Each year the local Lions Club takes the Victoria Star 2 out into the San Juan Islands, bringing cheer to the kids in the San Juan Islands and Gulf Islands in British Columbia. This year they are set to go December 13th and 14th. Last year’s trip was filmed by Lions Club International - to see the video - click here.

I just came across a great Orca whale blog site called Whale Of A ‘Purpose’ written by a local whale enthusiast that is packed with great photos and lots of tips on identifying whales. With the sun out today, looking at this blog makes me wish we were still running tours….spring is just around the corner though!

The resident Orca pods have become a little more difficult to find this past week, however, we’ve been luck to find transient Orcas just outside of Victoria. The weather has been beautiful too, making this possibly the best time of the season to see the San Juan Islands and Victoria. The forecast is good through the upcoming weekend, with lots of sun and temperatures into the lower 70’s.

Yesterday was the last day of the season for our Friday Harbor / Whale Watching tours aboard the Island Commuter 2. The season ended on a big high note, with several Superpod sightings through the week, as well as a few transient Orca sightings.

We are still running our trips to Victoria daily through September 28th. On this tour we pick routes in both directions with the best chance of seeing Orca whales along the way - this season we have seen them about 75% of the time. We offer a low season discount of $25 off the regular adult round-trip cruise fare between September 8 - September 28, so now is a great time to book a trip to Victoria before the season ends!

Despite the rain and clouds the past few days the whale sightings haven’t been too bad. We were unable to see them on Friday - they were just too far out of our range. However, we saw Minke and Orca whales every other day, including another Superpod sighting (all three resident pods of Orca together).The weather is much nicer today and should last until the middle of the week - hopefully this weather will stay a little longer though!

The week started off great, with "superpod" sightings and great weather. The Orca sightings tapered off the last few days, but there was still plenty of wildlife to be seen out in the islands, including a tiny new baby porpoise. It looks like the weather should improve later this week. Our Friday Harbor/Whale Watching tours end in 11 days, on September 1st, so if have been putting off a trip to the San Juan Islands, or a whale watching tour, now is the time to go!

This poem was written by one of the passengers aboard the Victoria Star last week:

Victoria Star Ship

Welcome aboard the Victoria Star Ship
We hope you are having a great trip
Although the day is cloudy and grey
We expect the sun to burn the clouds away

The waves are capped with white
There are no whales in sight
This is a really smooth ride
I am glad I have someone by my side

As we were crossing Bellingham Bay
The captain had a lot to say
We saw Guemes Island in the sea
This is where Free Willy 2 was set free

Our journey back will be at eight
We do not want to be late
There are plenty of islands in te sea
Too many today, for us to see

We go through a part of the Inland Passage
We do not stop even for a message
San Juan is a wild life refuge
The ship we are on is huge

As we are watching the sea
We see salmon swimming free
The captain of the ship
He is moving us at a fast clip

He is talking along the way
Showing us things of interest in the bay
There are shipping lanes here
All the ships stay clear

When to Victoria we draw near
Everyone is talking about what they see
Today, this is the life for me!

Sea gulls land in the water
They are not a part of this charter
Sea gulls looking for a meal
Some of them get a raw deal

We did not see any flying fish
I don’t know if they make a tasty dish

There is a place called Deception Pass
From the ship we see no bass
We passed a place where seals did lay
In the water they liked to play

Sailing in the Victoria Star is better than a ferry
Even with the day cloudy and dreary
McKay Harbor is full of ships
The wind outside the ship has quite a nip

The day was great for me
Plenty of things for me to see
This Island is new to me
I would like more to see
Next time I get a chance
I want more than a glance

Copyright 2008: Glenda Rogers

Yet another great week of whale watching! Usually the peak whale watching season is May - mid-July, however, it seems like the sightings are getting better and better as we get further into the summer season. This photo was taken by our captain on August 6th. For the last 7 days we have been seeing J and L pods, along with one day where we saw transient whales (whales that don’t stay within the Puget Sound region year-round). It looks like there will be some light clouds moving in this afternoon, but then the forecast looks great for the rest of the week.

It’s been yet another great week out in the San Juan Islands. Lots of whales, including Orca whales (mostly J & L pods), some transient Orcas and a couple of Minke whale sightings. With perfect weather forecasted this week (clear skies and temps in the upper 70’s / low 80’s), it should fabulous out in the San Juan Islands and Victoria!

Victoria, BC - Festival 150

August 01, 2008 - August 04, 2008

What better place to celebrate B.C. Day long weekend than in Victoria? This year, British Columbians (or anyone else) have extra incentive to journey to the capital city during the holiday weekend: Festival 150. The Provincial Capital Commission, along with community partners and sponsors, is hosting this major public event in celebration of BC150.

The free family-oriented celebration will take place from Aug. 1-4 in the Inner Harbour. It will have something for everyone, from artisan markets to performances by internationally-acclaimed B.C. musicians. The highlight? On Aug. 4, British Columbians will have the opportunity to celebrate B.C. Day at a concert finale on the lawn of the B.C. Parliament Buildings that will feature a special acoustic performance by international recording artist Sarah McLachlan.

For more information:

Phone: 250-953-8800
www.bcfestival150.ca/