GET TO THE GULF ISLANDS
Mayne, Saturna have much to offer
If you’re planning to spend some time on Mayne and Saturna islands, get ready to shed some of your preconceptions.
No, not everyone on the islands wears hand-knitted toques and Birkenstocks. And yes, there is more to eat than granola.
Mayne and Saturna, part of the Southern Gulf Islands chain between the B.C. mainland and Vancouver Island, are more sophisticated than many city slickers might imagine.
On tiny Saturna Island, I enjoyed a pretty much perfect lunch at the Saturna Café — a starter of nettles and ricotta in a crisp phyllo pouch, followed by spanking-fresh poke with seaweed salad and for dessert, a tart rhubarb crumble. I wasn’t surprised to learn the café’s chef, Hubertus Surm, formerly ran the kitchen at Isadora’s on Vancouver’s Granville Island.
On Mayne, a short ferry ride away, an evening at The Groove was an eye-opener. The small restaurant and live-music venue serves a wide range of tasty entrees, from flat-crust pizza to paella, and it’s packed to the gills on Thursday jam nights when talented island musicians perform. One red-haired regular has the pipes of Janis Joplin in her prime.
But both islands still have a small-town charm. Few islanders lock their home or car doors, and it’s not uncommon to see hitchhikers by the side of the road — or to see locals stop to give them a lift.
The larger of the two islands is Mayne, which has about 950 permanent residents. The Mayne Island resort is the biggest hotel on the island, with 22 rooms and villas. Even if you’re not staying there, drop by to rent a kayak from Kayaking Gulf Islands and paddle out to the small islands opposite the inn where seals and sea lions like to loll, or stop for fish and chips at the hotel’s Bennett Bay Bistro.
To really get yourself into an island state of mind, visit the Japanese garden in Dinner Bay park, dedicated to Japanese residents forced into internment camps in the Second World War. Take the time to linger in this beautifully manicured garden, supported by donations and volunteer labour, which is stunning when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.
Check out a few of the shops and art galleries on the island, such as Miners Bay Books, Anthony Jamieson Designs and Happy Tides. And pick up something to eat at the Farm Gate store, which sells local produce and deli sandwiches.
What goes great with a nice deli sandwich? Locally made craft beer, of course. The Mayne Island Brewing Company is a “nano-nano” brewery producing 140-litre batches twice a week, says Annette Witteman, who opened its doors last December with husband Michael Garratt. I’m looking forward to the sorrel and lemon balm beer they’re planning this summer.
Nearby Saturna Island has only about 300 permanent residents,
but the population explodes on July 1 when it hosts its annual lamb barbecue at Winter Cove Park.
In the meantime, stock up at the Saturna General Store, whose sign says it all: “Groceries, liquor, hardware, mail, freight & feed.” Or stop at the funky Wild Thyme café near the ferry, run out of a refurbished double-decker bus.
Work off the calories by hiking up Mount Warburton for a spectacular view (you can also drive up, but that’s cheating) and head to East Point for some whale-spotting and a visit to the tiny museum in the Fog Alarm building, constructed in 1936 to warn pre-GPS boaters.
A word of warning: If you start looking at real-estate listings, you’re in trouble.
The writer was a guest of Destination BC, Tourism Vancouver Island, Southern Gulf Islands Tourism, Mayne Island Community Chamber of Commerce and the Saturna Tourism Association. No one from these organizations read or approved of this article before publication.