1909 VANCOUVER n " God save VANCOUVER, but not the yellow cabs"

To drop anchor as closed as possible from VANCOUVER downtown, the solution is  FALSE CREEK: cruisers  must obtain an authorization; This is easy n immediatly available through internet but you cannot extend your stay inside FALSE CREEK more than 2 weeks/month; this to avoid the way some no sailing people use wreck to leave permanently on board without paying anything. . .A smart system many other places could inspire especialy NEW CALEDONIA where space in the 2 main bays of NOUMEA is very scarce.
  Anyway ALCYONE is a large baby n the creek is still pretty popular, even mid september; the swinging room is not enough for a boat wich a no insurance at all (third party almost impossible to get in CANADA N USA); we anchor outside the inlet in front of KITSILANO beach with a good holding in 7m,  not so closed, but we have a fast dinghy. You must in any case  do a deal for the dinghy dock, n inside Marina are pretty open to do it with you on a day or a week basis. We did it with Steeve, a very nice and interesting flocal figure from the marina straight under the north part of Granville bridge, just next to the False Creek Yacht Club.
  VANCOUVER is pleasant to visit, particulary adapted to big cruiseship visit with mass but very interesting attraction like FLY OVER CANADA closed to the docks, old down town and green STANLEY PARK next door and GRANVILLE island where you can find anything to eat. We found here canadian "Saucisson" for the first time and as good as the one we can buy in France.
 The only cancer we find in VANCOUVER is the "yellow cabs": Among 5 experiences only one was right; I write this as I'm  far to be the only one. this is even worse than the taxis you could find in PARIS in the past, as many french drivers, even with an obvious lack of education knew the city. If you want to miss your plane, never book one of these cabs, especialy if it' raining as you can wait for ever. Fortunatly, I hear that UBER will arrive soon and ll clean this net of indo-canadian kind of mafia. More than  giving a bad image of the city, they develop with the tourists a very strong and bad anticommunautarism feeling. 
  What a contrast with the majority of the canadian we met n we never saw anywhere in the world a so gentle  way of driving, particulary when we are walking in the streets. 

We sail later to SALT SPRING n prepare ALCYONE for his trip to MEXICO... 

Our headquarter on shore in FALSE CREEK on the other side, under the bridge, easy walk downtown..

So easy (good) food refill in GRANVILLE MARKET

On the north, Many things are designed for the visit of numerous cruise ship n we do all the same pictures... 

...as this nice tribute to first nations with these famous TOTEMS

...or the busy seaplane base: lack of bridge give a lot of work on the sea as in the air n a very particular feeling

What a nice n smart way the dead can live n help in STANLEY PARK

Walking in VANCOUVER help to understand why this city offer one of the most pleasant way of life in the world ! 

Automn arrive n it's time to leave VANCOUVER... n  British Columbia 

SALT SPRING in offer a very good foodstore closed to the dock...

...but not only if you like books...

n to chat with a good beer or a perfect mojito 

We want to stay more around,  BC is really a cruiser's paradise but not too long and we have to leave...

We make a last stop to prepare ALCYONE  in PIERS ISLAND, the house of our sailor friend met in Hawai Steeve...

Add caption

with view on active Schwartzbay ferry terminal, ALCYONE,  his monohull SEAHORSE...

...and, I could'nt believe it a real hummingbird , the last surprise we got in BC...for this year as we ll come back !

Steeve sailed n his sailor's family...(Tina, his wife missing)

...and, as it's written on the wall of his kitchen, let's sail south now !

1909 SUNSHINE COAST TO VANCOUVER "Charm of private property"

The Sunshine coast is the closest from VANCOUVER and it's easy to notice: More constructions on the shore and less space for the non local cruisers: Anchoring space is scarce;  if this is not a pseudo marina (in fact nothing else than a boats' parking where you cannot take a shower),   privates moorings occupy most of the  natural harbours: ALCYONE tried hard to find anchoring space around BOWEN island...

  The worst is the private property on shore; if most of the FIRST NATIONS property is free to enjoy, (thanks to these first local residents) some places here as in Buccaner Bay beach has no authorized access for no residents even out of the season...

  Fortunatly for CANADA, numerous park were created n give a chance for everybody to discover some of the best part of the coastline.

This tugboat prepared carefully the track n use the weakest tide to move this large  n heavy log raft...

LUND fuel refill: First dock for ALCYONE after 2 month (arrival in VICTORIA)

Another very unnexpected encounter in this country

Nice weather continue as we move more south...

 PENDER HARBOUR;  The coast is more n more private...

...the place to anchor in the middle of these privates docks is very tight...

...n the best protected part of the coast is a serie of covered boats' parking...

We find an anchorage in BUCCANER  bay...

...a very rare sandy spot in the area, perfect for swimming...  

..but the beach is private n owners, after season leave their plastic toys here as if  they want to enjoy tomorrow...

Next to our last stop before VANCOUVER, name of this boat in HORSESHOE BAY 

and proove than sometimes, nature know how to take revanche...

Wind is back to arrive in VANCOUVER...

...and we enjoy some tacks to FALSE CREEK; but we don't enter...

...and anchor outside: New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, Hawai, Canada...this beautiful sport is the one of PACIFIC

1909 DESOLATION SOUND "Warmer motor cruising"

With a cold water of the strait, the fog is persistant and we freeze,  even if we sail fast downwind and meet superb couple of Killer whales, diving in a perfect synchronicity.  After a last stop in warmer KANISH BAY, we escape the famous SEYMOUR NARROWS to moved east through OKISOLLO channel; as we say to many boats running to attractives OCTOPUS ISLANDS, we motor inside the HOLE IN THE WALL, the CALM CHANNEL to anchor in VON DOP INLET; so deep in this maze, the wind is away, but the temperature is much higher. 

In the JOHNSTON STRAIT, when the fog vanish, the downwind sailing is nice...

...with Code 0 alone, but numerous floating logs required a constant watch...

...outside of the cockpit, but Jim find the solution with the remote control

We anchored in the CHAIN island,  with onshore dinghy ride to  pick up mushroom; we found some Chanterelles...

...and a magnificiant CAULIFLOWER, a mushroom I never found home

Sunset before leaving now deserted KANISH BAY before entering in OKISOLLO CHANNEL, 2 miles more north

Hard to believe: a depth of 107m just a few meters from the shore...

A long n lazzy engine party through the CALM CHANNEL today but the september sun is back ! 

Top of VON DONOP inlet on 4th sept: Still occupied and quiet...

...so quiet...

...may be too quiet: huge oysters in the small inlet, but no mushroom around

We motor in n out GORGE HARBOUR...

before dropping anchor in MANSION LANDING (here the inside lagoon),

nice sandy spot with a warm beach where we can clean the hulls 

No more wind, not much current... ALCYONE has to cruise now in the DESOLATION SOUND with the engines...

1909 INSIDE PASSAGE NORTH "Fog n current play with ALCYONE"

 My son JIM has short holiday n come from Auckland for a couple of week; if sailing alone is interesting, enjoying alone is not... sharing good moments give double pleasure n this news is great; I pick him up in PORT MAC NEIL; more convenient, especialy to refill the cat with fresh stuff than PORT HARDY; 
  We left quick through the WAYNTON PASSAGE, believing the fog was away, but in the middle of the passage, it return thicker than before; even with the radar we were not feeling to well with no visibility, 7k of current, partial vision to whale watching boats looking everywhere the animals without any fixed course and a big cruise ship at a pretty fast speed... 

PORT HARDY,  ok if yu dock, but not really a good place to ancho

Nice gift for cruisers too ; this "kids fishing zone" in PORT HARDY

Let's sail further south to PORT MAC NEIL

Pick up of Jim in PORT MAC NEIL, with an easy fresh food refill...

...even if ALCYONE stay safely anchored in the fig, the other side of the bay...

...This fog is moving fast n very hard to understand where...

n we are now in the middle of the BLACKFISH SOUND with more than 6k of current n this ghostly visibility !

A few minutes later:this whale, tracked by kayaks  just offshore of SWANSON isld

Finaly, the sun win, but the colder water around 10 degres of the main channel keep the fog longer than other places.

This day active finish with this local dish in GREASE ISLAND anchorage

Weak wind n short sailing time push us to return in the JOHNSTON STRAIT...

...and this time we have to fight in the fog against the strong  current of the BLACKNEY PASSAGE 

...not long later, ALCYONE enjoy a full speed run with the Code 0 under a perfect sunshine  

Game is to avoid bumping in the numerous debris driven by the spring tide

Pretty chilly this NW wind, but very interesting to sail SEward  the JOHNSTON STRAIT 

We anchored on the side of the strait in BEAR BIGHT,

 from Bear we saw only the final results of blackberry digestion, but from logging...

This inside the new forest with so many debris everywhere... 

and dozens of  rusting vehicules parked without anybody around...