Last week my younger daughter and I enjoyed three full days in the beautiful city of Victoria, British Columbia. Jenny planned the trip as a combined Christmas and Mother’s Day gift to me, so she did all the research and ticket purchasing. Because Victoria sits at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, just off the west coast of British Columbia, the only way to get there is by air or water.

We quickly decided to take the Victoria Clipper from Seattle. Victoria is a compact city with most attractions easy to reach on foot or via shuttle bus, so we didn’t feel the need to drive all the way from Portland to one of two car ferry options one to two hours north of Seattle and then deal with parking in Victoria. The Clipper offers reasonable passenger-only travel between Seattle and Victoria, inexpensive parking ($10 per day in a secure garage) and a scenic two-and-three-quarters-hour trip on Puget Sound. 

Check-in, an hour before departure time, was quick and easy; we got our numbered boarding passes, checked our bags (up to two per passenger for free) and picked upper deck seats on a half-full boat. The day was sunny and warm, with just a little light marine haze — not enough to obscure views of the Olympic Mountains to the west and mounts Baker and Rainier to the east. We had taken a precautionary dose of Dramamine before departure (We brought our own, but passengers can purchase it on board for a mere 25 cents per dose.), but most of the trip was over calm, fairly smooth waters.

During the spring and summer, one may choose from several daily sailings, and in addition to breakfast, lunch and beverages, passengers may purchase duty-free liquor, cigarettes and fragrances from the shop on board. We just sat back and enjoyed the views, snapping a few photos and hoping for a whale sighting or two (no luck there, unfortunately).

The most challenging part of the journey, perhaps, was filling out the immigration form as our ship entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which connects Puget Sound to the Pacific and where the winds coming off the ocean built up quite a chop. Once we entered Victoria’s cozy Inner Harbour, though, the wind dropped and we disembarked and retrieved our luggage in mere minutes. Our Victoria Clipper excursion certainly made for a very positive and comfortable start to our B.C. trek!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor