For many years Swiftsure has been a key spring event in Victoria. Enthusiasts are gathering at various locations up and down the coast to watch this great event. Depending on the time of day and the wind, boats can be seen right from the Sooke Harbour House or can be followed at numerous beaches minutes from here.
We invite everyone who is coming out to watch the race to stop by and visit us. Our Art gallery is open daily, our gardens are a perfect place to be in on a nice day and, of course, our OCEAN VIEW DINING ROOM is open for dinner. Visit us on Saturday, May 26th and enjoy the essential West Coast: Ocean, Boats, Wind, Sun, Food and a company of good friends!

About the race ( from www.swiftsure.org) :

With the start of the 2012 Swiftsure set for 10am this Saturday, skippers and crew are in high gear making final changes and checking safety gear and rigs. Boats’ bottoms are being scrubbed, food prepared and sail choices nailed down.

What and where

On Thursday and Friday this week you can soak up the excitement in the inner harbour as 185 boats carrying thousands of sailors and support crew descend on Victoria. The public beer garden will be open at Ship Point from 2 to 11pm both days and Funner Inflatableswill be set up for kids.  HMCS Oriole will be open for guided tours, as will the 70 ft. racing yacht Westerly. Come and check them out, everyone is welcome.

As the boats blast off at 10am on Saturday, you can watch them jockeying for position over the start line from Clover Point.  100.3 The Q and The Zone @ 91-3, will be broadcasting live from the Race Committee Boat, HMCS Edmonton.  For those at Clover Point, a freshly made pancake breakfast will be available courtesy of Central Saanich Lions Club.

Who to watch

Winning boats from most major races in the Pacific Northwest will be lining up in the hopes of adding a prestigious Swiftsure trophy to their collection.  Boats to watch include My-Tai and Braveheart who took trophies from the Round Salt Spring race this weekend.  Braveheart, a TP52, holds the record of 15 hours and eight minutes for the fastest monohull in the Swiftsure Lightship Classic Race set in 2007.  The top three boats from the Oregon Offshore Race (Astoria to Victora) Kotuku, Time Bandit and Riva should also be in the running.  Other top contenders include Westerly, who recently won the Lipton Cup and Mad Max, who triumphed in the Southern Straits last month.

This year, the Swiftsure Inshore Classic will finish in Cadboro Bay, with celebrations at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club.  There is a large multihull division in the fleet which always put on a great show.  However, one of the fiercest rivalries will be the Commodores versus the ‘First Ladies’ on identical J80′s.  Commodores from Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver Yacht Clubs will race aboard Swish, and their wives aboard Joyride.

You can follow your favourite boats live in real time on the Swiftsure Race Tracker.

Visit www.swiftsure.org, Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news.

Summers spent on Galiano Island inspired a lifelong fascination with beach stones and sea glass.

Susan Koch likes to incorporate these elements in her organic silver and copper jewellery.

Beach Glass Necklace

All her pieces are hand-fabricated and one of a kind.Susan studied silversmithing in Vancouver, Victoria, San Francisco, Seattle, Mendocino, and Mexico. Susan divides her time between her small farm in the Cowichan Valley, on Vancouver island, and her cottage on Ruxton Island.

This dessert featuring four different ways of using sweet woodruff was created by our pastry chef Matthias Conradi. sweet woodruff cake, Sweet woodruff mousse, Sweet woodruff shooter with sweet woodruff anglaise and sweet woodruff foam and the fourth one was Peach sweet woodruff sorbet, walnut dacquoise with sweet woodruff syrup. Matthias likes to draw the plate of dessert as he sees it  Sweet woodruff grows very well in our certified organic garden, it is one of the first herb with delicate tiny white flowers that appears in the garden very early Spring. The beautiful sweet woodruff, Galium odoratum, is a shade gardeners delight. Fast growing, quick to establish, beautiful, white spring flowers and attractive foliage through to snow, this treasure is seldom bothered by pest or disease. Its dried foliage has a sweet scent that has been described as a fresh-cut hay and vanilla fragrance, and it is used frequently in potpourri. It even used to be used as the stuffing for the winter mattress!

Every night he creates  different desserts to accompany our four course set menu. It could also be Chocolate Four-play: Dark chocolate truffle tartlette, iced white chocolate ‘Blondie’, milk chocolate mint sorbet, dark chocolate mousse served with red wine poached pear. this dessert was paired with NV Caboose (malbec and petit verdot), King Drive Vineyard, Kettle Valley.

Four rooms every day(depending on availability) will be put aside for this “SET YOUR PRICE”  special ( limited time offer of course- do it now), please send an email to co-owner Frederique Philip at frederique@sookeharbourhouse.com with the subject SET YOUR PRICE and we will make a reservation for you. Remember one night is a tease, two nights is good , three nights feel like a long holiday. We all deserve to play hookie sometimes, the world doesn’t stop and our mental and physical health improve. We know you will be fair in your evaluation of what we bring to you!

Best Spring wishes to everyone,

Frederique Philip co-owner.

Connecting with nature is an essential part of being alive. “The tonic of wildness,” as Henry Thoreau called it, is crucial to our health and happiness. Enjoy our live beachfront entertainment; sunbathing seals, frolicking otters and visiting whales.

Remember, all of the rooms have breathtaking views*, wood-burning fireplaces, wet bars stocked with coffee, tea and cookies, port to sip by the fire, balcony or terraces and each is uniquely decorated with original art and whimsical touches.

The differences between the room types are in the size of the room, the size of the bed, and the type of hot tubs, jacuzzis or steam showers offered.

All of our rooms feature:

• Beach Front
• Spectacular Ocean Views
• Woodburning Fireplaces
• Soaker and Jetted Tubsindoor/outdoor
• Bath Robes
• Slippers
• Umbrellas
• Wireless Internet
• Free Parking

 

 

There may be no other place in the world that you will experience anything like the Sooke Harbour House guest rooms.

Each room is uniquely designed and decorated with local original art, hand crafted furniture and canadiana antiques creating ambience and truly canadian experience.

Our attention to detail is what makes staying at Sooke Harbour House more than just a night away.

	Beach Front Ocean Queen	starting from	$ 199	book now
	Beach Front Ocean King	starting from	$ 249	book now
	Beach House King	starting from	$ 319	book now
	Beach Front Ocean King Supreme	starting from	$ 349	book now
	Beach Front Ocean King Signature	starting from	$ 349	book now
	Beach Front Ocean King Deluxe	starting from	$ 349	book now
	Birds Nest Supreme King	starting from	$ 549	book now

 

The Room Map

We serve Local, Organic, Seasonal, and Wild food!

Our focus is always fresh, natural, and very local. Ingredients include: meats, such as organic rabbit , venison, bison, pork, locally raised poultry, including organically raised chickens and local duck… seafoods such as Pacific salmon, rockfish, and halibut; shellfish, including oysters, crab, and scallops. You may never have tasted seafoods this fresh – generally served the very day they are caught by local fishers.

A few notes about our restaurant:

Our Chef de Cuisine: Robin Jackson
Master Pastry Chef: Matthias Conradi

• We have extensive vegetarian and vegan options upon request.
• Our chefs will be able to accommodate your dietary restrictions should you have any, just let us know.
• Though our food standards are very high and we offer one of Canada’s best wine selections as well, we consider our dining experience to be casual and comfortable. There is no dress code.
• We offer multi-course set menus as well as a la carte selections.
  3 course menu – $59.00 per person
  4 course menu – $75.00 per person
  7 course Gastronomical Adventure – $120.00 per person 
• Our menu changes daily and is announced at approximately 4:30pm that day.
• We offer complete wine pairings for each menu as well as by the glass selection of wines that pair well with the menu items.

One of Vancouver Island’s most spectacular wedding venues, only minutes from Victoria, located in Sooke BC, right on the beach facing Olympic mountains and strait of Juan de Fuca. Our wedding location offers multiple indoor and outdoor wedding ceremony sites as well as several reception sites that will accommodate a range of groups from small intimate gathering to a large celebration.
We strive to provide you with the best and most comprehensive range of services making it easy to plan your special day. From hair and makeup, spa, flowers, food and cakes to photography, video and music all in one place.

Please proceed to our dedicated wedding website for more information.

Eloping?

Quick guide to Eloping at Sooke Harbour House

Wedding Information Package

Conferences Workshops and  Business Retreats. We are known as one of Canada most spectaculars venues It is this very attention to our region, from the Art we feature to the food we serve, that brings our guests back year after year. Located 45 minutes from Victoria, our Potlatch, Garden Room, Sun Room, or Summer Pavilion, meeting rooms are perfect for business retreats or meetings. We are offer 28 luxury rooms that are all equipped with wood burning fireplaces, soaker tubs and all the items one needs to unwind after a long day and enjoy a cozy night on the beach.

All our meeting spaces come with

• Unique design and a truly west coast ambiance
• Catering available
• Wireless internet
• Microphone
• Set up & design
• Television / DVD/VCR /Cable
• A/V equipment
• Break out rooms (Additional fee applies)

Our professional and extremely knowledgeable staff will assist you in navigating your stay to ensure you reap all the benefits of the House and the surrounding amenities. It is this very attention to our region, from the Art we feature to the food we serve, that brings our guests back year after year. With every room individually decorated and named, your experience at the Sooke Harbour House can be different with every visit or a ‘welcoming home’ upon your return.

We strive to be a full-service facility including mental and physical preparedness of your group. We have worked with a hand-picked selection of local providers to ensure that when you arrive, you have everything you need to inspire, invigorate and propel your group to new heights. Welcome to the Sooke Harbour House.

Located 45 minutes from Victoria, our Potlatch, Garden Room, Sun Room, or Summer Pavilion, meeting rooms are perfect for business retreats or meetings. Able to accommodate small groups or groups up to 145 persons, come and savour local, seasonal culinary creations complemented by award winning wine.

Go Now — scubadiving.com/canada

Dinner opens at 5:30pm, Special Local Dinners on Sundays… especially for you our local customers….3 courses $49.00 .

Sooke Harbour House, British Columbia,  on page  920

Generally the fragility of our life is something we are aware of but don’t talk about,” Schultz continues. “The title was meant to be forceful. With travel, people wait until they retire or until the kids leave. And by then, it’s too late. You wake up and you are 90. There is only one thing we are assured of in life, it’s that you will die. This encourages you to squeeze in as much travel as you can before you kick the proverbial bucket.”

Schultz decided to only include entries in the book for places she had been, which meant years of travel and research

Schultz says she hopes that her work can shift American attitudes towards travel. With the economy still weak and workers concerned about their job security, taking vacation time can feel risky or excessive. But, Schultz says, we only have one life, and it is worth using it to see the world.

“If you really want it to happen, you make it happen. You don’t need a new flat screen every two years. You don’t need new car every ten years. People lock themselves into routines, and what they end up seeing of the world is so small and limited.  I think its about priorities. I can’t tell you how many times I rented out my apartment, sometimes for two weeks or a month at a time. I did not have a sofa for years, because I was never home to sit on it. My priority was to buy an air ticket to get me almost anywhere. If you do your homework, there’s no reason you can’t find a cheap hotel and make inexpensive trips happen.”

Read more: http://entertainment.time.com/2011/12/13/1000-places-to-see-before-you-die-traveling-to-stay-alive/#ixzz1p8vN1DRS

email us: info@sookeharbourhouse, phone 250 642 3421, just drop in we will have your paradise ready for you for  a few hours anytime of the day or evening! shh! it will be our secret. $ 20.00 an hour plus services, a luxurious “napatorium” awaits you. Spread the word……

If you don’t like to be alone, bring your girlfriends and make it a special party for laughter, spa treatments and so much more; room service maybe? For a group of 4 : $40.00 an hour plus services.

The best for you and your pets awaits you at Sooke Harbour House from fine dining to organic pet treats

….from romantic walks on the beach to a great place to discover an unlimited supply of sticks

….from ocean-front accommodation with fireplaces and soaker tubs for two to pet beds and blankets

…from our extensive library of literary treasures to the canine favourite of “50 Best Local Walks”

…we’ve got all the ingredients for an unforgettable getaway for you and your little or large loved ones.