An early morning in Madeira Park gave way to some treasures. A deer was nibbling on local plants and didn’t shy from humans. Beautiful butterfly bushes were the colour of the starfish that were glistening in the morning sunlight. They had been washed up on the beach by the ever changing tides. Oysters too were plentiful although signs indicated it was not safe to eat them. They were too close to the marina. Oysters clean the water around them as they filter in nutrients. 

We were off the docks at 8am on the 60 nautical mile journey. It was a long but beautiful run with calm seas and brilliant sunshine. We travelled along the Salish Sea, past Merry Island lighthouse on our way to the artistic community of Salt Spring Island. 

A tugboat pulled a cargo barge a few miles from our group. The speed was faster than most thought. Little cars were perched on top of the freight containers. An orange dinghy with a whale flag was in the distance. As we got closer, Captain Tim radioed and sure enough there were whales in the area. We set engines to neutral as two whales were very close. The whale flag is flown by any boat to indicate that there are whales in the area and to slow down and be cautious.  

With the snow-capped Mount Baker in the distance, we passed through a tide line where the water turned from dark blue to a muddy green blue colour. This was likely from the water running out of the Fraser River. 

A BC Ferry was working hard, crossing our path as we all stayed clear; they move at a fast pace. Before we knew it we were pulling into Ganges marina. Staff helped us tie all the boats and most went off into town. A quaint spot with local artists and artisans and a few restaurants. Salt is a local clothing boutique selling organic cotton attire made in BC. We all enjoyed our day and evening in town. Salt Spring Island has a local arts and a outdoor lifestyle vibe that we all appreciated.