Zack Miller from Bellingham Washington wins Westview Marina Derby with 43-2/3 lb Chinook
Zack Miller (right) from Bellingham Washington shows off the 43-2/3 pound Chinook that won him the Westview Marina Derby and $1000 CanadianZack Miller from Bellingham Washington and Shawn Langley from Lynden Washington were fishing 10 miles out from Tatchu on the 'Quick Fish', a 27 foot Orca. Zack decided to pull in his lines, put the rod down and was leaning over the side with the lines in his hand when suddenly he saw the water boil 3 feet away as the monster King hit the hook! Zack grabbed the rod and played the Chinook for 15 minutes till his friend Shawn Langley of Lynden Washington netted the fish.
Zack was thrilled to win the derby, and at the awards party generously donated $200 towards the Tahsis Salmon Enhancement Society.
Weekly flight now connects Tahsis with Seattle
Brad Pattison pilots the re-inaugural flight of Sound Flight to Tahsis from SeattlePilot Brad Pattison visits Tahsis, signalling the return of weekly direct air service between Seattle and Tahsis by Sound Flight of Renton, Washington after a hiatus of 2 years. Previously to that, Sound Flight made hundreds of flights to Tahsis with a daily service.
Brad said:
"I'm glad I was picked for the 're-inaugural' flight, as this is my first time to Tahsis. The natural setting here is breathtaking.It's outdoors all around you. Really different from Seattle.. I love it up here... that's why we're here."
Brad went on to say:
"I am very impressed by the airplane dock here in Tahsis, obviously a lot of work has gone in to the dock to make it an important part of the Tahsis tranport system."
Brad went on to explain that Sound Flight is the only US airline to specialize in flights to the west coast of Vancouver Island, and his company gives their pilots specialized training and experienced instructors--such as Mark Schoening, who has flown the west coast of Vancouver Island for 15 to 20 years--to train on the weather and geography of West Vancouver Island's rugged coast.
"This is the way to stay in business--keep your customers happy and safe"
More information about Sound Flight can be found at their website:
www.soundflight.net
After a short visit, pilot Brad Pattison heads off to the next stop
A great family day on the water
Brett shows off a 22 lb Chinook Brett Cornelius from Redwater Alberta shows off the 22 lb Chinook he caught all by himself (well, maybe a little help from Dad and guide Jim Pook).
Carmen, Brett and Paul Cornelius from Redwater Alberta The Cornelius family from Redwater Alberta caught 6 Chinook 14 to 22 lb and 1 Coho 12 lb on their fishing day with guide Jim Pook. Paul said they saw a grey whale, three friendly Sea Otters who came quite close to the boat, and several eagles. A great family outing!
"Sorry Dear" crew catches Tyee at 6 Mile Reef
Kelly, Jushua and Mike Locke and Tyee ChinookKelly, Jushua and Mike Locke from Woodinville Washington went out fishing to 6 Mile Reef on the 'Sorry Dear' and came back with this fabulous Spring. The Chinook salmon weighed 40 lbs, Joshua weighs 27 lbs.
Sorry Joshua, the Spring made Tyee but you didn't!
Kelly says:
"It was a great fishing day for the Family"
Mike says:
"God bless America"
Not just the ice cream is Blue at Westview Marina
(Left to right) Larry Webdell of Cool, California, Doug Dow of Olympia Washington and Dave Camp of Olympia Washington with thier 25 lb Blue Shark, 6 Springs (two 30 lb and one 27 lb Chinook) and 6 Coho up to 14 lbsLarry, Doug and Dave came in on Tuesday August 10th with something really unusual--a 25 lb Blue Shark! Doug said there was another one twice as big that got away, and that the 25 lb Blue Shark put up quite a fight. Dave remarked that Blue Shark was good eating, and when questioned further gave his recipe for Barbequed Shark:
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Dave's Barbequed SharkJohny's Seafood Seasoning Salt
Steak Seasoning
salt and pepper
Shark Fillets
Mix together seasonings and sprinkle generously on both sides of the Shark Fillets.
Rub some olive oil on the Barbeque Grill, then put the Shark Steak directly on the Grill (Slow heat... don't put the heat too high) and cook for about 20 minutes.
Pour a little melted butter on top before serving.
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Now that he had been fishing here a few days, Larry was asked his opinion of fishing in Tahsis. Larry said:
"Best place I've ever fished!"
Dave Camp commented:
"The Fishing is absolutely fabulous"
Record 217 lb Halibut--Folks, don't try this at home!
Gerrod Follmar, Wayne "Wino" Parkey, Don Gibson of Inlet Charters and Bob "Rhino" Parker with record 217 HalibutJarrod Follmar of Los Gatos, Wayne "Wino" Parkey of Roseburg Oregon, Don Gibson of Inlet Charters, Tahsis and Bob "Rhino" Parker of Fresno California came in with record 217 Halibut and a lot of Springs. They were out on "Nibbles", Don Gibson's Bayliner and assited by the "Osprey", an Alamar 20 footer.
Folks, don't try this at home, Gerrod used 50 lb test, took 2 hours and needed the assistance of another boat to bring this baby in! When asked to comment on his day, Gerrod said:
"I'm tired"
The uglier the fish, the better they taste...
Doug Dow of Olympia Washington, Dave Camp of Olympia Washington and Larry Webdell of Cool, California Doug Dow of Olympia Washington, Dave Camp of Olympia Washington, California and Larry Webdell of Cool, California went out on a 26' Sea Swirl-Striper and came back with 2 Halibut 64 and 77 lbs, a huge Ling Cod of 37-1/2' and Springs at 24, 26 and 30 lb.
When asked what his boat's name was, Larry replied:
"I go through boats so fast I don't have time to name them"
Larry and his crew really like the fishing so far, and will be here all week.
Larry Webdell with his 37-1/2 lb Ling Cod, the record so far this year at Westview MarinaLarry, I hear the uglier the fish, the better they taste...
Fisherman from Spruce Grove Alberta catches record Coho
Andrew Warwick from Spruce Grove Alberta with this year's record 20-3/4 lb CohoAndrew Warwick with this year's record 20-3/4 lb Coho, caught at Low Rock on August 8th while out on a charter with his father and 2 brothers.
Peter, Nathan, Andrew and Dave Warwick all from Spuce Grove Alberta with Tahsis Guide Jim Pook
Westview Marina serves blue ice cream
This little girl's favorite ice cream flavour from Westview Marina is "Birthday Cake"... as the evidence suggests, it is blue in color!
Outstanding!
Bob Sage with his 84 lb Halibut on the Westview Marina Halibut ScaleBob Sage and Scott Hubert left at 7:00 AM and came back with a 70 lb and 84 lb Halibut, 1 Yelloweye, and 18 lb Ling Cod and 3 Chinook, the biggest 30-1/2 lbs. They were fishing on My Harley, a Campion 24 footer. They mooched for the Salmon and jigged for the Halibut and Yelloweye, all caught on the Outside near 6 Mile Reef. Bob's comment about fishing in Tahsis: "Outstanding!"
Bob Sage and Scott Hubert with a 70 lb and 84 lb Halibut, 1 Yelloweye, an 18 lb Ling Cod and 3 Chinook
Another good day!
From left to right: Bob Garden, Zaheed Rhentulla of Calgary, Shane "Madman" Bradley and Ken BradleyZaheed and Shane have another successful fishing day August 7th on the Lipripper, a 22 foot WellCraft. This time their top weights were for a 29-1/2 lb Chinook and a 11-1/2 Coho!
Ontario woman catches 16-1/2 lb Coho
Susan Ferguson from Manitouwadge Ontario shows off her 16-1/2 lb Coho, caught on August 7th when out on a charter with her family and local guide Jim Pook
A good day!
From left to right: Nada Leen of Calgary, Zaheed Rhentulla of Calgary and Shane (Madman) Bradley, a guide from Coquitlam went out on the Lipripper, a 22 foot WellCraft.Nada, Zaheed and Shane had a great day on Friday August 6th fishing Rosa, Ferrier and off shore. They caught 6 Chinooks ranging from 12 to 26-1/2 lbs and 6 Coho from 8 to 12 lbs.
Zaheed commented: "Shane is a fishing genius!"
Build it and they will come: First Tall Ships in 100 years visit Tahsis
Cathy Daynes of Westview Marina stands on her new Tall Ship dock, built this summer to accommodate the first Tall Ships to visit Tahsis in 100 years. In the background is the second Tall Ship to arrive, the HMCS Oriole from VictoriaCathy Daynes and staff built the new Tall Ship Dock just in time for the SSV Robert C. Seamans' visit from July 25th to July 28th. Now the HMCS Oriole from Victoria is docked at the marina until 0600 hours on Thursday August 6th, when they are off to Tofina, Port Alberni, then back to Victoria their home base.
The HMCS Oriole at the Tall Ship dock at Westview Marina, TahsisCathy talked to Captain Steve Tarrant of the SSV Robert C. Seamans on the morning of the 28th before they left.
"He said regardless of if he would be on board the next time the ship came up the coast, he would highly recommend that they make the the trip to Tahsis. They had a great time!"
At 1800 hours the HMCS Oriole received a visit from a delegation of 2 from the Tahsis Art Society... Director Alice Thompson and musician Willdeve. Following the tradition established by Chief Maquinna in 1778 who greeted the first Tall Ship to visit the West Coast of North America with hospitality and song,Willdeve greeted Captain Lieutenant Commander Gary Davis and crew with her original songs "The Swans of Tahsis".
Willdeve performs her original song, "The Swans of Tahsis" for (right to left) Josiane DesAutels of Saint-Hyathince Quebec, Captain Gary Davis of Victoria, Eric Flanagan of Winnipeg, Alan Douchette from Newfoundland and Carlos Flores from VictoriaWilldeve went on to play her ballad on the meeting of the Mowachat band and the crew of the Resolution in 1778, and favorites such as "Bobby McGee" and "House of the Rising Sun". The Captain brought out his banjo, and joined Willdeve in an enthusiastic playing of 'I want to go Home'.. something of a theme song for their ship, which is used to train new recruits, officers and non-commisioned officers for the Canadian Navy. More crew members joined in with improvised instruments from the ship's mess, and small instruments supplied by Willdeve.
Captain Gary Davis of Victoria plays his banjo in an impromptu jam session
Jamming on the HMCS Oriole... Willdeve on Guitar, Alan Douchette (partly hidden) on mess hall spoons, Carlos Flores and Eric Flanagan on shakers and Captain Gary Davis on banjo 
Willdeve performs her Ballad of the meeting of Captain Cook and the Chief Maquinna in 1778 The HMCS Oriole is the oldest commisioned ship in the Navy at 83 years, commissioned in 1952. There is actually a book about the HMCS Oriole called "The People's Boat HMCS Oriole: Ship of a Thousand Dreams" by author Shirley Hewett. See the website on the book for more information about this ship's fascinating history before and after it was commandeered for service in the Canadian Navy during WWII.
http://www.heritagehouse.ca/press_releases/peoplesboat2003.htmMore Information about the Oriole can also be found on the official Navy website:
http://www.navy.gc.ca/oriole/This voyage of the HMCS Oriole is an outreach voyage to recruit young people to the Canadian Navy, and to visit all the small communities up and down the coast of BC, Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii.
Captain Lieutenant Commander Gary Davis said they have had many memorable adventures on this voyage, and some of the most memorable was a 4 to 5 day visit to Haida community on Haida Gwaii, and a feast put on for them at Prince Rupert by the family of a crew member.. though the captain remarked that "Smoked Sea Lion is an acquired taste".
Musical Mariners entertain Westview deck crowd
Teniya Morelli (left) and Steve Starkey entertain crowd on Westview Marina dock Shirley & Bruce Morelli have been coming up from Spokane Washington to fish for years, so when Shirley mentioned to Cathy Daynes that her son Teniya and friend steve Starkey were with them with their sound equipment, it was only natural that Cathy put them to work entertaining her customers.
The Musical Mariner's performing alternative country at the Westview Marina in TahsisSteve and Teniya are the "Musical Mariners" performing alternative country music, and they were very much enjoyed by the crowd out on the deck. Steve and Teniya played from 6 to 9 both Friday and Saturday, and were so well received, that Marina staff had to pull most the tables & chairs out of the Marina Cantina restaurant out to the deck, so dining patrons could listen to them!
First Tall Ship in 100 years to visit Tahsis docks at Westview Marina
The Tahsis Art Society put on an
"Edge of the West" CoffeeHouse in celebration of the first Tall Ship to visit Tahsis since the turn of the 19th Century. The Tall Ship orginated from the Sea Education Association in Massachusetts. The voyage is part of a training progam for Oceanography students. The Tall Ship SSV Robert C. Seamans docked at Westview Marina on Sunday July 25th in the evening, and students and crew started leave on Monday.
According to Cathy Daynes, the owner of Westview Marina, there was no suitable dock for a Tall Ship in Tahsis when she was first put in touch with Captain Tarrant by e-mail.
"The Government dock was too high, the lower section was too short, the Cruise Ship dock on Doman's property was too high."
Finally, since this was the 2nd inquiry from a Tall Ship recieved this summer, Cathy moved up plans to built additional moorage space, and added additional docks in a section of the Marina which had the proper depth to accommodate a Tall Ship.
Captain Steve Tarrant and students on the deck of the SSV Robert C. SeamansTahsis Art Society representative Alice Thompson met Captain Steve Tarrant the day before the CoffeeHouse to interview him for her Tahsis BC Blog. Captain Tarrant commented about their visit to Tahsis:
"A beautiful tour, people (in Tahsis) have been incredibly friendly and hospitable. Sharon (Armella from Village of Tahsis) and Cathy (Cathy Daynes of Westview Marina) helped enormously to find a place where we could tie up. Finally they (Westview Marina) built their new dock ahead of schedule for us."
"It's a great opportunity to have a wilderness experience and relax, meet local folk, walk around the town. The students need some downtime... It's a great program but very intensive, and (they) need a break."
Steve Tarrant went on to say they had also been to Skung Gwaii this trip, and visited a Haida Heritage site. He went on to comment about the Nootka Sound and Tahsis Inlet waters:
"Such a beautiful area, just great for oceanography, geological and geological and geo chemical research. We have done current, density and oxygen measurement, and we have a Chirp to give a profile of the ocean bottom. The rest of the time the students are swabbing the decks and doing all the maintenance that comes with a traditional sailing ship. Over the course of the voyage, the students take over all the ship functions and scientific research."
The Captain Crew and students gave an open house and tour of their ship Tuesday evening to the public from 5 to 7, then came up to the coffeehouse given in honor of their visit. Captain Tarrant entertained the crowd of Tahsis locals, fellow crew and visitors to a collection of traditional Sea Shanties. His crew of students performed the returns to the Shanties, and student member Meagan Kallman of New Hampshire also performed several Sea Shanties.
Captain Steven Tarrant performing Traditional Sea Shanties 
Students from the ship, Tahsis locals and visitors listen to the performanceThis was the 2nd CoffeeHouse put on by the Tahsis Art Society since the Sacred Ground Coffee House was finished and the Tahsis Art Trail CoffeeHouse on the July long weekend was held.
Student Meagan Kallman of New Hampshire (on the stool beside Captain Tarrant) sings several more Sea ShantiesLocal musicians
Conibear,
Roy and Juanita DuLong and
Willdeve finished several original songs in time for the CoffeeHouse, and the audience of 50 people was treated to Willdeve's first public performance of her Tahsis BBQ song and her ballad on the meeting of Captain Cook and the Mowachaht/Muchalaht tribe at Friendly Cove in 1778. Willdeve also performed her song on
"The Swans of Tahsis", and several folk favorites.
Willdeve performing the "Tahsis BBQ Song"
Conibear performed the first public showing of her song "Tropical Breeze" and many folk favorites. Roy and Juanita Dulong performed the first public performance of their song
"Come home with me and live by the sea", a song inspired by their personal story of how they came to move to Tahsis, Juanita's childhood home, from Nova Scotia.
Juanita DuLong, Roy Dulong and Debra Conibear Roy went on to perform several instrumentals and traditional country songs, including "Paper Roses" where the audience joined in for the Chorus.
Ray Richards performs several lively prarie songs, and some Shanties from Nova Scotia Ray Richards of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is visiting his brother who had moved out to Tahsis. Ray performed a rousing rendition of several songs from the Prairies, the most notable and humorous one about a destitute Saskatchewan Farmer who decides to become a pirate on the rivers of the prairies.
When Ray asked if anyone locally knew the meaning of the name Saskatchewan, local Alex Wright called out: "It is a First Nations name for "Place where no man can jump to his death", which received a roar of laughter from the Crowd.
a student from the ship performs several pieces by Pearl JamOther notable performances from visitors to Tahsis were several songs by Pearl Jam performed by another student from the ship, and several Italian songs performed on the mandolin by Burl from Oregon. Burl and his wife Abigail have been in Tahsis since mid June as their boat developed problems and the motor is currently being repaired in Campbell River... however, Burl mentioned how much he and his wife have enjoying being stranded here!
A stranded boater performs on the MandolinAt the end of the evening Captain Tarrant said the ship was leaving for San Francisco at 700 Hours the next morning, and that while this was their first voyage up the coast to Tahsis, when the ship did it's next training voyage up the coast two years from now, he expected to be coming back up to tahsis.
Alice Thompson, who co-hosted the evening with Debra Conibear and Willdeve, said many locals had mentioned to her how nice it was to see the young people from the ship wandering around the town the last few days, and to see the masts of the Tall Ship at the Marina, and the Ship and students would be missed after they left for the next stage of their voyage.
