We are fast approaching the end of our journey. After waiting until the tide was high enough to safely leave the back of Smuggler’s Cove, we motored south under overcast skies. Though the coastal scenery was still a pleasure to admire, the marine traffic became increasingly busy.
It definitely felt like we were leaving the wilderness behind, as we rounded Cape Roger Curtis and saw civilization rising out of the water in front of us.
Saying that, we did see three orcas after I took the skyline picture above. Coming into the harbor, we had to watch out for float planes taking off and landing.
In Vancouver we stayed at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, using reciprocal moorage privileges from our Bainbridge Island Yacht Club membership. That turned out to be a great decision: RVYC has a lovely facility in Coal Harbour, right next to Stanley Park and within walking distance, along a coastal path, of the downtown waterfront.
We were really impressed with Vancouver and the waterfront development there; the residents seemed to be enjoying the city as much as we visitors were, which is how it should be. I wish Seattle could do something like that. Exploring Vancouver on foot was easy and rewarding, though we felt the consequences of our sedentary boating lifestyle these last three months.
Stanley Park was fantastic, 1000 acres of park on the peninsula right next to the city. Ryan and I took several walks through there and circumnavigated the park on the coastal walkway our second day in town. The paths were wide and had two levels to separate pedestrians from people on wheels.
We also went to the market on Granville Island, which had a delicious selection of food stalls as well as the usual market produce.
It would be fun to spend more time exploring Vancouver, but we were limited to two nights on our reciprocal, and the closer we get to home, the more we feel the pull to wrap things up. Tomorrow we return to the United States.