Three years later, he came back to see the Sooke crew. Plus Sunday’s big game in Langford.
Three years ago, a Sooke fishing crew pulled a stranger out of the Pacific. Last week he came back to see them.
The Rebels are hosting the national final on Sunday. And if football isn’t your thing, there’s dessert and jazz in Colwood on Saturday.
The Westshore team
Sat, Nov. 7, 10am to noon. Gordon United Church, 935 Goldstream Ave., Langford. Kayla Siefried of the Compost Education Centre covers winter crop protection and planting through the seasons. Free; register ahead.
Sat, Nov. 7, 6pm to 8pm. Goldfinch Arts Centre, 170 Goldfinch Rd., Colwood. Dessert with a Purpose raises money for the Goldstream Food Bank. The Chris Millington Trio plays 6:30pm to 7:30pm. Tickets are $45 through the arts centre.
Sun, Nov. 8, 7pm. Sooke Community Theatre at EMCS, 6218 Sooke Rd. Acoustic guitar and soprano saxophone, with two voices in harmony. Tickets are $39.50 through the venue.
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Alec Frydman spent nearly two weeks alone in a life raft. The Ocean Sunset found him.
In October 2023, the boat Alec Frydman was working on sank off the Washington coast. He spent nearly two weeks alone in a life raft, watching ships go by without seeing him.
When the Ocean Sunset, a Sooke fishing boat, came close, he lit his last flare and yelled. Someone yelled back: “We see you. We’re coming.” The crew fed him breakfast sandwiches. He ate six.
Last week, Frydman came back to Vancouver Island to see them. He met the crew in Ucluelet at the end of their season and stayed with the family in Sooke. He’d worried it might be awkward. Captain John Planes threw his arms wide and hugged him.
Danny George didn’t recognise him at first. Three years ago, Frydman was skin and bones. Now, George says, “He’s smiling all the time.”
Crew member Ryan Planes died this year. Roxanne Egan-Elliott has the full story in the Times Colonist.
Sources · Times Colonist · Roxanne Egan-Elliott
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Westshore Rebels · Cullen Cup celebration, from the team’s championship announcement
Regina comes to Starlight Stadium on Sunday, with the Canadian junior title on the line.
The Westshore Rebels beat the Langley Rams 35-28 on the road to win the BC conference’s Cullen Cup. That earned them the Canadian Bowl at home, for the first time since 2023.
They play the Regina Thunder at Starlight Stadium, 1089 Langford Parkway, on Sunday, Nov. 8. Kickoff is 1pm and gates open at 11:30am.
Online tickets are $35 for adults and $25 for ages 13 to 18, plus fees. Kids 12 and under get in free with an adult. The city’s ask: wear red.
Sources · Westshore Rebels · City of Langford · Rebels tickets
Paul Hayes, quoted by the Goldstream Gazette · Nov. 1
City of Colwood · Concept map showing the two construction phases
Work starts south of Lagoon Road first. You can see the plans at the beach on Saturday.
Colwood plans to start the waterfront path toward The Beachlands later this year, then start the stretch toward the Lagoon Bridge in spring 2027. The city wants it done by the end of 2027. Its $6M federal grant runs out in 2028.
The path is for walking and cycling, including wheelchairs, strollers and scooters. Design work and archaeological permits are still underway.
Saturday’s drop-in booth covers the route, the surface and the Ocean Boulevard crossing. It’s the place to ask where you’ll cross the road and get down to the beach.
Find city staff near the Lagoon Beach washroom building at Ocean Boulevard and Lagoon Road, Saturday, Nov. 7, 10am to 2pm.
Sources · City of Colwood
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The Westshore team
The Westshore is produced on the territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples (the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations) and the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples, whose relationship with this land continues to this day.
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