A one-day return trip from the lower mainland to Victoria had us leaving North Vancouver about 5:30 am. That put us in the Tsawwassen terminal early enough to confirm our reservation for the 7 am ferry. We boarded a Spirit Class vessel, one of two ships built in BC about 30 years ago.

S-Class ferries, the province’s largest, have capacity for about 350 cars and 2,100 passengers. These ships were re-engined and renovated a few years ago so, despite their age, they are comfortably modern. Our return was on the 9 pm ferry from Swartz Bay.

BC Ferries eliminated the Pacific Buffet service a few years ago so we tried breakfast in the cafeteria. That was a mistake. Who likes barely warm scrambled eggs and cold bacon cooked long before service? Or bread that might have been toasted hours before it received a modest swipe of margarine?

The small packages of Kraft jam reminded me of a story about making a drink that was James Bond’s favourite. Directions said to pass the vermouth in front of a gin bottle. Rays of light would transfer sufficient vermouth to the other liquor and make it ready for a perfect dry martini. I think Kraft does the same for strawberry jam. They hold a strawberry over sweet red gel and presume that light will transfer sufficient flavor to make it jam.

In a simple summary, the BC Ferry food was not good, but it was expensive. In the future, we’ll have coffee on the ship and get a proper meal in one of Victoria’s many great breakfast cafes.