One of the best things about boarding the ship in Vancouver is the wonderful view of Vancouver harbour that you see while waiting for departure and then once you set sail.
We had lovely weather that day. The gloom of the morning was gone and the sun blazed brightly. The ship has 13 decks (though of course, no deck 13) so on the top deck (called the sun deck) the view of the city and the North Shore was spectacular. I enjoyed capturing photos of the Sea Bus terminal and sea buses on their journey to North Vancouver, then coming back to dock in the city. Part of the Vancouver transit system, the Sea Bus is a hovercraft that crosses the Burrard Inlet and brings commuters from the North Shore to the downtown core. It’s a favourite experience for young children who haven’t yet attempted one of the large ferries that cross to Vancouver Island. Hmmm. There’s a thought. Maybe Noelle would like to take a ride one day…
From our perch high on the Island Princess we watched float planes come through the First Narrows, circle the harbour area, then drift down for a smooth, elegant landing, before taxiing over to the new float lane dock that was build as part of the restoration of the waterfront before the 2010 Olympics. Seeing the planes brought back memories, for we’d gifted each of our kids with a flight on one when they became teens. It was a huge adventure for them, a fun memory of their coastal life. I thought too about Christy and Quinn’s journey to Kamloops in The Cat Came Back. They didn’t take a floatplane, but the one they used would have been small and designed for only a few passengers, like these were.
The ship set sail about 5 pm. As we chugged majestically (and slowly) out of the harbour, the sun blazed down and the city unfolded before us. The downtown core is a forest of highrises—office towers and apartment buildings. It is a very urban city!
Crossing under the Lion’s Gate Bridge, which spans the First Narrows and connects the city of Vancouver with the North Shore, I watched Stanley Park slide by, then we were out into English Bay, in the midst of freighters waiting there for docking privileges in the inner harbour. Beyond was False Creek, then the Kitsilano area and finally Point Grey where the University of British Columbia is located.
Once we were out in English Bay we picked up speed. We were down in our cabin, dressing for dinner when my attention was caught by a familiar sight. Far in the distance I saw what I thought looked like the shoreline of Nanaimo. We checked the Captain’s Log, a constantly updated chronicle of where we are, where we’ve been and other information, and discovered that we were indeed passing Nanaimo. I looked for Rathtrevor Beach, but we were too far away to see it—even though while on the beach I could see the big Alaska cruise ships heading north. The thought of being opposite where we’d begun our day made me laugh as we went down to join our table for dinner.
