THETIS ISLAND
Not a lot of people know this….
For the July long weekend, I had
decided to take a trip to see Thetis
Island again. I had heard
of a private do that some friends had arranged for Canada Day and, knowing some
of the talent embedded deeply in the rocks, I was looking forward to a treat.
The music at least would be amazing. I cannot mention names here, because some
of the people are very private, but suffice it to say the main attraction would
be Johnny (or at least we will call him that for the purposes of this article)
who had played with some of the more famous Canadian rock bands and he was ours
for the evening. He has lived on the island for many years now working as a
public servant, keeping well under the radar. Some of the families who own some
pretty big bits of the island got together to build a band stand on the beach
so that they could invite their friends down for a BBQ and a bash, so when I
turned up by boat I could see that this would be like the Vancouver fireworks,
a great view from just off the beach. Hopefully the sound would carry. It did.
I needn’t have worried because they had all the equipment to fill a stadium
full of sound. It was amazing. More boats turned up as the evening wore on,
kids were swimming in the water off the beach and fire pits were built to keep
the adults warm while the fabulous music came over the water to my vantage
point. What a night. I had friends rafted up but we had been sailing all day to
get there, so were fast asleep by 10.30! I guess I am getting old. We had done
a “Sail Past” with the local boats in the early afternoon and had fired off at
least 4 broadsides with the cannon to liven things up before I realized I was
off Kuper Island just south of Telegraph harbour and the native village that had
been leveled by the British gun boat Forward
in 1863 in response to a defeat by a handful of natives on the island who
had repulsed a considerable force of British Sailors looking for fugitives of
various assaults on European transients in the area. So the ears were still
ringing as I slunk off apologizing to anybody who would listen for any
ancestors who might have been involved, Boy there is some history here, and
some of it pretty dark.
Off the beach later we had a BBQ
of our own on the boat which was great, and a lovely glass of wine or two. But
our early night wasn’t to last until a regular waking hour as another boat that
had arrived late and had anchored just a tad too close had ended up being way
too close, so it was up sticks and back to Thetis Island Marina. World Cup
soccer was on, so it up to the pub at 7 AM for coffee.
Tiring work this having fun! Mind you, if having fun
was easy everybody would be doing it!
The new managers Jan and Dan Murphy at the Thetis Island Marina Pub
After the hectic night I decided
to stay and check out the new rental suits that the marina has on offer. The
owners have done a really amazing job creating 3 suites overlooking the water,
all with their own en-suite facilities, deck and comfortable sitting room with a
view. If you have a smallish boat and want to cruise the Gulf islands, there
are several good places to tie up and then get ashore into a comfortable bed
and a proper bathroom, but this one is well worth a visit. At $144/night for
two people in high season, it makes a great getaway. Or, if you have a boat
that you like to stay on, but have invited guests (remember, guests on a boat
are like fish, they begin to smell after 3 days!) this is a great way to keep
everybody happy, and, depending on availability (and they cannot guarantee
anything) a discounted moorage space may be offered.
En-suite bedroom leading to sitting room with a gorgeous view of the
harbour
New managers Jan and Dan Murphy not
only come from Alberta
but have come from very different backgrounds from this marina pub business.
Dan as a heavy duty mechanic, and Jan was in the upholstery and promotional
clothing business. What on earth could they possibly know about boats, pubs,
liquor store and general store operations we ask ourselves? Well, I am here to
tell you that the combination is really refreshing. Dan and Jan have no
preconceived ideas and have embraced the old island ways along with the new of
the cruising boater, and the two make for a wonderful mix. No snootiness here.
No upper crust yacht club snobbiness, just great
local characters in great surroundings and good food and drink. Talking of
food, they also have a new chef – Joe Birkett. With
25 years of experience in just this style of pub grub, plus fine dining
experience makes for some really good menus from this kitchen now, so it is
well worth the effort to try Thetis Island Marina again. Think Bedwell Harbour and the old pub on the beach before they tore it down to make a
resort. Well that is how I see it not too far down the road if their
ideas take root.
Larger than life Irishman Peter Jennings still handles
most of the boaters needs on the docks and is always charming and helpful. Ask
for internet connections when you get there too, it’s free.
Jan and Dan are planning a
shuttle from the ferry at Preedy Harbour,
so if you don’t have a boat and want to walk on a ferry for a delightful break away, call them at 250-246-3464
Or email them at
.
Or “Seair” provide regular float
plane flights directly to the dock outside the pub. You can find them at http://seairseaplanes.com/
Jan tells
me that the “Dunfield
Park” BBQ facility is
often booked for functions and club do’s and even weddings. Worth
a thought?
The BBQ and functions facility
Jan with Peter Jennings outside one of the
new suites.
