Ganges Harbor on Salt Spring Island is a study in contrasts. Ashore there is very much the feeling of an herbal community, which would have been familiar to anybody who is experienced the hippie scene of the 1960s. With the exception of tatoos and body piercing, this could have been a Northern California coastal enclave for artists and commune occupants of that era. This is not a bad thing, as it brings with it a variety of health food vendors, artists, and artisans.

Saturday is market day, and the locals, along with hordes of summer tourists, come to check out the offerings.

There are all sorts of jams and jellies on offer.

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The flowers on display were just begging to be taken back to the boat.

We even found a goat cheese vendor, and after sampling these wares Linda opted for a varied selection, now residing in Wind Horse‘s fridge.

This young musician was doing excellent business.

We happened to be on hand for Canada Day celebrations. Amongst the festivities was an antique car show. One of the highlights was finding a Pontiac GTO. We used to own one of these when we were first married – and it was a new car in those days!

There were all sorts of antique cars entered, vying for best in show. Here’s the one which gets Steve’s vote.

Ganges Harbor is extremely busy during the summer. There are dozens of float planes taking off and landing, and even though we love airplanes, after a while the noise and traffic became a bit much. Hundreds of sail and power boats were arriving and departing at the same time, making for an interesting mix of transportation modes.

We moved about a mile away and anchored along this quiet island, just a five-minute dinghy ride from the action.

Instead of seaplanes, we had this aviator for company.

The only problem was the occasional fizz boat. They all seemed to prefer to run down the shore of the island, in the narrow slot between land and the anchored boats, rather than take the route through middle of the harbor. All the better to rock the anchored boats with their wakes. Maybe it is a cultural thing, or perhaps the excitement of Canada Day, but all of the small stink pots acted in the same manner.

Here is a close up of the stern of the boat in the previous photo. Maybe the local maritime police need some community policing lessons. These guys roared through the anchorage half a dozen times while we were there.

Of course there are lots of interesting boats to look at. This is Al Mason’s variation on the Tahiti Ketch theme, a hair longer, wider, and lighter for its length. These folks were escaping the cold, wet summer of Morro Bay, California for the sun and fun of British Columbia.

Exhaust water-stained topsides are frequently a problem. The cruisers on the ketch above solved the problem with this simple diverter.