Do you have a maritime memory or a salty story to share? To celebrate our 70th birthday on April 18, we’re collecting seventy maritime memories to showcase in a virtual storyboard.
MMBC staff shared their salty stories below! Read more about how to submit yours here:
Scottie Bay on Lasqueti Island
by Donna Livingstone
I grew up in Scottie Bay, on Lasqueti Island and have carried that view with me everywhere. I can draw it in my sleep. When you spend time on an island – for a weekend, a summer, or a long hard-working life, you become a player in the island’s history. You know where to beachcomb after a heavy storm, you watch the forgiving tide come in and hide the dark rocks and barnacles. The memory of that stays with you like a hook in your cheek and never quite releases.
Breakwater Sail Past
by Anya Zanko
In 2022, my husband was on a training sail in the RCN aboard a Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel (MCDV) on Remembrance Day. I got news that there would be a special Sail Past at the Ogden Point Breakwater, of all the MCDVs out on this particular sail. I had the statutory holiday off work, so after the Cenotaph ceremony downtown, I hiked to the Breakwater Cafe for a shaft and nacho lunch, to await the vessels.
As I perched by the window with my bill paid, searching the intensely foggy and rainy horizon for ships, it became clear that everyone else in the Cafe was doing the exact same thing.
When we did finally spot the first MCDV, a group of us took off at a sprint along the breakwater to its end–it was me, and a group of moms of some of the naval servicemembers! The rain poured as we stood along the railing, waving at each ship as it passed by, searching for the ship number we knew our person was on.
Cadboro Bay
by Phoebe Levert
I feel very lucky to be able to call Cadboro Bay my home for over 20 years. Growing up on the island and being so close to the water has been such a positive experience, and now I don’t know if I’ll be able to live anywhere without the ocean nearby! It’s been a source of healing, peace, and calmness for me, and regardless of the weather, Gyro Beach will never cease to amaze me with its beauty!
Two years ago I made it a goal to do an ocean swim once a month, and it was one of the best decisions I’d ever made. To be honest, the dread of getting in the cold water never got any easier over the course of 12 months, but the euphoric feeling afterwards was indescribable, and I never regretted going in after I was done. The support and connections made from complete strangers was also a plus! At times there would be fellow beach visitors cheering, asking me questions, or just giving me a thumbs up, and it was a great motivation in the cold winter months.
I found Telegraph Bay to be the perfect place to go each month, and although it was difficult, the chill of being in the cold water became meditative, the feeling of the waves became familiar, and I was able to reignite my love for the water, the island, and the Cadboro Bay community.
Sea to Sky
by Lauren Jackson
The drive never gets old. In the snow, in the rain, in the fog, in the sun – my little Ontario heart can’t believe you can go from the ocean to the mountains and back down again in one day. I don’t remember the first time I drove the Sea to Sky, but every time I take that first big turn and the Howe Sound is revealed to me again, I can’t help but smile and think–how lucky am I.
What is a Maritime Memory?
Any story that connects you to a maritime experience.
We are accepting submissions of:
- A written story that will be displayed as text
- A poem, short quote, or recipe
- A photo or photo series that recalls a memory or displays an important object
- An artwork or performance about a memory
- A video of the memory or referencing the memory
Make sure to submit yours by April 10, 2025!
