24Apr10 Nanaimo Greeting

We pulled out of Montague in mid-morning to hit a 13:39 slack time at Dodd Narrows, which given it was at high water was an easy ride. So far I haven't given Peter anything to write home about in regards to rapids, and with good planning, I hope to never to that. As usual, the fearsome tidal rapids are little more than narrow lakes when you time then right.

Not many pleasure boats out this early in the season, even on a Saturday.

We were met at the dock in Nanaimo my Ian and Mary Howat who have a Nordhavn 40. Ian is the Director of Legislative Services for the city of Nanaimo and he and Mary are enthusiastic cruisers. They made us feel especially welcome in Nanaimo and graciously offered to drive us to the best liquor store and then shared dinner with us at Modern Cafe, a laid back cafe with excellent food. Ian describes Nanaimo as a city in its �"adolescence�", and that seems to be an excellent term for the vibrant but still maturing and growing community of Nanaimo. If the rest of the residents are as warm and welcoming as Ian and Mary, then we're sure to return more frequently to enjoy both the growing town and the wonderful hospitality.