Expedition Canada

Wine Capital of BC Sunday June 30th Tantalus Winery Kelowna is the wine growing capital of BC, so as well as taking in the scenery we have been checking out some of the local wineries.  Be rude not to really.  As we found travelling around France (and other bits of Europe), it is so much more informative to learn about a wine region as you actually taste the wines at the winery.  We have been slowly developing our knowledge of the wines over the last few years (we first visited about six years ago).  Not something that can be done easily in the UK as so little BC wine leaves Canada as the volumes are relatively small compared to major wine producing countries.  The Good Wine Shop in Chiswick, does stock some.  Not cheap due to volumes and shipping costs. The Okanagan wine region stretches along the 111km of Lake Okanagan.  The area is classified as a desert, defined by the low rainfall, though it happens to be chucking it down as I write this.  ...

Rain a week away Thu Sep 22 After the smoke smog - Twin Creeks Mill in Langdale W hen I started this update on Sept 12  Vancouver Island had not been visible for several days due to smoke from multiple forest fires in BC and across the US border in Washington state.  There was a faint hint of smoke in the air.  Environment Canada issued a ‘poor air quality’ statement, recommended no outdoor exercise and closing doors and windows.  Sunday 11th, our usual racing wasn’t happening as the boat owner was away.  One of the regular crew and I took out a club boat with the aim of sailing up West Howe Sound.  As we left the harbour the end of Keats Island was barely visible in the smoke haze, we could not see Gambier Island only five and a half kilometres away.  Our plan to sail around Gambier was abandoned as the wind dropped right off and we motored back into the main channel and in the end, back to Gibsons.  We both went home with sore throats. Stage 4 W...

Vancouver Excursion Mon Jul 25th Gambier Island from the ferry This last week has flown by with an afternoon excursion to Vancouver, an early evening cleaning of Mandala for the Gibsons Regatta at the weekend and two days of exhausting but exhilarating racing. That look of concentration Tuesday I popped over to Vancouver on the lunchtime ferry to pick up a canoe.  It's been on the list for awhile and suddenly a good deal arose, too good to miss.   I stopped off in Kitsilano to drop something off for Nick and Lizzie and had two lovely hours with young Seb who was on great form and even decided to read me a bedtime story! Holding the book on his own and happily chortling away in between the cutest of smiles! He is a delight and at the weekend completed his first BCMC hill climb (strapped to Lizzie) in a pretty commendable 40 mins (3.46km and 800m elevation). The boy did good.  His mum is pretty awesome too!  I'm not sure I'd complete it in the estimated...