Vancouver isn’t known for its blue skies—not when there’s so much rain to talk about—but its summers have their moments and this past August offered some perfect days. One of which was the day of the Kush Cup cruise. Perfect day, not so perfect event. But the people and the pot were just right.

When you’re not sure of a start time, if it’s a train, plane or boat then get there early. I’m glad I did since there were no notices or directions to the Kush Cup ship. It took a bit of leg work and the dock was found! I was one of the first aboard for the 12:00 embarking so I snagged a seat where I’d be able to see all the action and waited for my people to arrive.

And arrive they did. It wasn’t all that long before the first joints were lit and the first pipes smoked. Judging is hard work, you know.

But not all was fun and games. Before departure our host announced that he was leaving because he was not being allowed to vape his medicine inside the ship. Shortly thereafter another announcement: our host would get his deposit back if we all left right then. Bags were gathered and arrangements made. However, before we were off of the ship a third announcement: vaping would now be tolerated inside.

I hope none of the staff were upset by a second-hand high and hopefully the Captain stayed on the bridge. Marijuana can be medicinal, but who wants second-hand medicine when they’re trying to work? Not my problem, I stayed on the top deck. With a perfect blue sky and a perfect breeze why would I go indoors except to the bar? Judging is thirsty work, too.

The best part of any summer cruise is the guaranteed breeze, I think, but that does mean when you’re finally underway it’s important to put away rolling papers and secure the bud!

Dabbing, on the other hand, seems immune to wind, and there were some amazing creations for consuming some very clean extracts. Even a dab cools down when it travels a couple of metres from flame to face.

From a judging perspective, so much salt water and wind makes for unreliable tastes and smells. Luckily, there were other opportunities for testing. From a social perspective, the cruise was a great idea for the Saturday afternoon event of Kush Cup 2014. We were all mildly sun-touched and majorly relaxed by the time we docked.

A little more planning and communication on the organiser’s part would have made for a smoother start, but not everything can be perfect. Except the weather.