San Juan Islands
We awoke to a day that proved itself a fitting finale to a wonderful week. We found ourselves in the Haro Strait -– the stretch of water separating San Juan Island from the Saanich Peninsula, north of Victoria on Vancouver Island. The strait also marks the sector of the international boundary that was the focus of a territorial dispute in the middle years of the nineteenth century. The dispute was only resolved after an armed stand-off that threatened war between the British Empire at the height of its power and the “Manifest Destiny” of the United States. The tense situation was defused when the sides agreed to set up limited military encampments at opposite ends of San Juan Island. The arbitrator, the German Kaiser, settled the dispute in 1872.
All of this troubled us little this beautiful morning. We found Dalls porpoise – a few of which chose to surf our bow wave, Minke whales and even had a rare sighting of an Elephant seal. Sharon gave us an illustrated talk on the year-round cycle of the natural vegetation of this archipelago, nestling in the rain shadow of the Olympic range. We docked in Friday Harbor and spent a couple of hours visiting the Whale Museum and exploring this picturesque community.Our plan for kayaking and forest walks after lunch was preempted by reports of the Southern community of Killer whales nearby. We steamed in search and were amply rewarded with close and prolonged contact.
During the Captain’s traditional farewell reception there was a delightful surprise “recap”. Two guests, both named Mary, had composed a poem of thanks and hand-crafted a ceremonial spoon from found treasures. They presented their double gift to Sharon in response to her gift to them of a traditional story, a few evenings earlier. It was a charming way to conclude our all too short sojourn aboard the Sea Lion.
We awoke to a day that proved itself a fitting finale to a wonderful week. We found ourselves in the Haro Strait -– the stretch of water separating San Juan Island from the Saanich Peninsula, north of Victoria on Vancouver Island. The strait also marks the sector of the international boundary that was the focus of a territorial dispute in the middle years of the nineteenth century. The dispute was only resolved after an armed stand-off that threatened war between the British Empire at the height of its power and the “Manifest Destiny” of the United States. The tense situation was defused when the sides agreed to set up limited military encampments at opposite ends of San Juan Island. The arbitrator, the German Kaiser, settled the dispute in 1872.
All of this troubled us little this beautiful morning. We found Dalls porpoise – a few of which chose to surf our bow wave, Minke whales and even had a rare sighting of an Elephant seal. Sharon gave us an illustrated talk on the year-round cycle of the natural vegetation of this archipelago, nestling in the rain shadow of the Olympic range. We docked in Friday Harbor and spent a couple of hours visiting the Whale Museum and exploring this picturesque community.Our plan for kayaking and forest walks after lunch was preempted by reports of the Southern community of Killer whales nearby. We steamed in search and were amply rewarded with close and prolonged contact.
During the Captain’s traditional farewell reception there was a delightful surprise “recap”. Two guests, both named Mary, had composed a poem of thanks and hand-crafted a ceremonial spoon from found treasures. They presented their double gift to Sharon in response to her gift to them of a traditional story, a few evenings earlier. It was a charming way to conclude our all too short sojourn aboard the Sea Lion.
