A Shimmer on the Horizon

Ted Thring is a book reviewer for the Queen’s University radio
station.

A Shimmer on the Horizon is a romantic tale of a man and a woman in two
small sailboats who spend a summer cruising together in the Straight of
Georgia. Departing form the port of Oak Bay on Vancouver Island, they
range as far north as Bute Inlet, visiting many small islands along the
way. Despite a few misadventures, it is an idyllic voyage.

The author is an experienced sailor. On his 18-foot sloop, Galadriel,
which he built himself, he has made many solo voyages in these waters
over the past 30 years and has written extensively about them. His
companion, Mary, sails Aiaia, a 20-foot fibreglass sloop. She makes up
for her limited sailing experience with boundless enthusiasm and a
cheerful outlook. Blessed by favorable winds and weather, the couple
move as they wish, gunkholing into small, secluded harbors in which
their shoal-draft boats can anchor, but where larger vessels cannot
intrude. When they find a place they like, they remain for days,
exploring the countryside and meeting the inhabitants. Their most
northerly landfall is Sonorar Island. Then begins the long slog back to
Oak Bay. They experience strong following winds and heavy seas but
eventually arrive safely home.

Numerous sketches by the author enhance the text. The book also
includes reproductions of the Canadian Hydrographic Service chart
showing the couple’s route. Unfortunately, the small size of the book
makes the chart all but illegible. Readers wishing to follow the route
would have to obtain a full-scale chart.