Vancouver

Having spent a few days in Montague harbor on Galiano island we headed off to Nanaimo on the east coast of Vancouver island. We decided to anchor in the bay rather than pay the marina fees despite the 20 knot winds whistling through the anchorage. The sail up to Nanaimo was good with 15- 20 knot winds and we made it to Dodd narrows with half an hour to spare before slack water. It was mayhem going through the narrows, which are, as the name suggest narrow. Power boats were speeding through with little care for other vessels. One poor guy in a small boat towing some wood (don't ask me why) was nearly swamped by a 50 ft Bayliner.

We spent the next couple of days buying some more provisions, working with Katya on her school work and walking on the nearby island. The weather is still great 20-25c and sunny.

We looked forward to crossing the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver. Winds of 20-25knots on our beam were forecast so a swift crossing was expected. Sure enough the winds were as forecast and we left at about 6.30 am doing 6.5-7 knots in sunshine.

We dropped the anchor in False creek overlooking the City and only a few minutes dinghy ride to the famous Granville Market. Its an amazing looking city and we were all looking forward to exploring it over the next few days. We can apparently stay here for up to 2 weeks without paying any mooring fees. Even better.

View of Vancouver from the boat. What a spot!

Granville market certainly got our gastric juices flowing. Denver is somewhat void of real food markets so our eyes were on stalks looking at all the delicacies. Restraint will be hard. 

Thanks for all the emails and comments. Katya says hello to all her friends and hope to speak to you soon.