We arrived on Galiano Island after a few hours of motoring from Saltspring late in the morning. I wasn’t sure what to expect having read little about the island and hearing from multiple sources that it’s a must visit. Montague Harbor’s anchorage was not overly congested and several mooring buoys were readily available.
Once we tied off on one of the (35 total) available buoys, it was time for some exploration. Our friends Chris and Laura kayaked over to Montague Harbor Provincial Park to check out the camping situation. They lucked out and found the last camping site available.
As The Skipper was reorganizing Lutris I decided to go on a solo kayak around the anchorage. It was so wonderful to see such a healthy sea star population within such a short radius. We’ve known about sea star wasting disease and have seen the die off of sea stars within our own local beaches around Puget Sound. The amount of sea stars visible here in BC waters seemed hopeful.
Chris & Laura claimed their camp site and we met up on land to do some recon work for the following days excursion.
Hiking across the Lagoon we ended up at the white shell beach on the north side of the park. We struck up a conversation with a sweet couple that were more than eager to share their local knowledge. They highly recommended we hop onto Tommy’s bus for a ride into “town” and have dinner. Little did we know, it was going to be quite the adventure.
The view from the bus wasn’t too shabby. Lutris is shown on the lower right.
The bus in itself is perhaps a tourist attraction but is also a great way to have some good ole fun with complete strangers. Tommy hands you a homemade musical instrument upon entry and everyone is encouraged to sing along while Tommy is driving the bus and playing the cymbals mounted above the windows. How we got there in one piece I’m still unsure.
Although Tommy’s bus is supported by The Hummingbird Inn, we opted to walk across the lawn towards Wild1 for Thai food. We justified this decision by the generous donation we made to Tommy and because…Thai food.
See what I mean? This was also a welcomed break from galley duties.
We came from “town” at dusk and dinghied our way back to Lutris. With an early departure the following day we headed straight to our cabins for a restful sleep.
The next morning, a couple hours into our passage along Swanson Channel I heard from above deck, “WHALES”! I was below making breakfast for the crew and ran up as quickly as possible. Laura and I squealed and we all couldn’t believe our luck. If you have ever seen a whale in their natural environment, it truly is a magical experience.
A pod of orcas swam by and within moments disappeared. We were still in disbelief.
We knew our trip was coming to an end shortly and this sighting was as if nature was saying thank you for spending your time with us.
Galiano Island is only accessible by boat and is inhabited by 1044 people. BC Ferry is a great option for those wanting to explore without a private vessel. This quaint island is definitely a must visit and make sure to allocate a few days to explore the entire island.
EAT | Wild1 Cookhouse | Hummingbird Inn Pub | The Crane and Robin | Pilgrimme Restaurant
DO | Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park | Galiano Adventures – Moped Rental| Kunamokst Mural | Galiano Saturday Market
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