Hehe, you foreigners ;-) ! It's pronounced just like it reads (U-clue-let), NOT U-cool-it!

Just reading through your trip, and wanted to confirm that the large cross between a turkey and a seagull was very likely an albatross. The most common species are the black-footed and laysan, but there are a few short-tailed off the coast of the Island as well. Given the description and the offshore location, you can be pretty sure it was an albatross. Cheers Alec Dale Dept. Biol. Sci. University of Windsor Windsor, ON

First Mate Anna Marie and I sail a Cape George 31 (built by Cecil himself) out of West Vancouver, B.C. Your superbly crafted sites brought smiles, laughs and a glistening eye as memories flooded forth. File under "unsolicited" - troll a green/white or blue/white 5" streamer fly weighted with a 1 ounce banana sinker about 30' behind your boat for a bag full of Coho. Its a screem - they always hit just as the wind blasts up and you are up to your eyeballs dropping sail in preparation to anchor! Love to see more, Ray

1998 I first cruised into Desolation Sound and found it to be the most beautiful place Ive seen. The waters so warm and the anchorages plenty, we are lucky to have such a place for us to boat to.

Very nice website! Great photography... you rival me! I went to Desolation Sound once ten years ago... and that is about as far as I can follow the locations in your stories. Like you did, I presently raced Thistles on the Willamette River (in Portland Oregon) and like you, we come in dead last every time! I'm a WSU graduate in Electrical Engineering. I have a website too... which someday just might be better than yours! But I have a long way to go! Visit if you care.... http://www.hevanet.com/wrogers/sailing_page.html Again, I DO love your sailing stories and are very appreciated!!! Bill Rogers - Pearson 385 "Halcyon"

Your decision to move on from the Pender Harbor area was likely shaped by the country music and gunshots. Hope you don't mind my dropping in...I was looking for accommodation information for the Sunshine Coast and came accross your site. Very nice read.

I remember living on the beach at Wreck Bay in my hippie days circa 1969/1970. Life changes and I travelled far but have somwhow wound up back living in the Vancouver area again. Last summer I drove out to the west coast of the island to re-trace my footsteps of nearly 30 years ago. Unfortunately nothing looked familiar. i remember camping on Chersterman Beach for 2 weeks or so. At the time it was virtual wilderness, this time the oceanfront condos distorted any recollection I could muster.

I lived for twenty years in Lions Bay raising my two children. Now I produce a radio show called Travel-Radio. We have over 4 million listeners. My husband has many patents for his invention of a keel for race boats. I have just started your story. As I have sailed a lot in B. c. and raced I am enjoying your story. Just thought that I would let you know and keep in touch as I read more. I am enjoying what I read so far. My most exciting sail was in Double Bullit 11 we raced at 25 knots and had such an exciting time. We sailed like this often this summer. I will keep in touch with you. Suzanne

Thank you for reading "Around Vancouver Island". Over the past two years, many people have emailed me with comments about the story and locations discussed within the story. Most emails were positive, although some readers pointed out that some of my opinions on places were perhaps a little biased and overly colorful. At any rate, I enjoyed all the emails I have received. I thought a natural extension to the site would be to add the ability for readers to post their own comments on the story directly. So here we are. Happy sailing!