The Sansum Narrows area of Burgoyne and Maple Bay turned out to be a bit disappointing – although scenic, the dilapidated anchored boats and lack of interesting shore activities had us hankering for something different. And Ladysmith delivered. What a nice, friendly town; we anchored across the bay where we had a first hand view of log booming operations, with little mini tugboats pushing and prodding the logs along their way. Multiple bald eagles kept us entertained as well.
Next it was off to the big city – Vancouver! After an overnight stop in the North Cove on Thetis to await slack water in Porlier Pass, we crossed the Strait of Georgia and entered False Creek in the heart of downtown Vancouver. We passed under two bridges, both with ample clearance for our mast, but from the perspective of the helm it’s definitely a little unnerving as it looks like you’re not going to fit!
It’s amazing to be able to anchor here, though it was a bit challenging to find a spot amongst the other boats, water taxis, and shallow depths, we eventually got settled on about our 3rd try. Aaron had mapped out all the cool places to go, and the first evening we hit Granville Island, the next day we walked all over China Town, Gastown, and Coal Harbor, and on Sunday (Mother’s Day), we took our folding bikes on a circumnavigation of Stanley Park (Aaron rented from Reckless Bikes). We had a wonderful Mother’s Day dinner at Lupo Italian restaurant.
After a fabulous two weeks it was time to say goodbye to Aaron. We were so pleased he could spend the time with us, and help us get started on the grand adventure. It was a chance to get caught up with everything happening in his life (can’t wait for the new songs to be released!) and he also helped us figure out how to run this boat (still so much to learn!). Looking forward to seeing Aaron again in October for a Pitt football game.
After two weeks just focused on cruising and exploring with Aaron, there were a lot of chores waiting in backlog. We proceeded over to Montague Harbor (great sail back across the Strait of Georgia) to get caught up on laundry, boat cleaning, making water, changing filters, fixing the teak decks, and generally catching our breath. But, we did manage to work in an ambitious bike/hike expedition to Mt. Galiano, and from the summit the views of the Gulf Islands were truly stunning.
As we approach the third week of cruising and living aboard, the biggest surprise seems to be how steep the learning curve is – although we have chartered boats and sailed our own boat for many years, the difference in living aboard full time is significant. Everything must be fixed and maintained, the weather must be checked, the plans adjusted, the to do list has to be prioritized, and it’s also critical to find time for exercise, land based activities and oh yes, we must remember to have fun! Like everything else in life, balance is key, and I think we are just starting to find ours in this new lifestyle.
Next week we’ll meet our first friends coming to visit us – Glenn and Hallie Carter are driving up from Boise to meet us in Victoria! We can’t wait to see them and host our first dinner party aboard Beagle Spirit. Might not be a gourmet feast, but the company will be heavenly.
Comments