We are Sailing.

Thursday August 11th

It promised to be a clear sunny day but the day started cloudy, We set out with John to Kitsanlo to a parking lot under the Burrard bridge over False Creek. We were meeting Steve Galloway for an afternoons sailing on his boat a sleek fiber glass hull 30ft yacht called  Bellafonte.

a small part of Granville Island |Marina.

 His Boat is moored in the Marina at Granville Island. We wound our way through the maze of jetties out to his mooring. I had envisaged a ladylike jump down into the boat, but no, to my horror it was a giant step up, then a jump down. I just knew there was no way I could emulated Steve's nimble leap up onto the boat. I mumbled to 'Himself' I couldn't do that. No way. The men, all three of them, decided yes I could. Steve would pull and the other two would push. Now, I'm an overweight 67year old arthritic woman, that was not going to happen. Steve remarked that his mother in law couldn't get on the boat without a step but it had fallen in the ocean. Not helpful.  Then he had a brainwave and fetched the steps that lead sown into the galley, wedged them against a pier pillar and they pulled the boat as near to the pier as they could. Sorted. A quick scramble and I made an ungraceful landing on the boat.

The towers of glass sided apartments surrounding False Creek.

Captain Steve.

 John masters sailing and banishes sea sickness worries.

Approaching the Burrard Bridge from False Creek.

Mad Moose gets his sea legs once more! and is turning into Captain Birdseye!

English Bay beach.

Vancouver from the sea.

The rest of the afternoon was a pleasant peaceful sail. Steve unfurled and hoisted the sails when we were just past the Burrard Bridge when the wind picked up. The engine was killed and we were sailing. You get a totally different prospective of Downtown Vancouver from a small boat in the ocean.

Tip of Stanley park and the Lionsgate Bridge

We sailed round to the tip of Stanley Park and then tacked around for the sail back. The sun was warm and the wind fairly gentle, not cold enough to need a coat. Much gentler than the roar and speed of the whale searching boats.

Back at Steve's berth in the Marina I managed to make a little more dignified exit from the boat without falling into the murky water.We headed back to the car and made the short journey to the Island. Steve finished berthing the boat and rowed across to the Islands warfe. We all met up in the Granville Island hotel for an afternoon tiffin break. All very civilized and slightly Colonial.