Back in the USA

[Orvil Newton]

After cruising in the Canadian Gulf Islands off the east coast of Vancouver Island for a week we are back in Friday Harbor. Our wanderings took us to Bedwell Harbor on South Pender Island to check in with Canadian customs, then to Port Browning on North Pender for the 10th Annual Pacific Northwest VEGAtarian Rendezvous; as usual, a great group and four days of very good times with old
friends and new. From Port Browning we
motored in company with dear friends Jim and Gloria Elder, SV Wren, V1868, to
the sparkling, modern marina at Port Sidney, BC for two nights and a fuel stop,
then on to the beautiful and bustling port at Victoria where we secured mooring
directly in front of the classic Empress Hotel in the center of the waterfront
action.

In Victoria, we found excellent Rueben sandwiches and beer (The only decent beer I had in Canada) at The Sticky Wicket and enjoyed one of the best Italian meals we have ever had at Pagliacci’s.
We spent a day wandering around the natural history museum and an
evening walking among the tourists, watching the street performers and vendors
along the waterfront, all within easy walking distance of our moorings among
the water taxis and excursion boats.

After consulting the tide and current tables we left Wren and crew and departed Victoria for Friday Harbor at eleven AM. With a little boost from the current we made
the trip in seven and a half hours, arriving at Cattle Pass
just before slack water, allowing us to transit this tricky passage easily.

With a weather front moving in, we plan to stay in port for a few days during which we intend to accept the invitation to a dinner of lamb curry extended to us at the Rendezvous by Bear
and Mitzi Johnson (Ex- SV City Zoo).
Friends Dave and Megan, whom we first met while their boat, SV Mystery,
was tied up next to us on the transient dock in Honolulu, also live on San Juan
Island and I intend to take Dave up on his offer to let me use his workshop to
do a little work on the boat before heading back to Seattle to have the valves
adjusted on our freshly rebuilt engine.
With a little luck, we will have a north wind and be able to sail.

You can read our detailed logbook entries for this trip as well as Laura's blog entries at CruisingLealea.com

Video coming soon.