SJI Summer Days 62 - 67, Into Canada

Even though I call this the San Juan Island Summer, we have departed the SJI’s for destinations in Canada.

But first, a recap of the last week in Roche Harbor, San Juan Island. As planned, we spent time Tuesday on chores, mainly cleaning the boat and doing laundry.  Most boats attending the Rendezvous arrived on Tuesday and Wednesday…the last count I heard was 220 boats, and over 450 people.

Guest dock at Roche Harbor from party lawn

We were able to catch up with people we’ve met on other cruises, as well as the Ranger Tugs staff, and we met lots of new folks. We rode bikes to Lime Kilm (no whales), dropped the crab pot, and went kayaking with the Z’s. We enjoyed several happy hours and dinners provided by the event, and basically had a great time hanging out.

Keeping crabs alive until lunch!

Steve, Gus, & Jeanie (and my finger as I held onto Steve's phone with a vice-like grip!)

A visit to the shark buoy in Roche Harbor

Chilling on Europa's bow

We finally caught up with the couple who have our prior boat. It was fun to talk with them about their experiences. And guess what they did at the Rendezvous? Yep, they bought a 29!

We got an early start yesterday, arriving in Victoria by lunchtime. (Yummy pirogi!) Clearing customs was a breeze – no other boats at the dock, and a friendly Canadian on the phone. We are docked at Causeway Floats, right smack in front of the Empress Hotel. We’ve been here before and it really is a great spot. We’ve got some shopping to do and a couple of bars and restaurants we want to visit over the next day or two. We plan to head to Sidney next, and then to Tod Inlet to visit Buchart Gardens before we head up into the smaller islands.