Vancouver, The Grand Finale

Bike Paths and Walking Paths circle the city of Vancouver

We spent a week in the beautiful city of Vancouver BC catching up on some work and taking the time to go out on the town.  Boating friends, Knut and Christine, met up with us for a couple of days, and previous neighbors from Eugene, Oregon happened to be in Vancouver and stopped by our boat to say hello.  Our nephew, John, arrived the following day and joined us aboard Got d’Fever to spend some time with us touring this incredible city.  Vancouver has so much to offer that one could spend an entire season here and not run out of things to see and do.  The best part, you don’t need a car to get around, thanks to the efficient public transportation which includes buses, the Sky Train subway, and water taxis.  Bicycles really come in handy, as the entire city is linked with bicycle paths that interconnect with all the waterfronts, bordered with lovely parks, beaches, marinas and cafes.  You would have to work hard not to have fun in this cosmopolitan city.  Last year we moored the boat at Quayside Marina on the north shore of False Creek; this year we moored our boat at Fishermen’s Wharf, just west of Granville Island. 

The Granville Market has fresh produce, meats and baked goods

It’s a short walk from Fishermen’s Wharf to the excellent indoor Farmers Market, shops and cafes on Grandville Island, the perfect place to pick up some great produce for the galley, along with artisan breads and baked goods.  There are several theatres with stage performances on Granville Island, including the Improv Centre, which we enjoyed with John.  Fishermen’s Wharf is also within bicycling or walking distance of Vanier Park, located northwest of the wharf in the Kitsilano district of town, home to the Maritime Museum and the Museum of Vancouver.  From early June to mid-September, the Shakespeare Festival, called “Bard on the Beach,” is held under the tents in Vanier Park.  It’s best to reserve tickets ahead of time for this popular event. 

Captain George Vancouver's Chronometer

Serious boaters will appreciate the Maritime Museum, showcasing the Arnold 176 Chronometer used by Captain George Vancouver during his 5-year voyage of the Pacific.  The chronometer was made prior to 1787 by John Arnold of London, who numbered all of his time pieces.  These time pieces helped the navigator plot longitude.  If the chronometer ran too fast or too slow, calculations would be in error so ships often carried several chronometers. 

Lieutenant Baker's Lead Line, Sextant, and Telescope

Also on display is the lead line, sextant, and telescope used by Lieutenant Joseph Baker, who sailed with George Vancouver.  The lead line helped sailors learn how deep the water was and if the bottom was sand, gravel, or mud.  Knots or tags on the line were counted as the line slipped through the hands, thus measuring the bottom depth; a fathom equals about two meters or six feet.  A sextant measures the angular distances between two visible objects such as the sun and the horizon to determine latitude.  A sextant can also be used to measure the lunar distance between the moon and another celestial object (a star or planet) in order to determine Greenwich Mean Time and hence longitude.  The sextant, used by Lieutenant Baker, had five eyepieces.  The operator needed to make several adjustments using the index glass and the horizon glass; clear weather was important when making these observations.  Joseph Baker owned his own telescope; and while looking through his eyepiece, he spied a conspicuous mountain above the clouds.  Captain Vancouver credited his lieutenant by naming the mountain, Mount Baker.  Another highlight of the museum is the refurbished 1927 St Roch, built at Burrard Dry Dock Co. of Vancouver, for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  The ship was used as a patrol and supply ship in the western Arctic for more than 20 years.  Each year, the RCMP sailed St Roch from Vancouver, loaded with supplies destined for the western Artic.  

RCM St Roch successfully sailed the Northwest Passage

The ship often remained in the Arctic for the winter, frozen in the sea ice.  The long winters were spent patrolling the surrounding communities by dogsled.  The saucer-shaped hull allowed the ice floes to slide under the ship rather than crushing it.  Three ice beams located in the cargo hold also braced the hull against ice pressure.  During WWII, the St Roch was asked to establish Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic.  Sgt. Henry Larsen, who had commanded the ship since 1928, was ordered to sail from Vancouver to Halifax by way of the Northwest Passage.  The trip took 28 months, including two winters spent in the ice. 

Fore deck of the St. Roch

While in Halifax, a number of modifications were made to the ship, including the installation of a new 300 horsepower diesel engine.  St Roch returned to Vancouver in the summer of 1944 by taking a more northerly route through the Northwest Passage.  The crew of 11 made the 11,672 km (7,295 mile) trip in only 86 days.  St Roch became the first ship to conquer the Northwest Passage in a single season, the first ship to travel the northern deep-water route and the first ship to sail the Northwest Passage in both directions.  St Roch was decommissioned in 1954 and purchased by the City of Vancouver; the museum building was built specially to house her, including her mast and sails.  The Maritime Museum is only one of many museums and attractions in Vancouver; there are too many to list here. 

The Steam Clock in Gastown

Simply biking or walking around town is fun in itself.  Each area of town has its own character and feel with something special to offer – Gastown with its observation tower and historic brick buildings and famous Steam Clock;

The Olympic Cauldron

Coal Harbour with its Convention Centre, Olympic Cauldron, and seaplane activity; Stanley Park with the Vancouver Aquarium and access to the Lions Gate Bridge;

The impressive new Vancouver House Condos

the West End with its towering hotels, offices, and apartment buildings, the newest of which is an engineering marvel, called Vancouver House, a condo complex currently under construction to be the world’s first LEED Platinum high rise;

The new Concord Pacific Condo Complex

Yaletown with the impressive BC Place Stadium and other architecturally pleasing buildings, including Concord Pacific, a condominium complex, currently being constructed. 

Canadian Pacific Railway 374 Steam Engine

Yaletown is also home to the historic Roundhouse, the C.P.R. 374 Train Engine, and the loading docks, which now house shops and cafes. Steam Engine 374 pulled the first passenger train, carrying 150 people beyond Port Moody, finally joining Canada from the East Coast to Vancouver in the West; it was May 1887, and the event was the culmination of ten years of rail construction across the country. 

Nephew John checking out the 374 Engine

In 1914 the engine was selected for a rebuild, using the main frame of the original 1886 locomotive.  After many years of service, including the second world war, Engine 374 was finally retired in July, 1945.  The Roundhouse was converted into a local community center, giving the building and land to the Vancouver Park Board. 

The Train Roundhouse now serves as a Community Centre

The Park Board proposed a new building adjacent to the Roundhouse, which became a reality in August 1997.  Like many other visitors, we didn’t want to miss walking Robson Street with its upscale boutiques, hotels and restaurants. 

The beautiful Vancouver City Hall on Robson Street

The heart of the city, Robson Street, includes the beautiful City Hall building, the Public Library, and the city satellite campus of the University of British Columbia. 

Cafes are found inside the Vancouver Public Library on Robson

Robson Street runs the entire length through the main center of town, from the edge of Stanley Park to the southeast end of town at BC Place, which brings us back to False Creek.  False Creek is home to the Plaza of Nations, which houses the Edgewater Casino, several night clubs, and offers an outdoor amphitheater for festivals, concerts, and other special events.  Science World is found at the east end of False Creek, while Granville Island is located on the west end; water taxis leave every few minutes from numerous stops in the harbour of False Creek.  What’s not to like about Vancouver?  Boaters have the luxury of staying in various marinas in town and can access public transportation for a day’s outing.  Other areas worth mentioning are West Vancouver and North Vancouver, accessed via SeaBus at the Terminal located between Gastown and Coal Harbour.  West Vancouver and North Vancouver are located on the north side of Burrard Inlet and offer three different snow ski areas and lookouts: Mt Seymour, Grouse Mountain (with a Skyride and Zipline), and Cypress Provincial Park; don’t forget to visit Capilano Park near Grouse Mountain with its foot suspension bridge and tree-top boardwalks. 

View of Grandville Island from Fishermen's Wharf 

The world-class city of Vancouver BC is worth spending several days if not weeks or months, we’re sure you’ll fall in love with the city as we have.