夏日炎炎山水间 海湾小岛一日遊

Summer comes to Vancouver – Day trip to the Pender Islands

上星期三(7月9日2014) 我們参加了嘉蘭尼社區中心舉辦的海湾小島一日遊. 大家知道陸地与島嶼间, 島嶼与島嶼间的水道呌海峽. 例如台灣海峽. 英文名就繁什得多. 由 strait,channel,gulf ,inlet,narrows, passage 到 pass 等; 我们也知道海岸彎入的水域叫海灣, 如東京湾. 英文名又分大小 bay,sound,cove 等等. 当然那是相对而言. 假如把 Hudson Bay 与今天我们到过的 Otter Bay 相提並論就變得無稽.

Two Islands …countless treasures

Pender Island is one of the Southern Gulf Islands located along the Pacific Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Pender Island consists of two islands, North Pender and South Pender, which are separated by a narrow canal connected by a one-lane bridge. Pender Island lies between Vancouver, BC and Victoria BC. Pender Island is a 2-hour ferry ride from Vancouver and a 40-minute ferry ride from Sidney, BC. Pender Island enjoys a sub-Mediterranean climate and features open farmland, rolling forested hills, several lakes and small mountains, as well as many coves and beaches. In fact, Pender Island offers the most public beach access points of any of the Gulf Islands Pender Island was named by Captain Richards R.N. of H.M.S. Plumper in 1859 after his senior survey officer, Second Master Daniel Pender.  The first permanent residents of European descent arrived on Pender Island in 1872.

Active Pass is a narrow passage separating Mayne Island and Galiano Island in British Columbia, Canada’s Southern Gulf Islands. It is one of three passes leading from the Gulf Islands into the Strait of Georgia. The pass stretches 5.5 km from northeast to southwest with two roughly right angle bends.  It was named for the USS Active, a United States Navy survey vessel, the first steamer to navigate the pass in 1855.

Currently, the pass is used by BC Ferries‘ passenger and vehicle ferry runs between B.C.’s Lower Mainland, the southern Gulf Islands and Swartz Bay on southern Vancouver Island. Because the Pass is so narrow, the ferries pass very close to the sides. It is also used by pleasure craft, fishing boats, freighters and freight ferries, making it very ‘active’ commercially as well. However, strong eddies and rip currents are always present in the pass, making it a hazardous corridor for smaller vessels to transit. A variety of wildlife may be seen in the pass, including harbor seals, sea lions, and bald eagles.

以下照片有一日遊之路線和各景點介紹.

文/圖：耀國、國紅

Gulf Islands, Southern Strait of Georgia. We are going from Vancouver to the Pender Islands through Active pass.
温哥華与温哥華島间之海灣群島位置圖

Killarney Community Centre bus trips to Pender Island Registration. 9 AM, Wednesday, June 11, 2014.
嘉蘭尼社區中心輪候登記一日遊. 等了两個鐘才知道往片打小島巴士团已額滿. 两週後接通知加開一团. 出發日期: 7月9日星期三.

Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. We arrived 35 minutes early for the 10:20 AM sailing.
社區中心早上九點前出發, 十點前到達卑斯渡輪碼頭. 有時間下車去海边看看. 看到嬌嫩欲滴薔薇花.

Near the Ferry Terminal to the north is the Delta Superport.
前年参觀運煤碼頭超級港時遙望BC渡輪碼頭;
今天我們从渡輪碼頭遙望超級港. 所見貨櫃部門比前更繁忙.

Coal loading in progress
注煤入巨輪正在進行中.

We are now on board the Queen of Nanaimo.
And this is our 6- year new 24-seat bus.
我們乘坐的24座位巴士很舒適. 內外如新; 渡輪是拿乃磨皇后.乘客不多.

Our driver and tour guide Simon.
我們的司机兼导遊經驗豐富, 照顧周到 .大家開開心心.

First stop – Galiano Island at Sturdies Bay.
先停加利安奴島. 大部分地區為林木公司擁有,不鼓勵兴建居屋, 人口較少.

This Island is  27 km long , just 6 km across.
most activities and homes are close to the ferry terminal.
只在渡輪碼頭附近有房屋和一些商業活动.

On our way to the  next stop after 20 minutes stay at Galiano.
停留20分鐘後起航往下一站.

Crossing the famous Active Pass. Just as the name suggested, the traffic was busy.
＂繁忙水上通道＂真的繁忙. 不時有船与我们擦身而過.

Second stop- Mayne Island at Village Bay.
Claim to have the most living ties to the past.
五千年前已有人類居住. 現在的春水客棧是BC省最古老的連續經营酒店.

Water front homes each with their own boat and dock.
似乎家家有个小碼頭.

Big house (or hotel) with a big dock.
大屋可能是渡假屋有个大碼頭.

Ask to take a picture of the control room (the Bridge) and got invited to meet the Captain – 1st. bonus of my trip.
試問問可否到操控室拍个全景照, 獲誠意邀請入内參觀. 此行第一個驚喜.

And got to try my hands at the wheel!
又鬧著玩親手轉轉駕駛盤.

The Captain with chief and second officers are all very nice and funny.
船長,二副,三副都友善風趣. 先進儀器先睹為快.

Active Pass between Galiano and Mayne Islands, narrow passage with sharp angle bends.
曾經有过幾次意外的狹窄水道闻名已久却一直無緣見到兩船窄道相逢情景. 今天我们出入該處水域多次終於遇上了. 此行第二個驚喜.

Two ships going different directions arriving at the narrow bends almost at the same time.
It takes some tricky maneuver skills to turn in unison , then away from each other. It’s like a couple doing the waltz dance. pleasant to look at.
不同方向两船在窄道彎角相遇, 要同步貼身轉向, 一轉出一轉入, 好似華爾滋舞步恣態優美.

The Spirit of Vancouver Island turned toward us.
轉入的又与我们擦身而過.

Passengers on both vessels were enjoying what we’ve just witnessed.
大家都很享受剛見証了的一幕.

After 2 hours and 30 minutes, We arrived on time at our destination PENDER ISLAND, Otter Bay.中午時分到達目的地-片打島. (綱照)

There are two Pender Islands – North and South.
The ferry terminal is on North Island. We first stop by the Driftwood Shopping Center. Not much at the entrance.
島分南、北。 兩島間有小木橋相連, 木橋只容一輛汽車或小巴駛过. 我们先到浮木購物中心, 入口簡陋.

Once inside, nice shops of many kinds were  a surprise.
原來商場內有各式各样小店.環境不錯.

Grocery, wine, bakery, fashion stores,  coffee shops, realty and law firms etc. and etc.
島上居民 2,500 有如此購物中心算是設施齊全了.

Beautiful little flower shop.
小花店內外佈置獨樹一格又美觀大方.

Bulletin board showing commercial and community activities.
張貼板展示出商業及社區活动. 使我们知道這里有水电供應、电話、的士等服務.
購物中心之後我们直奔南島最東南面山头一角.
車程24分鐘. 小橋前經过小學和醫療所. 校舍建築和環境不錯.

Gowlland Point, South Pender Island.
高鲁侖角, 高處看海景. 停車場附近有花有果.

Lovely flowers and apples.
例如蘋果. 田園風光

Looking at Mount Baker, Washington State.
遙望美國華盛頓洲之碧架山.

Mt. Baker from the water, so to speak, is different from the lower mainland.
此處看碧架山和在低陸平原看觀感不同. 這里有山有水看得更清楚.

It’s so far and yet so near we feel as we can reach out and touch it.
好似一幅山水画卷, 此行第三個驚喜.

Cool air on a hot summer day.
借此作點題：夏日炎炎山水间.海湾小島一日遊。

Ocean Access just like the sign said.
有木梯通往水边.

Poets  Cove, Bedwell Harbour.
詩人海湾, 很浪漫的名字.

Bedwell Harbour near the US-Canada boundary.
離美加海上分界綫不遠. 据說有時有些水上走私活动. 島上治安却是一流的.

Canada Border Services Agency. Private boats from the US should report here.
加拿大海关. 美國私家遊艇应在此申報入境.

There were media presence here today.
今天有傳媒來採訪.

Harborside Swimming pool.
海边泳池.

New luxurious resort and Spa. Our guide Simon was married and spent their honeymoon here not long ago.
新渡假村据說有中國南方人來投資. 我們的导遊不久前在此結婚兼渡蜜月.

Houses as nice as those in West Vancouver or UBC. 頗有西温或卑大住宅區之韻味.

Ocean view rooms and suites ranging from $175 to $500 per night.
渡假屋每房每日租金由百多元到五百元.

Back on North Island. The Pender Island Museum, by the Rose Inlet not too far from the BC Ferry Terminal.
返回北島參觀博物館, 建成于1876年. 圖為洗衣機.

Furniture designed to store pies and other food items before iceboxes came into regular use.
An Incubator for Chickens.
Old sawing machine.
牛奶製品分離器、冰箱發明前之食物櫃、雞仔孵化櫃、衣車。

Iron、stove、and piano
古老煬斗, 爐、鋼琴。

Advance scale of the time.
当年先進的磅秤不是电动所以指示尺擺動幾秒才停在重量和價格上.

Record player made by a Toronto Companmy, playing a RCA record.
唱片机，又名留声机。 是一种放音装置，其声音储存在以声学方法在唱片（圆盘）平面上刻出的弧形刻槽内。唱片置于转台上，在唱针之下旋转。留声机为爱迪生的众多伟大发明之一. 如此唱臂我們見過.

Telephones over the ages.
各年代的電話大家都見慣見熟. 1911年那种在电影中也見过吧？

The good ladies of the museum have ice-cold lemonade and sweet square for us.
博物館女士们為我們準備糕點和冰凍飲品

Log cabin near the museum.
特色小屋由樹幹叠成. 冬暖夏涼.

Fruit trees in the museum garden.
博物館外果樹掛滿了青梅子.

Little beach at Rose Inlet near the museum.
博物館園外的玫瑰小海湾, 寧靜優雅.

Lookout from the hill near the museum. We are looking toward Otter Bay.
走上高處看怪樹奇石,看海湾对面的房屋.

Looking at the ferries in and out of the harbour and the bay, the strait etc.
欣賞海景.

Otter Bay where we had landed this morning and make our departure soon.
Houses near the BC Ferry Terminal.
渡輪碼頭、碼頭附近的房屋.

Departed Pender Island 5:20 PM aboard the Queen of Nanaimo.
回程仍然天和日麗. 上甲板晒晒太陽. 如怕海風, 甲板有挡風玻璃 (左)

Section of the deck with wind-breaker glasses, you can still enjoy the “outdoors”.
挡風玻璃後面仍是露天的, 欣賞沿途風景更感舒適.

Life boat on deck.
只見一艘救生艇. 其它不知收藏在那里?

Another look at Mt. Baker.
常见BC渡輪穿梭於海湾海峽群島间.搭客不多, 難怪年年入不敷出, 還需維持基本服務. 我們今次行程,既有船票优惠, 社區中心巴士, 每人五十元另有政府資助不足之數.

Homeward bound.
回程停两島後再行一小時便回到Tsawwassen.
如果在船上食晚餐, 每客十元左右, 味道不錯. 我们要了雞肉,沙律,烤蒜味飽, 食完已到站. 七點半回到社區中心. 盡兴而歸.