I left the Okanagan in 1970 to move to “the Island”, tootled off to the US and Europe then settled here for good in 1979. As with most of us who experience a strong sense of place, something happened early on to endear this coastal paradise to me and that thing was sailing. Sailing introduced me to the ocean with all its wildness and fragrance, its moods and charm. My husband-to-be owned a sailboat when we met, sold it and we re-bought a 38’ C&C in 1993, which we owned for 11 years. Sad was the day when we parted with Acappella and set our sights on traveling distant shores. You can’t do everything, or at least we couldn’t so choices were made.
The wind was fierce today and reminiscent of those glorious 30 knot, wintry days sailing across the Strait of Georgia. We hiked the south-facing
shores of Irene Bay on Pender, pitching sticks for Cruzer the dog feeling completely and wonderfully windblown. It was almost as good as sailing and just for a second, I imagined myself living on-island and reveling in all things rurally coastal.
Here we are on a budget vacation, followed insistently by one dog and two cats, 2 minutes away from family, caretaking a farm on the balmy Gulf Islands. An old friend said it best, “Next door to heaven!”
