Fire and brimstone there wasn’t. Still, attending church on so-called "Little Hell" held a certain burning irony, especially as Mayne Island’s Anglican community had named their house of worship after Christendom’s penitent prostitute, Saint Mary Magdalene.
On this summer day, a warm red glow infused the church interior as sunshine poured through a large, circular rose window.
I had come here more out of curiosity than devotion. A century ago in 1901, explorer and author Warburton Pike gave a 180-kilogram boulder that he found on nearby Saturna Island to St. Mary Magdalene Church for use as a baptismal font.
It wasn’t his first such ecclesiastical gesture. Five years earlier, Pike had donated land on Mayne Island for the church. The sandstone marvel, consecrated on Easter Sunday, 1901, stands mounted on a cruciform pedestal inside the entrance to the church. Although sandstone formations characterize shorelines throughout the southern Gulf Islands, this boulder was unlike any I’d ever seen. Imbedded pebbles necklaced its base while its top was neatly defined by four wave-sculpted indentations, each as big as my cupped hands.
St. Mary Magdalene Church sits on a hillside in Miners Bay, Mayne Island’s modest commercial hub, a 15-minute bike ride from the ferry slip at nearby Village Bay. You don’t need to attend a service in order to view the font, though you’ll certainly find yourself made welcome if you do. Perhaps you’d prefer to simply sit outdoors under a spreading arbutus tree and watch the parade of boats through Active Pass.
The cliffs of Galiano Island’s Bluff Park rise up on the north side of Active Pass, best viewed from the federal dock on Miners Bay beside the Springwater Lodge, the province’s oldest operating hotel. During the prohibition era, Mayne acquired a reputation as "Little Hell" because of the tolerance accorded public consumption of alcohol by its citizenry – the other islands in the gulf chain were "dry." Despite dire railings that rained from the pulpit over at St. Mary Magdalene Church, nothing dampened this spirit of tolerance.
These days the scent of cannabis is frequently carried on island breezes, a signal that prohibition is as futile now as ever. I caught a few such gusts during a recent cycle tour of Mayne Island. Fortunately, most were at my back. Of all the southern Gulf Islands, Mayne is best suited for exploration by bike. Its hills are much less daunting than on Galiano and its roads far less trafficked than on busy Saltspring. You could circle Mayne in the course of a day trip, although I recommend that you extend your visit over at least one night in order to fully savour the experience. That way you can let elements of chance discovery influence the pace of your journey, such as a impromptu visit to the Mayne Island Glass Foundry, one of three art galleries near the new Georgina Point Heritage Park on the northeastern tip of the island. Whimsical moulded starfish and slugs line the pathway to Mark Lauckner’s glass studio.
The park’s centrepiece is the Active Pass lighthouse. Automated in the 1990s, the light keeper’s home is now used for public functions. What remains undiminished is the panoramic view across the Strait of Georgia. With the aid of binoculars you can easily pick out the Wall Centre in downtown Vancouver.
A simple system of roads traces the island’s amoeboid-shaped coastline. On arrival, pick up a map and visitor guide at the real estate agency beside the ferry dock at Village Bay. A specialized guide with a detailed road map is also published by the local arts and crafts association. If you’re looking for the best beach, make your way to Bennett Bay on the southeast corner of the island, seven kilometres south of the ferry dock via Fernhill Road that cuts through the middle of Mayne from Miners Bay. Along the way you’ll pass the entrance to Mount Parke Regional Park, one of several new protected areas on the island. It’s a strenuous 45-minute hike to the top but well worth it for the Gulf Island geography lesson provided at the summit’s viewpoint. (Note: Cyclists must leave their bikes at the trailhead rack on Montrose Road.)
By far the most impressive new park on Mayne is at Bennett Bay. This provincial park is part of the Pacific Marine Heritage Legacy, a fledgling national park that’s gradually being assembled through a joint five-year initiative of the federal and B.C. governments. After a cross-island ride this is the perfect place to leave your bike and explore the beach and nearby Campbell Point (called Wilkes Point locally after the family that once owned it) on foot. I welcome opportunities like this, particularly if I’m cycling with friends as it’s hard to socialize and pedal at the same time. Now’s the chance to chat while following the gentle trail that leads out to the point through a forest in which the boughs of ramrod-straight fir and loosey-goosey arbutus dance around each other.
From Campbell Point you can visualize how stampeders in the 1850s would row across the strait from here to Point Roberts on their way to the Cariboo gold fields. In colonial times prospectors streamed into Victoria from around the world, then leapfrogged from Vancouver Island to Miners Bay and from there to the Lower Mainland. Unlike today’s ramblers, they must have been in one hell of a hurry.
Travel Notes: When it comes time to rest your head (not to mention your tender keister) there are over a dozen inns, cottages, and bed-and-breakfasts on the island, some of which provide bikes for their guests. A good place to inquire about accommodations is Canadian Gulf Islands Reservations Service, (888) 539-2930, or visit their Web site: www.gulfislandreservation.com. For information on schedules and fees on B.C. Ferries between Tsawwassen and Mayne Island, call (888) 223-3779 or visit their Web site at www.bcferries.com/. Sailing time is under two hours. Although there are no public campgrounds on Mayne, there are several private ones. For information, contact Mayne Island Kayak and Canoe Rental, (250) 539-2667, or visit their Web site at www.mayneisland.com/kayak. Reservations are recommended.
