Victoria to Prevost Harbor

We amended our trip routing and decided to first head for Limekiln Point in Haro Strait to see if we could spot any orca before we continued on to our destination of Satellite Cove on Stuart Island. In the past, we have spotted orca at Limekiln Point and it is a primary destination for the whale watching boats from both the U.S. and Canada. Our plan was to use our I-68 passes to clear customs while enroute. Failing that, Roche Harbor was on our route and would only require a small detour if we needed to present ourselves to U.S. Customs.

The sun was shining and the winds and seas calm, but Victoria Harbour was, as always, full of all manner of things that float. There was a plethora of small sport fishing boats with their lines in the water just outside the harbour, such that we could barely find a path to clear the congestion.

Traffic in Victoria Inner Harbour

Victoria is on of a very few International Seaplane Bases  

Homes that float in Victoria Harbour

As we headed across Haro Strait, we caught the adverse current and our speed dropped to 5 knots over the ground. Poor planning on our part! It seemed to take forever to make the crossing. As we entered U.S. waters, we called customs and used our I-68 passes to clear in. This efficient process saved us the hassle of going to Roche Harbor's Customs Docks on Labor Day.

Nice but slow crossing of Haro Strait into the current

On our way to Prevost Harbour, after being skunked at Limekiln Point, we made our course good for Turn Point Light to see if we could find any Orca there but, again,  not a single blow or animal was to be seen. There were lots of boats in Prevost Harbor and our favorite anchorage, Satellite Cove, was full. We made our way past all the anchored boats at dead slow and found a spot at the back of the line. This is a very popular anchorage, but even with all the boats that were there, we had plenty of room to swing on the hook.

Turn Point Light, a great place to visit by foot from Prevost Harbor

We relaxed on the flybridge with a beer as we watched kayakers and boaters in their dinghies pass by. We even saw a yellow and white Citabria land on the grass strip at the head of the harbor. Dinner was salmon quiche, and given that we had finished all the regular episodes of LOST in Victoria, we watched some of the bonus highlights of the show that were included on the DVD. It was a peaceful night.