Calling all B.C. scuba divers: if you like a challenge then you just might be up for a task. Apparently, a giant teacup may be at the bottom of Victoria含羞草研究社檚 Inner Harbour.
When on the hunt to figure out how the first six-foot fibreglass teacups came to be, which are used nowadays in the Mayor含羞草研究社檚 Floating Teacup Race (a silly activity part of the region含羞草研究社檚 annual Oak Bay Tea Party community festival), it became known Christopher Causton, a past Oak Bay mayor of 15 years, might know something.
And Causton did have some information; he knew six teacups were commissioned by an organization called Victoria A.M., which he helped found for a teacup race in the Inner Harbour in what he thinks was likely 1988 or 含羞草研究社89.
含羞草研究社淲e did these crazy things around the harbour to encourage tourism,含羞草研究社 Causton recalled. 含羞草研究社淚 don含羞草研究社檛 remember too much about it other than Brian Smith, who was a former mayor of Oak Bay and the Attorney General of British Columbia, was in one of them, and he was smoking a pipe and he sank.含羞草研究社
And Causton believes the teacup is still there today.
含羞草研究社淲e rescued him but we did not rescue the teacup,含羞草研究社 he said. 含羞草研究社淚 think it含羞草研究社檚 off the Regent Hotel.含羞草研究社
The teacups that did survive that race ended up at a farm in Central Saanich until they were used at the first Oak Bay Teacup race, introduced by Causton himself as Mayor.
含羞草研究社淥nce we brought them to Oak Bay, we含羞草研究社檝e never had a problem losing them because the waters are not 30 feet deep like they are in the Harbour,含羞草研究社 he said.
Causton said that long lost teacup was never recovered, but if anyone wants to go looking for it, they just might find bragging rights and a fun piece of Oak Bay含羞草研究社檚 history.