Ship Shape in Vancouver

As is normal, there was work to be done when we arrived in Vancouver. Despite our preparations in Atlanta there was much to be done - spare parts, provisioning and learning the systems aboard Sea Island Girl. We also finalized plans with Jensen signs in N. Vancouver for the graphics and until we read Sea Island Girl on the transom it was just another nice boat.
Granville Island in downtown Vancouver served as our base for the first few days. West Marine was close by, a dock neighbor kindly drove us to Costco and to the government bottle store and there was a variety of stores with access via bus. Trevor Brice, of North Pacific Yachts, provided the Captain with a few docking lessons and following a visit by friends from Atlanta we were prepared to depart to tour the coast of British Columbia.
There were so many options for places to visit. Our first night out we thought we would make it an easy overnight by staying at a public wharf, as tales of anchoring in 75 ft. and stern-tying to a tree along the shore was a little more than we wanted to tackle our first night. Pender Harbour was our choice - a quaint harbour just fifty miles north of Vancouver and nestled among the mountainous and distant snow capped mountains.
Public wharfs are common in the area and are inexpensive alternatives to private marinas. As we learned everything is first come, first serve however, rafting is permitted. That first night Sea Island Girl was rafted to a 45 ft. fishing boat (nets and all). Thankfully, the owner was away and there was not resident fishy smell.
That first evening in Pender was quite enjoyable. A string quartet performed a concert in a local art gallery and the next morning we "toured" the grocery, coffee shops and even found a garage sale to benefit the local 30 bed hospital - they were trying to buy a CAT machine. Carolyn picked up a "typically British" tea pot at the sale and we found several books that had come highly recommended enabling us to learn more about the people and the area.
Our Vancouver visit had been enjoyable, however now that we "cut the lines" and are cruising the coastal waters, we can truly enjoy the splendor of British Columbia and savor the comfort of Sea Island Girl in style.