Dreadful day weatherwise. Either that gentle soaking fine drizzle, or much harder rain. Just never stopped for most of the day.

Nevertheless, we decided to stick with our plan, such as it was, and walk around the much-vaunted village of Tofino, protected by full oilskin jackets provided by the resort. We knew that it rains a lot here, which makes it all the more mystifying why there are so many resorts in this part of the world. Must be the surfing. Or something. Dunno.

I know we weren’t seeing it at its best, but I’m really not sure what everybody was raving about. It had a certain vibe about it, I suppose, but the port area was fairly industrial and much tourist tat was in evidence.

We managed to find a café eventually, and had a coffee whilst sheltering from the relentless rain, an ambition shared by meant other people. It was rammed, but it had WiFi…..

I’d been waiting for news from Trailfinders about their efforts to get us onto an earlier ferry tomorrow, as I’m sure you’ve been following this saga very closely. Maybe. Anyway, zilch, despite my chasing them several times. We decided to give them a couple of hours before having to take matters into our own hands.

Back to the room at the resort to dry out. Still nothing from Trailfinders. This is the first time they have really let us down. I am bitterly disappointed.

I went on to the BC Ferries website to see if I could book an earlier ferry directly. The earliest available was one at 7.40 am. However, after going through the laborious process of booking a reservation, I was told that there were no spaces available. We had no other option but to go for the 6.25 am ferry, which I managed successfully. What a time to have to sail, when it could have been managed so much better.

Next step was to book a hotel near the terminal in Nanaimo. This proved an easier proposition, but again it puts me seriously out of pocket. It also means we had to check out of the resort a day early, so that’s a night’s booking lost. I have already told Trailfinders that I will be seeking compensation. Deafening silence so far. Not at all happy.

So at about 3 pm, we set off on the three-hour journey from west to east across the island to the Buccaneer Inn in Nanaimo. The rain finally eased and the temperature rose to a tropical 20 degrees.

Got there without too much trouble, and found that it was more motel than hotel. No matter. It was in a nice spot, and only two minutes’ drive to the ferry terminal.

The receptionist pointed us to a local restaurant, but when we got there, they weren’t taking bookings for some reason. We eventually found a rather downbeat pub, which at least served beer and nachos. Nice walk down there and a rainbow on the way back.

Back to the Buccaneer Inn for what should be a short night’s sleep, as we will have to be up at 5 am. Horrors.