Voyage Logs 2005
Victoria, Vancouver Island :
Land at Last
A total of 26 tall ships were tied up at the picturesque and historic port of Victoria , Vancouver Island . Two floating pontoons were used to dock the visiting tall ships with the Tucker tied up next to Pallada, a massive 305 foot Russian tall ship dwarfing this little ship that had come all the way from New Zealand.
Festival organizers had done us proud, providing a team of volunteers that assisted man the vessel during the day to explain to the thousands of visitors the "Tucker story". They'd done their homework, researching all the information from our website and the team of around 6 people took shifts on deck at two stations. It was great listening to them as they grew into their parts during the day, telling stories (some taller than others!). By the end of the festival you would have thought they had been with the ship for many years.
Having the team of helpers was a great bonus to the crew who were able to escape and experience some of the sights of downtown Victoria , as well as make friends with other tall ships' crews. All along the waterfront there were entertainers, bands and buskers, stalls and displays and the weather proved kind with sun shining down over the weekend. It was a real carnival atmosphere. On the first day, visitors turned up at 0800 and queued for 2 hours waiting to get on board the ships. Festival organizers had planned for crowds but the turnout exceeded all their expectations with all 40,000 tickets selling out on the second day of the festival.
The usual chores were done, laundry and provisioning, quickly thanks to cars being made available and volunteers around to show us where to go. BC is also well known for its large quantities of micro breweries and many of the crew from the various ships hit town, the Swan in particular proving to be a popular drinking hole.
We were sad to depart this friendly town, with its people that had made us feel at home, but another leg of our voyage beckoned and it was time to head to the United States as we left bound for Tacoma , WA .
Previous leg: Hawaii to Victoria
Next leg: Victoria to Tacoma
