May 14,
2014 Ashley and Chris’
Anniversary!
Ladysmith, Vancouver
Island
Had a leisurely morning
waiting for a 10:30 slack
tide at Dodd Narrows.
We made it through without a hitch, and while David pressure washed the
deck, I was at the helm. I am so much calmer now when David makes his hourly engine
checks, but I was sure glad to have David checking up on things now and again
during this much longer time soloing. I haven’t quite earned my boating “merit
badge” yet, but I sure feel like I have come a long, long way.
Three hours later we were in Sibell Bay
in Ladysmith. We no sooner anchored when a kayaker approached and yelled out,
“Ahoy!” He was the owner of a “work in
progress” across from us. He was quite complimentary with his comments
regarding the Belle, and was telling us about his boat which had been
underwater more than once! He had been
working on this 1928 vessel for a year already. I detected a bit of an
Australian accent, and he reminded us again how adventurous and industrious the
young islanders seem.
The skiff was down and we
were just climbing in when we heard a voice yelling, “Want some fresh
prawns?” There were two First Nation fishermen
on the bank and David cruised over. He came back with five pounds of prawns and six crab. Those who fish, do…those who can’t, buy!
spotted prawns...two meals worth
seven crabs for twenty bucks
Ladysmith is still an active
sawmill town, and it seems very proud of its heritage with plaques on buildings
sharing its history. There is a huge warehouse above one of the marinas that
has been transformed into a Waterfront
Arts Center
with galleries. This historical town had a familiar feel to it…reminded us of
Angels Camp back home.
We walked up a long steep
stairway and passed an old railroad station and train on our way to historical First Street. Went
into antiques stores and somehow managed to pass up on the ”The Old Town Bakery”
which is heralded as the place where you will find a large variety of “to die for” cinnamon buns. That took
self-control, indeed. We kept reminding ourselves that we had a prawn dinner waiting
for us back on the boat.
People have been very
friendly and helpful wherever we have been. It’s a good thing because we are
often asking for directions. Luckily we have always found a kind soul who will
lead us in the right direction with usually lots of advice, as well.
One stop was at a coffee
shop, David was on the phone and an elderly woman came up to me and said, “Do
you have time for a question?” When I
said, “Sure” she pointed to the menu and asked, “Don’t you think that’s an
outrageous price for a simple egg sandwich?”
She shook her head and mumbled something as she made her way to the
door. Later while on the boat, two young boys about 10 years old in kayaks
yelled out, “Nice boat. Can we come on it?”
We told them we were about to have dinner and they paddled away. We find
people have no hesitation approaching us or our boat!
An artful pier
A boat with a bite!
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