Cruising in a Foreign Country...but Not Foreign Waters

On Monday, May 12th, Greywolf and Crew cleared Canadian Customs at Port Sidney: “the easiest Customs clearing ever”, according to the skipper.  And he would know. We made plans with friends Don and Carol for a play date for “The Girls” the following afternoon and dinner with The People in the evening.  

Bainbridge Island could take a few lessons from Sidney about parks 

that allow dogs off-leash.

Thank goodness he is guarding the Port.....

  I’m sure this is the front because of the sign....
that I neglected to photograph.

This lady is is obviously heading out at a right smart clip.  
Allie wanted to hire her for dog walkies.

Taking a break from shopping for a doggie toys and a new dog bed. 

In addition to the wonderful art, Sidney has great pet stores.

Allie isn’t usually this friendly with cats.

  Float planes are the vehicle of choice for many people in Ganges on
 Salt Spring Island, our Wednesday stop.  They taxied past 
our galley window all afternoon.

 One of the many “vintage” vessels anchored in 
Ganges Harbor. Like many of us, they often look better 
 from a distance.

Looking toward the Straits of Georgia through Porlier Pass, from 
Trincomali Channel, headed for Gabriola Pass.  Trincomali is a lovely 
name, eh? ’Tis among my favorites. I had to include it in the blog, 
although only three people reading this have any idea of where it is.

Mainland BC from  the Straits of Georgia; we had both the 
wind and the tide with us.
Yahoo!

For those of you who have followed the blog, you’ve been here before: 

 Madeira Park in Pender Harbor, 

Greywolf’s home for the next two days.

Boat names we liked,  

thought were unfortunate,

or found downright surprising.

Doug wouldn’t let me take her with us.

Dusk.  Headed home.

This radio controlled plane was doing stunts over the school playground 
as we walked to the store.  We asked his owner if he had others.
“Twenty-five.”
“Do they ever crash?”
“Until last Sunday, I had twenty-six.”
Ouch.

Teacher Jean only had one student on this day....

What ARE these?  Are they actually butterfly nets? 
 I saw a lady carrying one in Sidney. 
 I saw them at the Save-on-Foods in Sidney.  
I saw them in the IGA at Madeira Park.  
Good price: $1.49  
Are there really that many butterflies in coastal BC???

More air traffic.  This group arrived for a wedding at The Painted Boat,
 a lovely resort on one of the many bays in Pender Harbor.

Pender Harbor has over 60 kilometers of beachfront, although it is only five kilometers long. (You don’t have to speak metric to understand the ratio.) The First Nations people had a large settlement in Garden Bay before the Europeans arrived, where an estimated 5,000 people lived in the wintertime.  In the spring, when marauding bands descended from the north looking for slaves, the people relocated in summer villages in Jervis, Salmon, and Marrow inlets to fish.

Today the population fluctuation on the Sunshine Coast is the opposite: it swells in the summer with an influx of tourists and people from Vancouver who have built lovely homes on the rocky shores and it declines in the winter.  I guess the bands looking for slaves have gone elsewhere.

We planned to leave on Friday morning, but the frothy water caused by a 20 knot southerly and an opposing 12-foot tide in Malaspina Stait sent Greywolf scurrying back to the dock.  

Saturday morning brought kids and parents out for a fishing derby for the
community May Day Celebration.  The last Saturday in April is April Tools Day.  
The Rona Hardware store delivers wood and tools to registered teams of
four to six people who have two hours to build a boat.  The boats are then 
launched and The Race Begins.  There are several rescue boats on hand.
This community knows how to have a good time.

Prizes to be awarded to many happy fishers!

Wind and tide did not allow us to stay for the parade.

This little girl is Lola.  Her dad said she’d never been around so many

 people before, since they were from a small town.  

We thought Madeira Park was a small town.  

Maybe even a village. 

“Where are you from?”
 “Eggmont.”

Ah, yes.  That would qualify.

We first met the skipper of this vessel in 2007.  He and his wife built the 
boat many years ago and boat is named for her.  Good-natured and 
out-going, he is still enjoying his life on the water, although he now is alone.

“High Bank Waterfront” on Malaspina Strait.

Heading North