Riding off into the sunset...

Have a look at this bad boy!

Actually her name is Tikka and we were lucky enough to take a little trip on her on Wednesday night.

It was a gift from BC Whale Watching to the folks who

 work with my husband at Hosteling International.

It was a beautiful evening on the Inner Harbour in Victoria...we headed out...

past the float home community at Fisherman's Wharf...

...past the breakwater at Ogden Point...

Our destination was Race Rocks....

Here's a little info about this Ecological Preserve...

Located just over one nautical mile from Rocky Point, the southern most point on Vancouver Island, Race Rocks is the most southerly part of Canada on the Pacific Coast. The extraordinary tidal flow, one of the strongest on the coast, is not surprising when one considers that the entire flow of a one or two fathom tidal change for all of Georgia Strait, Haro Strait and Puget Sound rushes past Race Rocks twice each day. At the narrowest point in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with only 12 nautical miles separating it from the American shore, Race Rocks is swept not only by the strong tides but also the surging waves of the Pacific ocean. 

So in a nutshell, it can be a really dangerous spot for ships, therefore that's

why the lighthouse was built and began operating in 1860, continuously 

flashing it's powerful light uninterrupted until 1997...

I've always wanted to take a little trip out here and this night was the perfect night; warm, good company and the most extraordinary sunset...

Race Rocks is an Ecological Reserve with ongoing scientific research studies and

educational programs managed by Pearson College. 

It's a designated Marine Protected Area.

 It is a haulout area for California and Northern sealions and a birthing rookery for Harbour seals. It is also the most northerly birthing colony on the Pacific Coast of North America.

As an Marine Protected Area there are rules about how close boats can come in contact with the wildlife.

We were lucky enough to catch some great sights of the Sea lions on the rocks and 

I snapped a few shots, although the current was quite strong and rocking our boat pretty good!

From the looks of this guy, I'd say he was the King of this harem!

Their beautiful golden fur was brought out even more with the sunset...

A happy and proud moment for the Shah...

Sigh....what an evening it was....

The crew from the hostel and our pilot in the back there...don't worry...the boat was NOT in motion for this shot! He was great and even let us all take a shot at driving the boat for a while...

And so the sun sets on another perfect day on the coast...