Surrounded by Bucaneers

I wrote the other day about our friend buying a 24' Bucaneer sailboat from SALTS, and today another friend bought an almost identical one from a fellow who had it moored at the Oak Bay Marina. He'll be bringing it in to our marina before the end of November, so we'll have both of them here. What great little boats they are!

Yesterday there was a huge skulling race in the Upper Harbour - something like 1600 competitors from right across Canada! It was fun to watch, but I didn't have my camera with me!

Driving by Ships Point today, I noticed that After Eight -- the Wheaton's boat -- is in the harbour.

Happy Hallowe'en!

Do you believe in miracles?

I'm not sure if I do, either, but someone I care about needs one really badly right now! This person is dying of the cancer he was diagnosed with about the time he 'cashed out,' bought a sailboat, and started making plans to cruise around the world. He never even got a chance to get the sails up, not once!

Now his family and friends, Michael and I included, want to get his sailboat towed (the motor has been re-built but not installed) from Victoria to Comox, where his family is determined to get him aboard, get the boat outside the Spit, and GET THOSE SAILS UP ... even if he dies on the way back to the harbour, he WILL have been on his boat under sail.

This project is going to take time, money, energy, and another large boat to do the tow ... we have 'some' time, money and energy, and we're looking for more of all of the above to pull this off some time in the first week of November.

If you think you can help in any way,and you believe in miracles, email me!

SALTS Society

Our friend just bought a 24' Buccaneer sailboat from the Sail and Life Training Society - otherwise known as SALTS, here in Victoria, so we went over to the SALTS yard to take a look at it the other day. I finally got to meet Martin and Margaret, the driving force behind the place - even though I've been talking the place up for years! They are amazing people, and SALTS is really an amazing organization!

The "Bridges" Race

Over the weekend, Michael and I spent most of the daylight hours in our trusty Achilles (the dinghy!) being a safety boat for the Ocean River Kayaks "Bridges" Race. This is the second year we've done it, and it's lots of fun to be on the water. Some races go up the Gorge (the "inny" races) and some go out to the buoy off Ogden Point (the "outtie" race) - there's kayaks and outriggers, and the participants range from kids to oldsters. It was a perfect day - not cold, no wind, and calm waters! Only saw one kayak go over, and it was because he got 'crammed' into the supports under the Johnson Street bridge and had nowhere to go. (I spoke with Brian Henry, ORS owner, after the race, and he said the guy got back in his kayak and it was like the spill 'lit a fire' under him - apparently he burned through the rest of the race, and was one of the first ones back to the finish!

Anyway, it was fun to be on the water, and fun to watch this race!

Dinner on the Harbour

Well, I am once again going to commit to keeping up this blog -- it's HARD to write about a life we're so busy LIVING!

Tonight we had dinner at one of Victoria's newest restaurants - and, surprisingly, one of the few waterfront ones. It's called the Queen Mother Waterside Cafe and the food, the ambience, and the service are ALL amazing!

The days are getting shorter, and we have to have the heater on all night now ... . We haven't had a dinghy picnic for days, and the last time we went out, I was glad I had a fleece blanket to wrap up in!