Sure signs of spring: Harbour Ferries, daffodils
After a Thursday speckled with showers, what could be viewed as a preview of spring is scheduled to reach the capital region.
The Environment Canada forecast calls for plenty of sun right through Monday, when the daytime high is expected to spiral to 16 C.
The record for the day, looking at all Victoria stations for March 12, is 16.7 set in 1965, said Environment Canada meteorologist Trevor Smith.
Tuesday is predicted to stay in the high range at 14, but with a 30 per cent chance of showers.
The normal daytime high for this time of year is 10 C.
Smith said spring officially begins at 3:29 a.m. on March 20.
One sure sign of spring in the region is the appearance of the Victoria Harbour Ferries, which actually got off to an early start this year on Feb. 10.
“We just thought we’d give it a try,” said Barry Hobbis, vicepresident of operations.
The decision to get going early was spurred on by the positive feedback the company got for offering a shuttle service when construction activity on the Johnson Street Bridge put the current bridge out of commission for a weekend in December, he said.
Hobbis joked that the emergence of the ferries is “kind of like cherry blossom time” as a harbinger of spring.
The 17-vessel fleet has already been dealing with an upswing in the number of visitors to the city, he said.
“We’ve enjoyed a lot of locals and probably quite a few more tourists than we had in February and March of previous years,” Hobbis said.
“Cold weather or not, it’s nice to be out there.”
Another indication the season has turned will be the opening of Barb’s Fish & Chips, set for the first week of April in its familiar spot at Fisherman’s Wharf. The floating restaurant will be in a new building.
For farmer Ryan Vantreight, general manager of Longview Farms, the focus heading into spring is on harvesting the remainder of the daffodil crop, a staple of the operation. He said pickers are still needed.
Spring is certainly on its way, Vantreight said. “Having a field full of flowers is probably a good sign.”
Some of the daffodils arrived early, he said, but the snow that fell recently slowed down their progress enough to put them back on their usual track.
This time of year means getting down to seeding to prepare for the months ahead, Vantreight said.
“We start seeding a lot, getting ready for the season, for transplanting,” he said. “We’re seeding all of our kales and lettuces and onions.”