Beautiful Genoa Bay!

After a big wind up to Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island, we decided to put in to Genoa Bay -- somewhat more protected. We "danced" with a triamaran who couldn't get his anchor set correctly so we did the fender dance while the winds still shifting. He finally tied to a mooring buoy and we felt safe enough to go to the dock for a lookaround and a walk.
This huge tree is just up the road from the Marina. Dad looks pretty small compared to the trunk of the tree! This is a great place and would be quite a lovely spot to live.

Some boats take no chances anchoring! This guy macramed himself to the buoy! The windy night kept the skipper busy as many boats drag anchor. A cappella, and her new anchor, stay put despite the will-a-waws!

Sunday morning brings us no wind and a stellar day -- we dinghy over to the dock for email and lunch at the well recommended restaurant.

The restaurant at Genoa Bay.

After lunch today, we'll try Cowichan Bay again. It's reported to be a "funky" marina and lots of unique shops in town.

Sidney - Friday Morning.

We leave Garrison Bay on another bright sunshiny day and wend our way north to customs at Port Sidney on Vancouver Island.
A good walkabout town shows the amazing changes even since we were last here. This is the building named 'The Sidney Cannery' which stands on the same block as the old cannery did which was (for you Tomkinson children) owned and operated by Colin Caird Cochran and George Anderson Cochran (Colin being your 2nd great uncle, George being your Great Grandfather.

Richard finds someone he remembers from visiting Sidney as a tot -- she's rather a permanent fixture! He is no doubt pointing to a painting in her book and telling her all about it.....

We are leaving Sidney today (Saturday) and heading out to Cowichan Bay and perhaps Maple Bay. Our thoughts are that we will also visit Princess Margaret's Island before heading south again.

English Camp Part 4 - Leaving

The history of English Camp at the park entrance.

The gorgeously gnarled bark of the Gary Oaks.

An Osprey is captured minding her nest. The Park attendant tells us that the babies are not flying yet.

We depart English Camp in the same manner as the Royal Engineers did in 1870 - peacefully and well satisfied with our time at the Camp.

English Camp Part 3 - Cemetery

After about a 3/4 mile hike we arrive at English Cemetery where 7 souls are buried. These seven men died while the English were at Garrison Bay during the Boundary dispute.

The plaque commemorates the 7 men and was put up by the BC Maritime Museum Association.

The Tombstones - standing but difficult to read. They have been transcribed and plaques have been mounted on the fence. Most died of drowning, while the one below particularly caught my eye.

William Taylor -- shot by his brother by accident at 24 years of age.

Richard is holding up and pointing at the "spirit stone" we found in front of the tree. This will be added to our rapidly expanding collection of stones.

English Camp - Part 2

One of the first things the Royal Marines did when they established the camp was to build a vegetable garden. Later when the camp was established, they turned it in to a formal walking garden much like at home in England. It was done to please the wives of the soldiers and beautify their surroundings. The trail above the formal garden was the officers quarters.
View of the formal garden from the Officer's Quarters.

This beautiful maple is 340 years old, predating the camp and enjoyed by not only today's tourists, the farmer who owned the land after the English left, the Royal Marines and the Native peoples before them. A midden was dug here the last time we were on the site (about 25 years ago if you can imagine that) and many remnants of the Salish peoples were found. There is also a beautiful shell beach at low tide.

Richard in the field on Young Hill surrounded by Gary Oak trees that have been reforested to approximate the original flora on the island.

English Camp, Garrison Bay

Lunch done, we head over to the National Memorial Park dock on English Camp.

Great to see the Union Jack flying proud. This is a bit of history that, if nothing else, is quite fun. There was a boundary dispute in the 1840's between the English and the Americans. Both insisted that they owned San Juan Island as part of the original boundary agreement -- at the time the surveyors didn't realize that it was there -- they thought that there was only one strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland.

This dispute caused both sides to occupy the island -- the English on the north side; the Americans in the south. This carried on for some time until one day one of the American's shot a pig that belonged to one of the Englishmen. This so enraged the English that they petitioned to Governor Douglas in Victoria to send troops to defend their claim to the island. So, in 1860 Governor Douglas sent out a party of 120 Royal Marines who had just previously been fighting in Shanghai and called them to build a fort on the San Juan Island to defend British ownership. Likewise, the American's sent their considerable army force to the south end of the island. Not long after the President sent the Commander of the Army in American to negotiate a peaceful conclusion. It was decided that the territory dispute would be adjudicated by Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany. During the many years that the dispute was under consideration by the Kaiser, the Americans and British lived in respectful harmony. The British built their camp up with fine buildings, gardens and homes for the officers. The American camp was woefully unkempt and very rough living.


Outside and inside the block house at English Camp.

Turn Point - Stuart Island

We leave beautiful Prevost Harbor on Stuart and make our way around the top to Turn Point. The cute little lighthouse marks the 'turn' for all of the freighters heading into Canada.

We, however are going back down to the San Juan Island, this time on the West side.



We set our anchor in Garrison Bay and I feed the captain -- meals onboard have been terrific if I do say so myself. This one is a prawn salad!

The view of English Camp, Garrison Bay from our dining window.