San Juan Islands & Namaimo, British Columbia
We began our morning entering Cattle Passage, a narrow entrance between San Juan and Lopez Island. Steller sea lions were feeding in the swirling currents as Bonaparte gulls were circling around looking leftovers. The sun was out and the scenery of the San Juan Islands was stunning. We slowly cruised by Spieden Island, a private reserve with large European sheep and deer grazing on the hillside. It was a relaxing morning and great to just sit out on deck soaking it all in.
Just after lunch, we had an exciting sighting of close to 50 Pacific White Sided dolphins racing and leaping out of the water. The mid-sized dolphins are common along this part of the coast and it was great to have a chance to see them.
In the afternoon, we stopped briefly in the town of Namaimo, British Columbia to clear Canadian Customs. The National Geographic Sea Lion was the first passenger vessel to clear customs here as the traditional clearance port had lost its dock in a winter storm. They even had to bring in a special barge just for us and after all the formalities; we had a chance for a short leg stretch along the pier.
Just before we left, Bobbi Epededition, from Nanaimo came aboard and gave us a short presentation about the history of the town and what life is like there. Our agent also brought us a large supply of the infamous and delicious Nanaimo Bars!
