day 31 – Sooke to Victoria (Lo48°24.7N’L123°27.8’W)

Our sleep on the calm waters of Sooke Harbour was peaceful. That is, until about 06:00 (that’s A.M.), when the fishing boats started leaving the harbour. The first time that it woke me up, I thought a storm had blown up and the winds were rocking the boat. But no, it was just a series of impatient fisherfolk, rushing to get out to sea so they could stop and drop their hooks, not caring in the slightest that the sailboats anchored at the mouth of the inlet were being rocked violently out of sleep by their wake. So rude. We decided it was best to just get up and go rather than try to continue to sleep through it, and we had the anchor up before our coffee was finished brewing.

A gloriously calm, sunny day at sea had its typical hypnotic effect. We motored out of Juan de Fuca Strait, hit our southernmost point at Race Rocks, then started heading north again into Victoria Harbour. As we rolled into the downtown about noon, the sun was bright and uninhibited. We headed for the government docks at the Empress Hotel, and landed ourselves on the most skookum spot in the harbour – in front of the grand hotel, on the last finger on the dock before the parliament buildings. A sunny afternoon to enjoy the harbour, wander around, and feel the culture shock of being back in the big city (complete with traffic lights and cement trucks and such).

Our friends Pete and Sonya and their little tyke Des, who live in Victoria, dropped by the boat after work, and we walked down to Red Fish Blue Fish for some fabulous fish tacones. Showers and laundry enjoyed, we are all clean and set for the next leg of the journey – the Gulf Islands. But tonight we sleep in the centre of the capital city, tied securely to a dock and hooked up to shore power.