VICTORIA, CANADA

We had a very enjoyable, although somewhat chilly, day cruising from Orcas Island to Victoria. A leisurely pace was maintained all day, so it took about 7 hours from leaving one dock to tying up at another. This did, however, include stopping at the Customs Dock and checking in to Canada.

Temperatures have been cool ever since we left Tacoma, getting down into the low 40s (F) last night. I thought that the down comforter we had onboard was going to be too much, but it sure felt good early this morning. We have even turned the heater on when we first get up to take the chill off of the boat. High temperatures have been in the upper 50s to low 60s - tolerable temperatures if you are walking around town, but pretty cool on the water. We really enjoy the pilot house on our boat and being able to be nice and warm out of the weather but still have a great 360 degree view around us.

Yesterday afternoon we strategized on how we were going to watch the Warriors-Cavaliers game since there was no TV reception and the internet connection was not very good in the marina. The Cafe/Bar at the top of the dock closed at 3 PM, but before they left I asked if their wi-fi would still be on and if they would mind us sitting on their patio to watch the game at 5 PM, streamed on my computer. They said "Fine," so we went up there when the game started, plugged in the computer and started watching the game. About halfway through the first quarter, the manager, who had been working in his office, came out and offered to turn on their outdoor TV for us. Not only that, but he poured us a couple of beers and turned on one of their outdoor heaters for us to sit under. A nice way to watch the Warriors cream Cleveland!

There was very little wind today and a lot of sunshine. A few wispy clouds were in the sky but the sun, which rose about 5 AM, stayed out all day and is just now, at 10 PM, disappearing. The water was very smooth, even in Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca - both areas that have a well-deserved reputation of making boaters uncomfortable.

After clearing Customs, we called the Harbour Authority (Canada, eh?) to get a docking assignment. Luckily we are early in the cruising season and things are not too crowded in Victoria Harbour so we got assigned a slip right in front of the Empress Hotel - pretty nice view out our pilothouse windows!

We plan on being here a couple of days checking out the museums and soaking in the culture (we already soaked in a few pints at the nearby pub)...