When in doubt...

Go to Victoria.

I think we all know that old saying.  ;-)  Looking at the upcoming week, it looks to be a wet week.  We decided to head back to the good ol' USA, but after a few days in Victoria, one of our favorite places here.

When we left Chemainus this morning, the clear weather that was forecast didn't happen... it was low overcast and fog.  We cleaned up, made a trip to the nearby bakery for some breakfast pastries and a couple more chocolate mice...

We shoved off.  I had us planned for about 50 miles, and around 3 hours enroute.  The fog changed that...

For the first 4 hours, the fog got thicker...

then, thinner...

Then, thicker...

and, thinner...

We passed a tug pulling a barge...

Industrial looking stuff on shore...

The narrows ahead...

In Haro Strait, as the fog began to dissipate, the lumpy water built... light chop... 1 foot chop... 2 foot chop.  Turning into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, it grew to 3 footers, with the occasional 4 foot slop... ugly - right on the beam.  In order to keep things on the counters and shelves, I had to run off into the waves, then "tack" to run with the waves.  Better, but still rockin' and rollin'.  The last hour and a half was clear, but we couldn't get any speed up with the water conditions.

We were a half mile into the Victoria Harbour opening before the wave action began to ease.  I was really hoping there would be room for us in the Inner Harbour - I didn't not want to go back out in that slop today.  I was relieved when the Harbour Authority returned our call on the radio with a slip assignment on the Causeway Docks (our favorite place, right in front of the Empress Hotel).

There were a bunch of empty slips.  We put Wild Blue at the front of B Dock, as assigned.  The kiosk is closed for the season, but a Harbor person came out to collect the slip fees.  Before she got there, I hosed off our boat... Wild Blue was covered with salt spray.

Larry H. came by and visited for a bit... he is a C-Brat who is now driving a trawler.  We passed him in the fog, but I didn't know it was him.

We took a walk around downtown, then had a nice supper out.  Another look at the Inner Harbour before we settled in for the evening...

The place filled up while we were gone.  Sunset in the cockpit; an adult beverage and some music.  Lots of people walking the waterfront... it's the weekend!