summer! false creek, vancouver B.C.
Date: July 3, 2018
Time Start: 6:20 a.m.
Time Finish: 1:45 p.m.
Cruise From: Fossil Bay, Sucia Island
Cruise To: False Creek, Vancouver B.C.
Engine Hours Start: 799
Engine Hours Finish: 807
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny, blue skies, upper 70's
We experience rolling swells as we cross from Sucia towards Pt. Roberts on a beautiful Tuesday morning. We pass the lighthouse on Patos and encounter just one sailboat, a beauty, as we make our way into the Strait of Georgia and Canadian waters. Congratulations to Captain Dan for choosing a smooth day to cross the Strait!
Time Start: 6:20 a.m.
Time Finish: 1:45 p.m.
Cruise From: Fossil Bay, Sucia Island
Cruise To: False Creek, Vancouver B.C.
Engine Hours Start: 799
Engine Hours Finish: 807
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny, blue skies, upper 70's
We experience rolling swells as we cross from Sucia towards Pt. Roberts on a beautiful Tuesday morning. We pass the lighthouse on Patos and encounter just one sailboat, a beauty, as we make our way into the Strait of Georgia and Canadian waters. Congratulations to Captain Dan for choosing a smooth day to cross the Strait!
Ferry traffic enters the picture at Tsawwassen, and then we are in the Fraser River delta where we need to avoid the shallows as well as lots and lots of crab pots.
The water in the delta is brown from the river runoff. In the distance we can make out the hazy outlines of the coastal mountains of British Columbia. We know the city of Vancouver is ahead when we start seeing the outlines of tall buildings along with the mountains. And, we have cleared customs by phone using our NEXUS pass.
Ships are anchored throughout Burrard Inlet as we head to English Bay and then False Creek. Vancouver is an incredibly busy commercial port.
We already feel the pulse of a thriving city as we make our way under the Burrard Bridge and into False Creek. We have dock space reserved at Fishermen's Wharf, where we find a pleasant mixture of working and pleasure boats. It is a lot like Seattle's Fishermen's Terminal, with storage warehouses for working vessels.
The crab boats are active right now, decked out with their colorful floats. A fishing boat heads out the fairway behind us, tooting its horn and the entire crew belting out the song "North to Alaska". Hungry for some good fish, we aren't a bit disappointed in the fresh halibut and chips from the stand right next to the marina. Turns out it is considered "THE" place to have fish and chips in Vancouver. The fries are tops, too, made daily from real potatoes, skins left on, and oh- so- good!
Time for showers and laundry, and then a little wildlife surprise. Have you ever seen a crow tenderly caring for another crow? Right on the crossbeam of the dock, surrounded by this busy city, is this incredible heart melting scene! There isn't a nest, both birds fly away in different directions.
The marina has great views of this high rise city and access to walkways that weave into parks all along the shoreline. What a great stroll on a summer evening.
We are loving False Creek, such a fun place to be!
Date: July 4, 2018
False Creek layover day
Weather: Warm summer day, 80's, light breeze, evening rain
Happy Fourth of July! We will have a different kind of celebration here in Canada!
We have a light breakfast aboard NORTH STAR and then it is an easy stroll to Granville Island and its collection of shops and restaurants. En route we pass some very inviting condos, the False Creek Lagoons. Who wouldn't want to live here?
Date: July 4, 2018
False Creek layover day
Weather: Warm summer day, 80's, light breeze, evening rain
Happy Fourth of July! We will have a different kind of celebration here in Canada!
We have a light breakfast aboard NORTH STAR and then it is an easy stroll to Granville Island and its collection of shops and restaurants. En route we pass some very inviting condos, the False Creek Lagoons. Who wouldn't want to live here?
Is it any surprise that our first stop is the seafood market, with lots of attention paid to the shellfish displays?
Colorful and busy, the Public Market could easily be compared to Seattle's Pike Place Market.
We treat ourselves to a fantastic lunch at the Thai restaurant in the Net Shed and then wander through the parts of Granville Island that focus on kids. What fun to man the hoses from the fire hydrants on this muggy summer day!
Rain arrives in the evening. One of the fishing boats by us is being renovated, and we hear the sounds of the pressure washer well into the night. We chat with the crew on a sailboat docked for the night. They are locals but couldn't make it to their home marina. Apparently there are people dangling (climbers?) off the sides of the second Narrows bridge that they need to pass under to get home, and the bridge has been closed to boats transiting under it. Crazy things happen everywhere!
A few final photos of Fishermen's Wharf:
A few final photos of Fishermen's Wharf:
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