Our plan is to have each boat wake up one time during the night to make sure everything is secure.

This afternoon we saw a large group of dinghies rafted together and running down the channel. They were from the Roche Harbor Yacht Club and were having a great time. We later ran our dinghy to where they are anchored and counted 15 boats together.

While we were sitting in the cockpit Bob noticed some deer walking along a trail in the woods. Later, some Canadian Geese came by and Mike and Virginia's dog, Jenna, was quite intrigued with them.

This is a beautiful little cove and it is obviously a favorite for many boaters. Even though there are a lot of boats in here we still felt like we were in our own little world.