A Labour Day tradition in Victoria, the Classic Boat Show takes place on the docks in front of the iconic Empress Hotel and the Parliament Buildings at the Inner Harbour.
Boats from up and down the west coast of North America attend, many from Seattle and Oregon and as far away as Long Beach, California and Alaska. Plus many from Victoria and Vancouver.
It's fun to wander the docks and look at all the different kinds of boats, from little tenders to huge cruisers and work boats. Everything is spiffed up and varnished to its ultimate brightness, even the dinghies with their perfectly coiled lines.
I really liked this little sloop called Loon but couldn't talk to the young woman owner as she was facing out to sea.
This restored fishing boat was from Victoria.
One of the largest boats was the 88 foot Gyrfalcon, which has been lovingly restored by a retired couple as their retirement home. The main cabin inside has lots of beautiful storage lockers.
Not all the boats were polished though. This little rowing dinghy belonged to a working boat from the North Island. The owner lives aboard an old trawler and carves masks for a living.
But it's the bright varnish and the shiny whites of the boats against the dark green water that really make the Classic Boat Show glow for me.
