The inner harbour

After work last night I walked down to the Songhees side of the harbour and attempted to get that perfect shot of a float plane just about to hit the water, but I didn't get it. The bright red Twin Otter that I really wanted to get was coming in before I had a chance to get my camera out. But lots of other good shots were on the menu. The Inner harbour on a summer day is always busy. Three different ferry services from the US service Victoria, two from Port Angeles and the Victoria Clipper from Seattle. Then there are the float planes. The one with the rooster tail was the third in a queue of five waiting for the Coast Guard cutter to get out of the way. Harbour ferries, whale watching boats, private yachts, kayaks, tug boats, barges, and just about everything else throngs the port and I'm not at all sure how they keep from running into each other. Sailing is not allowed until outside the entrance, but an exception was made a few years ago when a replica of Captain cook's ship paid a visit. That tall square rigger was a sight that gave me a bit of a thrill. I can imagine how it must have astonished the natives of this coast the first time they sighted one of these white sailed phantasms.
The upscale condo dwellers that live on this shore are wont to complain about the noise of the float planes, but personally I would rather hear the sound of a Beaver's rotary engine gunning before a takeoff than a decelerating diesel semi any day. And I would far rather watch all this harbour activity in a setting of shimmering water and everchanging sky than TV.