the BC Ferry boat Quadra Queen II, sailing between Quadra Island and Cortes Island...traveling at 12 knots, the trip takes 45 minutes...in the background are the Discovery Islands, behind which loom the Coast Mountains on the BC mainland

the dominant peak, above the ship's funnel, is named Sir Francis Drake, after the English captain who explored the west coast during the late 16th century...whether he sailed this far north or not is still subject to debate