Mich's West Coast Journal: Savary Shores

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Savary Shores

During the months of May and October our family enjoys a get-away for a week or two to Savary Island - just before or after vacationing summer crowds. The island is located in the northern part of the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia. May is a beautiful time of year to visit the island, it is quiet without bustling crowds and the island seems so fresh and green. Preparation to get away must be done a week or more before we leave Victoria, most preparation involves buying food supplies and other necessities - once we step foot onto the island, there is no corner grocery store nearby. In an emergency, one can always ride eight kilometers by bicycle to the other end of the island to shop at the local store or have a meal at neighbouring Rigger's restaurant - usually open during summer months. There is also a small bike repair kiosk next door. We usually try and leave Victoria around 6:00 A.M. before the traffic

rush and have a quick breakfast in the city of Duncan. We drive to Comox and ferry over to Powell River where the drive to Lund takes us about 45 minutes. From Lund, we take a ten minute water taxi ride over to Savary.

Once settled in the cottage with our huge load of supplies, we head to the beach with a refreshment and begin to feel the relief after a long day's trip. The magic of the island starts to take hold of us.

The absence of traffic, power lines, shops and concrete buildings makes this island a real paradise. The preparation and journey beforehand was well worth the effort. Truly, this is a very special and unspoiled island like no other - a rarity and gem to be treasured and safeguarded. The air....so refreshing, the verdant beauty of trees and lush ferns.....so invigorating.....rippled sand beaches where tides come in and go out.....so much fun to explore.

First priority of the morning is to amble our way to the beach, coffee in hand.

The ocean air wakes us up and we sit ourselves on a driftwood log to watch kingfishers and sandpipers playing and fishing on the shoreline, and listen to the ocean's gentle waves. The call of eagles resonates through the air, a common sound here. The vista of snow-capped mountains in the background seems surreal. Unspoiled with breathtaking views, this truly is a magical place. When the tide is out, one can walk the beach along one side of the island, skip over to the other side (the island is approximately .8 kilometer in width and eight kilometers in length) and carry on walking the sandy beaches on the other side. It is a fun hike and there is a lot to see with the wildlife, vegetation, rocks and driftwood on the beach. It is a treasure trove for beachcombers. We usually arrive back to our cottage with armloads of driftwood and other goodies.

The island is dotted with recreational cottages, many rustic and charming with artistic flair, hidden amidst tall cedars and firs; while others have their place by waters' edge. The collage of quaint cottages with their colourful window and door trimmings, whimsical driftwood gates and fences are characteristic of Savary Island. We always

feel inspired by the driftwood and colourful rocks on the beach. My husband was so inspired that he built two log cottages by hand (no electric tools) from beach logs. He hauled log after log from the beach up a steep sandy hillside, then wheel-barrelled each log to the building site. He was thereafter named the "human forklift and human excavator" by Savary Island locals.

The white cedar logs do shimmer in the sunlight and are a wonderful contrast to the blues and greens of the ocean and sky. Inspiration comes to us from nature - the colours and shapes of logs scattered and stacked on the shore, the unusual plant and tree life, colourful rocks of assorted shapes and sizes, starfish, shells, tangled green, blue and orange ropes on pieces of driftwood and the effect of natural lighting during different times of the day. The dappled sunlight throug

h cedar trees early in the morning is a lovely sight and the sunsets during the evening are not to be missed. I understand how one can become enchanted with this paradise and become inspired to write or paint. My camera follows me on all our beach combing and hiking treks. Our days are busy with picnics on the beach, reading, swimming and languorous evenings by candlelight. We enjoy company of neighbours and family. At the end of our visit to Savary Island, we pack up our huge load of goodies and clean up, careful not to leave anything behind as we prepare for the trip back to Victoria. We feel animated and re-energised but sad to leave paradise. It is our hope that this very unique Canadian island, with its very special habitat and biodiversity, will always be protected and preserved.