Polar Mist is tied to the causeway floats in Victoria's inner harbor. We're right in front of the Empress Hotel and the British Columbia Parliament buildings. It's a busy place with constant boat traffic, water taxis, harbor tours on the water behind us and hundreds of people moving on the causeway and streets around us. Street venders, musicians, jugglers and miscellaneous other noisemakers are active pretty much around the clock. It's quite a contrast to the peaceful solitude we had in most of our anchorages on the outer coast of Vancouver Island, but we're enjoying the activity. (Would somebody tell the lady in the green velvet dress playing the French horn to please move further away from our slip?)

Since our last post, we visited several more anchorages in the Broken Group in Barkley Sound. We enjoyed overnighting in the small town of Bamfield--there was constant boat traffic there, but when we rowed around the corner, we saw three different black bears feeding on the beach. Port Renfrew was a nice stop on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and we eased back into civilization in the town of Sooke. We finally ate all the fish we caught and were able to move on to bachelor delicacies like "Frito Bake" and bean burritos. The blackberries are ripe and we've been enjoying them as well.

Victoria completes our circumnavigation of Vancouver Island. We've put 1159 nautical miles on the log since leaving Seattle on June 26. Rick will be leaving the boat in a day or two, heading for some time at home in Sitka. John and Karen will do some more cruising in the Gulf and San Juan Islands before taking the boat back to Salmon Bay in Seattle later this fall. We think we've fixed everything on the boat--John and Karen can see what else quits working when they get back out on the water!

All is well aboard Polar Mist!

Humbly submitted,

Capt. Rick