Vitamin Sea

By Maryanna Gabriel

"It was good to be a little island, a part of the world and a world of its own

All surrounded by the bright blue sea."

                                                         Margaret Brown

 Hornby Island, a pristine sparkling beauty...

I wanted to show my friend from Australia some of the beauty of the coastal waters here. She had, after all, taken me on an extensive tour in Tasmania. There the pristine sparkling beauty compares to ours. I knew Hornby Island might be quieter at this time of year and so off we went. It was the right choice. The sun shone brightly, and the landscape was golden. We walked the beautiful bluffs and explored the sweet sandy beaches, our toes splashing through the warm tidal pools. Bleached logs gleamed on the strand, often upright, amid remnants of midden

... lines of rock demarcate the oyster plots.

from occupation of the Coastal Salish. Tired, I fell asleep on beautiful Tribune Bay and later we explored the roads and beaches. We saw the oyster leases, lines of rock on the beaches that demarcated the plots, and watched as some picked up their days catch. I read some of the early history and understood why I had never come here growing up with my family. The ferries only commenced in the 1960's and at that time it took only three cars at a time. Today, this quiet place was completely quiet. With a population of less than a thousand, businesses shut their doors on Labour Day. No matter. Like islands ourselves we were self contained.

The place held us under it's spell and we were both completely captivated. We were glad we had come.