September 8, 2007

Our last full day on the boat started at sea with sunny skies. I saw numerous whales spraying water into the air as the surfaced to breath. None of them were particularly close, but it is nice to know they are there.

We rounded the bend back into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the water calmed. We got a delayed closing of the casino as the boat was able to remain in U.S. waters, staying on the right side of the strait a couple hours longer than planned. By late afternoon I was on deck, watching for wildlife, taking pictures in the sun, and watching our approach to Victoria, BC.

Victoria turned out to be a beautiful city. The security and protesters were a little weird as we passed outside of a hotel that was hosting a NATO meeting. Once we got downtown, we were treated to amazing architecture, a lovely boat harbor, and weird street performers on a sunny Saturday evening. We had some ice cream and returned to the boat before sunset.

We had our last dinner on the boat with our friendly wait staff. It was such a nice day, but it was somehwat sad to see the trip coming to an end. I was looking forward to getting off the boat, but I was enjoying the slow pace and the visit with my parents.