Photo: Fire dancing in Ucluelet harbor

Sept 1. Labor Day. Tofino to Ucluelet, Barkley Sound (48 56.9N, 125 33.0W)

The weather radio predicts northwest winds in the morning, turning to south in the afternoon. We decide to leave early to catch the wind but motor all the way against a light southerly, Osprey pitching and rolling in sloppy seas left over from an offshore storm. We arrive at Ucluelet just after noon and tie up at the boat basin where we find plenty of room. We spend the afternoon enjoying the relative peace of Ucluelet after the hustle and bustle of Tofino. We're enjoying a cup of coffee and reading the local paper, The Westerly, on the outdoor deck of the Wild Heather Bookstore when Steve notices and article announcing fireworks that night in celebration of Labor Day. The article notes that the fireworks can be an opportunity to light off expired flares and gives a number to call if we have any flares to donate. We have a whole box on Osprey (we're required to buy new ones every few years but the law provides no opportunity to dispose of the old ones.) Steve calls the number and later that afternoon a man named Clive comes to our boat to pick up the flares. "Why don't you come along with us and send them off yourselves?" he suggests.

At 8 pm we board an old wooden motor yacht named "Trim" along with Clive, his wife Patricia, Walter a fireworks aficionado, a fire dancer named Heather, and two dogs. The plan is to shoot fireworks from the stern, flares from the bow, and do fire dancing on top of the cabin roof. This makes us nervous enough to keep our lifejackets on so we can abandon ship if necessary. Clive assures us that he has a permit from the town and has cleared this with the Coast Guard and the RCMP.

Clive motors the Trim out of the boat basin and anchors in Ucluelet Harbor off the Whiskey Dock (so named because of its nearness to the liquor store). A crowd has already gathered on the Whisky Dock. Walter starts lighting fireworks and we hurry to light off our flares as Heather starts twirling flaming batons on the roof. The flares go higher and make more noise than the fireworks. After we've shot a few flares, we get a visit from the local Coast Guard boat. They know nothing of any permit and tell us to stop the flares although Clive insists it was the Coast Guard who suggested the flares. From the boat we can see the RCMP on the dock and they don't look too happy either.

The next day Clive tells us that the Coast Guard admitted that the day shift had forgotten to tell the night shift about the flares. I'm amazed that none of the officials Clive talked to told him to call the Coast Guard when he started the fireworks.