S.V. CAMBRIA: October 2009

2010 Winter Olympics Torch Relay

Friday, October 30, 2009TheCambrians

One of the great things about the cruising life is having your home in the right place at the right time. And today was one of those days….

The Olympic Flame made its official arrival in Victoria this morning from Greece and, as part of the public ceremony, a Dragon Boat carrying several area First Nation’s chiefs and a miner’s lamp with the flame arrived dockside at the marina we’re staying at. With all of the security surrounding the event we don’t know why, but we were allowed to stand next to the gangway and watch – literally feet away from the action. After receiving permission to land from the local chief, they disembarked and walked to The Legislative Building where there was a large stage set up and the first torch was waiting. After a few welcomes and speeches by esteemed guests, including the Premier of BC and the Prime Minister of Canada, the cauldron was lit along with the first torch, and the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay began.

By this time, we had walked up to the street in front of The Empress and took our places alongside the barricades to watch the flame come past as it began its 30,000 mile-long journey across Canada. It all happened very quickly and was over in a matter of seconds, but was exciting just the same.

That night there was a big celebration on the lawns of Parliament with music, dancing, and the final appearance of the flame in Victoria. It was scheduled to arrive at 6 pm so we got there at 5 to get a good spot. And we did – front and center. It started to rain shortly afterwards and didn’t stop. By the time 8 o’clock rolled around, we were tired, soaked to the bone and cold, so we gave up our spots and started to walk back to the boat. Not ten minutes had passed when the torch finally showed up and the moment we had been waiting for was over. We did manage one last glimpse as it was carried down the street but missed the all of the excitement on stage. We weren’t too disappointed. All and all, it was an amazing day and something neither one of us ever imagined we’d have the opportunity to do – we just happened to be in the right place at the right time….

Victoria

Victoria, BC

Sunday, October 25, 2009TheCambrians

the Inside Passage Vancouver Island

Chemainus, BC

Saturday, October 24, 2009TheCambrians

the Gulf Islands

Red Sky Dawning, Sailors Take Warning

Sunday, October 18, 2009TheCambrians

We spent a week in Silva Bay waiting for several weather systems to pass through before moving on. It rained quite a bit and was cold, but we were comfortable inside Cambria with the heater going as we passed the time making plans for the upcoming winter and doing small jobs around the boat.

There’s not much happening in Silva Bay this time of year. During the summer months, it looks like an interesting place to explore by kayak and dingy but it’s not practical when the weather isn’t settled, so all of our exploration had to be done by foot.

Gabriola Island is known for its petroglyphs which date back 2000 years, so we took a walk to Degnen Bay one afternoon when it wasn’t raining to see them. According to the guide books, there are more than 50 examples sitting on the land behind a local church, but we were only able to find three or four that clearly stood out in the well-worn bedrock bringing into question the merit of the five-mile walk, especially for David who’s been struggling with a niggling back. A couple of days later, Sally and I walked to Drumgen Provincial Park to see the unique sandstone formations along the beach. It wasn’t as far, and there were plenty of well-worn trails for us to investigate – some of which afforded incredible views across the Strait of Georgia to the mainland and Coastal Mountains.

As an added surprise, the yacht Yonder, which we met the last time we were in Princess Louisa Inlet, arrived Friday night, so we stopped by to say hello. It was lovely to see Ian and Jo again and, of course, their Kiwi guests, Tui and Mark. They were kind enough to invite us aboard for a beer which we gladly accepted and had a good time chatting about where we’d all been over the past few weeks.

After one more day of pouring rain, we were finally able to up-anchor late this morning and make our way through Gabriola Passage, leaving the Strait of Georgia behind us until next year and entering the protected waters of the Gulf Islands where we hope to spend the next month or so exploring the beautiful bays and towns – weather permitting, of course.

the Gulf Islands Vancouver Island

Nanaimo, BC

Sunday, October 11, 2009TheCambrians

Cities have never been our thing. They can be noisy, dirty, full of people, and unwelcoming. But, as far as cities go, Nanaimo’s all right. In it’s favour, it has an excellent harbour with a good anchorage and a revitalized downtown full of shops, cafés, pubs, and restaurants. Along the waterfront, there’s a great walkway that spans the length of the harbour where you can take in all of the action – float planes, cruise ships, cargo ships, ferries, and personal vessels – before having lunch at one of the many pubs in the area. It’s all very civilized…for a city!

As an added bonus, there are two urban islands in the harbour that provide shelter from the Strait of Georgia and are only accessible by boat. Protection Island is developed with expensive homes and claims the Northern Hemisphere’s only floating pub – The Dinghy Dock – with incredible views and good food. Newcastle Island, on the other hand, is a provincial marine park with beautifully maintained campsites and walking trails that follow the shoreline or cut through the forested interior. The current condition of the island is amazing considering its history. Named after Newcastle in England, it was originally the summer camp for First Nations people (Canadian Indians) before the Europeans arrived. After which, it became the site of a coal mine (hence the name), a sandstone quarry (used to build the San Francisco Mint), a pulpstone quarry (giant sandstone cylinders that grind wood into pulp to make paper), a saltery, a shipyard, and a holiday resort before being turned over to the province in 1961.

All in all, we spent about a week anchored off Newcastle Island where I would take Sally for her daily walks and she would scare off the blacktailed deer or inadvertently chase raccoons up the trees. In the afternoons, we would explore the city by foot or by bus taking rides to the mall or Costco to buy provisions. And, of course, we checked the weather. The downside to Nanaimo Harbour is that it’s exposed to wind and chop from the southerly quadrant and a front is forecasted to arrive on Tuesday with conditions deteriorating tomorrow, so it’s time to leave. We’ll head down to Silva Bay on Gabriola Island (approximately 10 nautical miles south of Nanaimo) this afternoon after fueling up. According to everything we’ve read, the anchorage offers all-weather protection and should be a comfortable stop for the next week as we ride out the first Arctic storm of the season.