Victoria

We had two nights at Pender Harbour. Dean and Peter went ashore to fill our gas cylinders then Dean and I went ashore to get a few supplies. When we left we were headed for Victoria however we couldn’t get there in one day so we stayed at Otter Bay on North Pender Island. Our journey there was really lovely. I mean it looks like someone up in heaven has pulled out their water colours and added this snow capped mountain just for us!

A pair of orcas swam past us, it looked like a large male with a mate. The water was so calm the sound of them taking a breath travelled to us and we could hear them clearly. They were well past when they both suddenly took a deep dive, and we never spotted them again despite the large expanse of flat water around us.

It was dusk as we were approaching Pender island, and the seals were having crazy hour. Truly these guys are the clowns of the ocean. I am not sure if they were feeding or just playing, but they were barking and jumping in the air, and generally looked as if they were having a ball.

Approaching Otter Bay and dropping anchor was an exercise in dodging ferries. They were all over the place. We followed one in then slipped past as it was docking. By the time we had scoped out the anchorage and was dropping anchor it was already leaving for its next destination. Because we’d pushed on so far it was only a pleasant short hop to Victoria the next day.

Entering Victoria harbour is a bit of a novelty. There are two sea plane run ways with planes seemingly landing or taking off every few minutes. For small boats entering there are a line of yellow buoys that effectively mark one way lanes for you to use to create a semblance of order and keep you out of the way of planes and ferries as much as possible.

To be staying in the middle of Victoria at Wharf Street marina was wonderful. The toilet/shower/laundry is a hike, but to be able to step off the boat and be in the middle of everything was fantastic.

The entertainment started before we even left the boat. First these water taxis are zipping all over the place taking tourists from one part of the harbour to the next. They look terribly unstable but were very cute.

The sea plane dock was directly in front of us so we got to watch the sea planes taxiing out of the harbour to their runway. In the photo below RTP is on the dock, a tiny water taxi has just gone past and a sea plane is coming in to dock. It all sounds very busy but it is only during daylight, so we didn’t find it disruptive at all.

Walking around the streets had its own entertainment. There was a path for pedestrians. A lovely two way bike lane that was well used by riders. Then of course the road for cars. As we were out walking we did see this funny sight. This group were on a Pub Crawl. The people sitting on the outside are all peddling. Someone in there must be steering, and hopefully stays sober. They were having a grand old time by the sound of them, and there sure are plenty of pubs to visit in Victoria.

Victoria is really beautiful. I remember from my last visit the beautiful gardens and flowers. This early in spring there are still many bare branches, but the glimpses we had showed the promise of what is to come.

There are also numerous beautiful buildings. Parliament house, in its baroque style, is a stand out, coming into operation in 1898.

At night it is even prettier, lit up with fairy lights that we could see from our boat.

By walking, we also got to see some of the local sea life. We saw this otter chowing into a crab down on the rocks as we walked along the foreshore. He wasn’t phased by us at all. When he had finished his meal and went back into the water, the surrounding sea gulls had the usual squabble over who would get the leftovers.

There were also lots of geese about. While there were probably more pleasant views, this one made me laugh!

It was an easy walk to Fishermans Wharf. This is a lovely destination, walking distance from downtown, to explore. It is made up of float homes and businesses. There are private homes, restaurants, BnB’s as well as fishing and pleasure boats.

We had a lovely lunch at a restaurant there. You can see from our photo we are right amongst the houses, and if you look carefully a water taxi is coming in behind us.

After lunch we went for a walk towards the fishing boats. The were a couple of harbour seals and an otter swimming about, unconcerned by the people walking along the jetty. Clearly habituated, I suspect these fellas have been thrown a few snippets over time, or at least got a share of the fisherman’s haul.

We couldn’t resist catching a water taxi back to the boat, just for the experience. They come so frequently you don’t need to wait more than a few minutes for a ride. They look quite small but comfortably hold about 8 people at each end, with the driver at a wheel in the centre. Come share our experience.

Click to view

Dean and I needed to find somewhere to book for dinner with our friends we were meeting that night so we went for a bit of a reconnaissance. After we found our restaurant we continued to walk over the lifting bridge at one end of the harbour. Once we walked over there was a nice viewing area with the comfy Canadian chairs you see all over the place, so we took a seat and soaked up some rays and also the view overlooking the city.

In the photo below you can see RTP on the visitors wharf, beautiful Parliament house behind and a magnificent back drop of snow capped mountains. It was truly a stunning view.

It was a lovely dinner, but a sad farewell to our friends who we have sailed with through Canada, as we finally go our separate ways. But that is the nature of cruising.

And that is the conclusion of our time in Canada. Tomorrow we are heading back to the United States of America!