Montague Harbour - 30 June 2010

Finally - out on Millennium Dragon. After an uneventful passage under sail/motor in the fickle winds and currents of the Gulf Islands, I picked up a mooring in Montague Harbour Marine Park. All boat systems seem to work, but temperatures still hover around sub-comfort level.
But, the GOOD news. HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) has hit BC Parks, albeit with some intriguing mathematics. Last year, a night tied to a park buoy costs $10, including 7% GST. Now, the 7% GST has been removed from, and a 12% HST has been added to last year's pretax fee, resulting in a new charge of $12. Must be New Math or something.
I am not surprised that the populace of BC is up in arms, maybe they all learned similar math? Indeed the dreaded impact of this new so called 'tax grab' calculated in this way would slow down economic recovery in Canada's fastest growing province to a befuddled crawl.
I took my first thumbed ride today to a little cafe in Sturt Bay, the 'capital' of Galiano. Here Internet access comes with home brewed soup and home baked garlic bread for five dollars and change. The eclectic characters meet here, and conversations about half way houses, 10 bucks occasional wages, latest art exhibit, and the usual concerns and delights of island life flow between rickety tables, survivors of the fifties. Even the music from the loudspeakers in the rain stained glass patio awakens memories of Elvis, Ann Margret and Buddy Holly.
The next challenge is finding a ride back to Montague Harbour, because it would be a looong, wavy, hilly, exhaustabating trek on foot. At least it is not raining. However, someone assured me this morning, when I tied up my dinghy to the park dock dressed in woolen pullovers, parkas and woolen Antarctic beany: summer is coming.
Yeah, just don't hold your breath.