Saanich Inlet {48° 37' N 123° 30' W} frames the west side of the Saanich Peninsula on Southeast Vancouver Island. Approximately 12 miles in length, the waterway lies in a north-south direction. The widest portion narrows after eight miles, turns to starboard, and becomes Squally Reach. In a mile and a half, Squally Reach turns hard to port and becomes, even narrower, Finlayson Arm. Finally, Finlayson Arm ends in drying flats of the Goldstream River. The inlet's shoreline is irregular. Along the eastern shore are indentations which form Deep Cove, Patricia Bay, Coles Bay, Thomson Cove, Brentwood Bay, Tod Inlet, and McKenzie Bight. On the western shore is the notch of Mill Bay.

We first visited Saanich Inlet by car while on our honeymoon in July, 1963. After reading about the Brentwood Inn, we had chosen it as our hide-away destination. After ten days in this picturesque waterfront community, located less than 20 land miles from Victoria we had discovered many of the attractions that have made Saanich Inlet a favored boating destination since that time.

Covering the hillside, approximately seven miles into Saanich Inlet, is the community of Brentwood Bay. Thirty eight years ago, Brentwood Bay was a very sleepy residential village with just enough marinas and waterfront businesses to satisfy the wishes of local residents and a relatively small number of tourists.

Butchart Gardens, nearby, was already well-established with its magnificent flowers posing for visitors from around the world. On the shore to the north, the Mill Bay ferry came and went, quietly sliding into its berth after traversing the route from the western shore of Saanich Inlet. Children could be heard laughing as they fished from the small government float, adjacent to the ferry landing, trying their luck for anything with fins and tail. To the south, a second government wharf provided moorage, as did marinas at Brentwood Inn and Anglers Anchorage. A custom-pack fish cannery was also in the neighborhood. Colorful, hand-painted signs extolled the advantages of renting fishing boats and/or hiring guides from businesses located north of the landing. Above it all permeated a peaceful, yet expectant atmosphere emanating from the residents and businesses whose life blood depended upon the fickleness of the recreational salmon fishing industry. During a good year, Saanich Inlet's reputation for record size Saanich Inlet salmon was, and still is, known for miles around.

Our haven, the Brentwood Inn, was a quiet place set on the hillside. The rooms faced west and the afternoon sun shone through the orange-red curtains, illuminating the room's interior. I can still recall the feeling of warmth created by the sun's rays seeping through those curtains. At the edge of the front lawn, steps led down the bank to a long, rickety wharf on pilings. Rows of seagulls stood at attention, lining the white spotted railings, seemingly staring down each other across the narrow planks. Finally, at the foot of the ramp, was a configuration of moorage floats. Overlooking this tranquil scene was the inn's dining room, with its house specialties of roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and steak and kidney pies. On the first floor, underneath the dining room, was a recreation room where we engaged in fierce battles over the ping pong table. Our view was across the inlet down long, rugged, steep-sided Squally Reach. We could also see the western shore and the landmark, smoke-billowing stacks at Bamberton's Ocean Cement Company. Clocks could be set by the arrival and departure of the work boat which, at the end of each shift, ferried Bamberton workers to and from the government float and their homes on the Brentwood Bay hillside.

Although the pool has been gone for many years, there had been a swimming pool across the street. After swims we meandered along the road, puzzling about the strange, helter skelter positions of the rural mail boxes. While perched on their posts, the tops swiveled from front to side so that people could easily tell whenever the box held cargo. It was on one such walk that we encountered a flower stand in someone's front yard. The aroma of sweet peas filled the air and, next to the bundles on display, was a cigar box in which to place the money. Nearby, we saw a sign advertising homemade pies. We were invited in by a delightful lady and savored apple pie a la mode while sitting at her kitchen table. It is no wonder that we fell in love with Brentwood Bay and its people.

Even on that first visit, we had the urge to explore by boat. After borrowing the inn's skiff, we had picked a picnic site and had rowed across to a rocky point of land. Another excursion occurred on a chilly morning at dawn. We rented a single cylinder fishing boat and chugged out to the fabled fishing grounds. I can still remember trying one lure after another while circling Senanus Island, the site of an old Indian burial ground. We had been told the secret of putting a lead weight into a nylon stocking to achieve more depth, but the salmon were still too smart for us.

Before our holiday was over, we found ourselves contacting a local Realtor to inquire about the availability of waterfront property along Saanich Inlet. There was a listing of an estate owned by an elderly lady. It was especially tempting because the view was also across to Squally Reach. When reality set in, we realized that, as reasonably priced as it seemed at the time, a newly wed couple with jobs in California simply did not have the resources or the opportunity to afford such a dream.

By 1967 we had moved to Anacortes, and were the owners of our first boat. It was a 20" Fiberform, perfect for visiting the San Juans en route to Saanich Inlet. Aboard the "Pink Champagne", we made many excursions. On one such trip, after lunching at Brentwood Inn, I inquired about finding a good, safe place to anchor. The response was, "You mean you haven't been to Tod Inlet?" Not only was Tod Inlet just around the corner, it turned out to be a serene, peaceful pool of water nearly surrounded by hillsides whose evergreens dipped their branches into the water. On the chart, this mile-and-a-half-long inlet resembles a crooked finger. Click on chart for larger view Near the entrance, is Butchart Bay, site of buoys and a dinghy float belonging to Butchart Gardens. Anchorage is not possible in the narrow neck that forms the entry passage. After the turn, however, excellent, good-holding anchorage is found in a basin with depths of 15-30 feet. From our anchorage we could see fountains spraying water at Butchart and watch the occasional pleasure boat peek it's bow around the corner to investigate. We would while away the hours reading and playing cards, using the top of the inboard-outboard as our table. One night, as winds from a strong storm funneled through the bay, we became convinced that the Tod Inlet anchorage was secure indeed.

Another time in Tod Inlet, we moored in Butchart Bay. For years, buoys have been available for overnight moorage. Earlier, they were large barrels that challenged our engineering skills. Our 1982 log reads, "We discovered that these large buoys require a tie through the ring with a long line from bow to stern, or bow to mid-ships. After fenders are secured between the boat and the buoy, tighten the line to keep the boat and the buoy snugly held together. This will prevent being awakened at night by the banging of the bow against the barrel." Today there are four, regular-size buoys available, and a dinghy float gives access to the gardens. It is also possible to anchor in Tod Inlet and dinghy to the dinghy dock.

Click on picture for larger view The history of Butchart Gardens, once the site of a limestone quarry, was intriguing to me. I can trace this interest to the late 1950's when I worked at Roche Harbor Resort, the site of another limestone quarry. I had seen a bleak, deserted quarry which had been carved out of San Juan Island hillside and we teenagers had even taken a dip in the pool at the bottom (along with the crawdads). During that time, I read the history of Roche Harbor Lime and Cement Company, including highlights about its founding family, the McMillans. They were close friends of the Butcharts, and pictures showed them on their yacht, taking frequent cruises across Haro Strait to visit.

Click on picture for larger view Butchart's story began in 1904 when Robert Pim Butchart built his home and factory at the site of the rich limestone deposits. As years passed, and the quarry near their home was exhausted, Jenny Butchart conceived of a plan to refurbish the ugly pit that remained. Tons of top soil, brought by horse and cart, were requisitioned from neighboring farm lands and used to line the floor of the abandoned quarry. Little by little, the pit became transformed into the Sunken Garden. Mr. Butchart added his touch by collecting ornamental birds to fly among the ravishing flowers. He trained pigeons, added ducks in the Star Pond, noisy peacocks on the front lawn, and a parrot in the main house. By 1908, reflecting their own world travels, the Butcharts planted a Japanese Garden to grace the hillside above the cove, and later constructed the symmetrical Italian Garden. The remarkable Rose Garden replaced a large kitchen vegetable patch. Today, more than 6,500 roses are grown, including more than 150 varieties of hybrid teas and floribunda roses with early July as the peak of the rose season. Also located in the Rose Garden is the Wishing Well. It was transported from Italy, as was the marble fountain located on the main lawn. In the early years, as the gardens thrived, the Butchart's house became a comfortable show place with a bowling alley, indoor salt-water swimming pool, billiard room, and a self-playing Aeolian pipe organ. Through the years residence has become a restaurant, office building, and quarters used for private entertaining. The gardens have an international reputation for their continuous display of flowering plants. Each year approximately 1,000,000 bedding plants in some 700 varieties are planted to ensure uninterrupted bloom from March through October. The gardens are open all year and have different displays to correspond with the climate of each season.

Click on picture for larger view Years ago, in a gesture directed toward all their visitors, the hospitable Butcharts christened their estate "Benvenuto", the Italian for "Welcome". We have indeed felt welcome, and have visited the gardens several times, purposely planning our stays to include both daylight and evening hours. The night illumination transforms the acreage into a fairy land, and the Saturday (July and August) fireworks and evening entertainments are impressive. As an example, we can still remember viewing an outstanding live stage performance of "Up, Up With People" on a balmy summer evening in the early 1970's.

Although the factory stopped manufacturing cement in 1916, it continued to make tiles and flower pots as late as 1950. Mr. and Mrs. Butchart died in 1943 and 1950 respectively, their two daughters in 1971 and 1972. The gardens remain the property of their family.

A 2002 cruise down Saanich Inlet to Tod Inlet is sure to be just as pleasurable an experience today. You will note the condominium developments on the Brentwood Bay hillside and changes that will most likely be underway at the site of the Brentwood Inn. The resort was closed last year, and the property acquired with plans to open a high-end resort hotel and marina development. That will be quite a change from the motel-like units with their orange curtains.

Along with your Tod Inlet anchorage, you could spend several days in the area with stops at Deep Cove Marina 250-656-0060, Anglers Anchorage Marina at Brentwood Bay, 250-652-3532, Goldstream Boathouse (Finlayson Arm) 250-250-478-4407, and Mill Bay Marina 250-743-4112 on the west shore. At Mill Bay, a shopping center with a large grocery is conveniently located nearby. From some moorages it is also possible to take the bus into Victoria to see the sights. For more details about these marinas, see pages 104 and 105, Chapter 8, in the 2002 edition of Northwest Boat Travel Guide.

Click to view on-line Chapter 8

Because of its close proximity to Victoria, Saanich Inlet has seen a great deal of change in recent years. However, the steep hillsides on the western shore and down Squally Reach may always make the area retain a wilderness quality. Now, when we visit, we enjoy speculating as to which waterfront property was the one the Real Estate broker described as an "Estate For Sale" when we first inquired about purchasing property during our honeymoon visit in 1963. I wonder how our lives would have been different if we had moved to Canada, and made our home on Saanich Inlet?

© 2002 Northwest Boat Travel - All rights reserved.