Swiftsure Lightship Classic 2009-Part1, The Delivery

Thursday morning was delivery day. For us on Carene. Skipper Bob said that we would be underway at o530 from his mooring in Port Madison. We actually got underway at about 0615. Onboard was Bob, James, Leena(James wife along for the ride to Victoria) and myself. We headed across Puget Sound to pick up Frank. The weather was spectacular with crystal clear skies. The wind from the north was blowing about 15 knots which slowed us down. Also slowing us down was the current that was flooding for several hours. We headed to the eastern shore of Marrowstone Island looking for current relief and also tucked in toward Port Townsend after we were clear of Marrowstone Pt. The current was still flooding around Pt Wilson, but the wind died and the Strait of Juan de Fuca was flat. Part way across the Strait, the current started ebbing and sped up our travel.

We arrived in Victoria around 1900, cleared Customs and were directed to a prime spot tied to the dock in front of the Empress Hotel. We were fortunate that we were not rafted several boats out. Across the dock was Neptune's Car(Santa Cruz70). Thursday is the traditional party day and the folks on Neptune's Car were having a great time!

Friday we got up early and went to Smitty's Restaurant for a great breakfast before starting the work for the day. We had a full list of items to work on: safety gear check, light sail repair and repacking, and provisioning. Provisioning meant that James, Frank, Leena and I walked about a half mile away to the closest store and with a menu in mind, bought the necessary food for the race. We then lugged it back to the boat and stored it. It all went quick and by noon we were free to play sightseer or just relax.

There is always something neat about Victoria during Swiftsure weekend. Tourists are everywhere. On the causeway, street entertainers are performing and vendors are selling their wares. Lots of non-sailors wander the docks to look at the boats. In the 80's Swiftsure participation was up to nearly 500 boats. Now it is around 200, so things are a bit subdued from the "old days".

Carene moored at the dock, Parliment building in background.
Carene with the Empress Hotel in the background.