We arrived in Port Townsend Wednesday, hoping to land at the reciprocal dock at Boat Haven. Alas, another boat had swooped in ahead of us. No worries, they were able to accommodate us in another slip. We took a walk around town, picked up a few things at the grocery store, and settled in for the night.

Our plan was to stay two nights in Port Townsend. Nick was tracking weather/wind for the crossing to Victoria and kept coming up with competing wind forecasts. After much consideration we decided to head across the Strait of Juan de Fuca a day early. Weather was going to pick up a bit Friday, so why chance it? We departed PT early-ish Thursday morning. We followed the Schooner Adventuress for a bit, through some fog. After the usual snotty spot at the entrance to Admiralty Inlet, the water was mostly smooth and the fog slowly lifted.

We were able to tack on an additional night at the Wharf Street docks in Victoria Harbor, knowing we’d have to move after the first night. We have always stayed at the Causeway Marina (the docks directly in front of the Empress) but this is one of Canada’s long weekends (our Labor Day) and Causeway always hosts the Classic Boat Festival, so doesn’t allow reservations for this weekend.

Here are a couple of pictures of very packed Causeway docks, with wooden and classic boats tucked into every possible place to tie a boat – sometimes rafted three deep:

We took the dinghy around the boats for a look – they are so beautiful, and very impressive.

Every time we’ve boated to Victoria, we’ve walked past the Wharf Street docks and thought they are inferior. (The two marinas are practically side-by-side, with the floatplane airport and the floating spa in between.) It’s actually quite nice here, so maybe the jury is out on this one. The staff have been very helpful, the view is good, and it’s possibly a little easier to get in and out of the linear docks.

What a busy place! Seaplanes (Harbour Air and Kenmore) are in and out all day. I really like them except for the smell. Sometimes it gets a little loud. (I’ve stated this many times when we’ve docked next door to the seaplane dock in Ganges.) Nick is not so thrilled. The Pickle boat ferries, working ships headed in and out of the inlet, tall ships doing tours, and so many whale watching vessels. Not to mention the Victoria Clipper and Coho ferries. The Coho seems to take up the entire harbor when it backs out.

Friday, we scoped out our favorite ramen restaurant, Ghost, only to find it closed. Soon to reopen as a different ramen place. We got the bikes out to visit Arashi Ramen instead. We’ve known about this place for a while – it is highly rated but a bit away from downtown. It also came highly recommended from a woman at Opus Art Supplies, where I went for water color brushes (more about this another time). Nick’s ramen was okay; mine was fantastic – a seasonal seafood special.

We rode through some really nice neighborhoods, like Ferndale, picked up a few things from Thrifty Foods and Canadian Tire, and grabbed dinner at Irish Times.

Yesterday, we had a leisurely morning aboard, mainly to be around for the Pickle boat ballet – what a delightful thing they do! I was trying to watch and film at the same time, so my videos were actually stills. Look it up online if you want the full effect, including the music blasted over the harbor.

There is a yacht club group here and while we were waiting for the boat ballet, they were setting up for breakfast on the dock. They had a big pot on the boil and we couldn’t figure out what they were up to. Apparently, you can put eggs and other ingredients into plastic bags and drop them in boiling water for individualized scrambles. Huh.

We rode bikes again, out to Esquimalt and toward Portage Inlet. The bikes paths around here are great!

While not very clear, these photos are the closest I’ve ever gotten of one of my favorite birds, the belted kingfisher. (As long as one isn’t in my living room!) These are both female. The beady eyes are quite comical.