Sun Peaks BC

We're just back from a short visit to Sun Peaks Resort, http://www.sunpeaksresort.com, near Kamloops, British Columbia. We left Vancouver on an unusually sunny, dry day and headed through the Coast mountains east to the interior. Kamloops, with its semi-arid climate was its usual brown and dry-looking self without a speck of snow to be seen anywhere. It looked like it hadn't snowed in weeks. We were wondering how there could possibly be enough snow to ski on at Sun Peaks. We took the road off the highway and started heading up into the high country. The countryside changed to prosperous-looking, wooded, horse farms and ranch lands, but, still no snow. Then, just before our arrival at the resort it all changed dramatically. There was snow and plenty of it! Rooftops were heavily laden with the white stuff.

Annual snowfall here is 6 metres (237") of powder and it showed. The conditions on the slopes were the best we've ever experienced anywhere and we've skied in quite a few locations. We were very impressed with this resort even though we were only able to sample just a few of the 120+ runs. There were no crowds, or, lift lines and more skiers than boarders. We only skied three days. The weather could have been better: the first day was heavy snow, the second was so foggy you could barely see your ski tips and on the third day it was clear sky lower down, but, still fogged in at the top. This location averages over 2,000 hours of sunshine a year, so, it was just our bad luck to be there during a bad patch. Although we never saw the top, the skiing was great nonetheless. On the day we were leaving it all cleared up and we were finally able to see the two Alpine bowls at the summit. Maybe next time...

There is a pretty ski-through pedestrian village and we enjoyed nice meals at some of the restaurants there.

The locals were very friendly, including this beautiful 'Newfie' (a Newfoundland dog, a unique Canadian breed)....

There was also drama with the arrival of a helicopter ambulance which quickly took away an injured skier. It wasn't a recreational skier injury, but, a speed skier, one of the competitors in the Speed Ski World Cup race happening while we were there.

Sun Peaks is the only speed skiing event held in North America and there were lots of Europeans that had come specifically to race here. We'd never heard of this event before and it was interesting to see the red-rubber suited competitors with aerodynamic helmets and leg padding. It's described as the 'fastest non-motorized sport on earth'. Skiers accelerate from 0 to 175 km/h in a mere 8 seconds! The record for this course is held by a Sun Peaks local skier, 178 km.

(Photo: Adam Stein)

Check out this video of the 2014 event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af-XprZc5NY&feature=player_embedded

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Happy Chinese New Year!

The start of the Chinese Year of the Monkey was February 8. The New Year's Parade, grand finale of the week long New Year's celebration in Vancouver, was on February 14. Vancouver has the second largest Chinese expat community in North America, so, we were expecting the celebrations to be something special and they were. It was a wonderful parade, unfortunately held in pelting rain, but, it didn't seem to dampen spirits much. It was long, almost two hours, and showcased many different Chinese organizations and groups. Of course, being Canada, it also included a lot of other groups as well including school groups, pipe bands, marching bands, military personnel, Highland dancers, martial arts performers and even a Sikh Motorcycle Club!

Lovely smiles, even in the rain...

Costumes and colours were amazing, almost made you forget the dismal weather....

There were many impressive dragons, trailing firecrackers and smoke in their wake...

...and lions that delighted the children...

Here is the Sikh motorcyle club...the only such club in Canada (and maybe the world?)

Stoicism in what must have been miserably wet uniforms....

There were indoor events as well, onstage at the International Village Mall. This mall was packed after the parade and their fast food court had interesting cuisine to choose from, not only Chinese, but, unusually Sri Lankan, Indonesian, Indian and others as well.

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Steveston BC

We had guests recently, my brother and his wife were here from Ontario for a week's visit. We dodged raindrops all week to try and see some of the sights. On another day full of rain and wind, we decided to visit Steveston BC, on Lulu Island, at the mouth of the Fraser River just south of Vancouver. It didn't sound that promising, but, was surprisingly interesting and made for a great day out. The Steveston Museum was beautifully presented. It documented the history of this historic fishing village and especially its Japanese Canadian inhabitants and their internment during World War II.

Steveston Museum

Steveston is today home to Canada's largest commercial fishing fleet, over 600 boats. At Fisherman's Wharf you can buy fish direct from the boats. It doesn't get much fresher.

The highlight of our visit turned out to be the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site. We timed our visit just right and were able to receive a guided tour through the site. Very informative and I'll never look at a can of salmon the same way again! In the 1880's this area had over 45 canneries and was known as Salmonopolis. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery was operational from 1894-1979, but stopped canning salmon, switching to herring, around 1930, as the area was suffering from salmon overfishing even then.

The cannery building is huge, at its peak it had three canning lines. One line is currently on display and takes you from the fish arriving at the dock through to the end of the line where cans of salmon were loaded onto pallets. People (including children) of all ages and nationalities worked in the cannery in very harsh conditions. Each station was restored realistically. The 'sliming' station was especially graphic with lots of very realistic fish pieces, plastic slime and gore dripping from the table!

The 'Sliming' station

This station was near the end of the line, just prior to the cans entering the ovens for cooking.

Another interesting museum in Steveston is the Interurban Tram Building. It holds a beautifully restored vintage, wooden tram, one of 28 that were bought from the St. Louis Car Company in Missouri. The Interurban tram line ran from 1913 to 1958 greatly contributing to opening up the area.

Steveston Interurban Tram Museum

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February This and That

I haven't been posting much lately. It's true that we've settled into a nice quiet winter routine here in West Vancouver, but, we also have been out and about quite a bit even though the weather hasn't been conducive for much outdoor activity. Drenching rains continue for days on end. They don't call it the "We[s]t Coast" for nothing.We've just come out of one six day, very dismal, wet stretch to enjoy a single day of beautiful sunshine before disappearing again into another low pressure system with rain forecast every single day for another week. We're not really complaining, honest! The weather is warm, averaging around +10C and for those of you still frozen into winter in other parts of Canada, the following photograph is for you. Crocuses were up here on February 8!

We've done a few muddy scrambles along hiking trails. This photo is of Cleveland Dam in Capilano Canyon.

We took a trip to White Rock BC, just at the Canada/US border. They have a lovely pier reminiscent of the many that we visited while in the UK.

White Rock Pier

We've trekked all over Vancouver, this colourful street art is at Granville Island.

We also visited a lovely community in North Vancouver, Deep Cove.

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Gjoa is Sold!

It is with somewhat heavy hearts that we are announcing today that Gjoa has been sold!

Gjoa in her element, Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, September 2014.

 It may seem like a sudden decision, but, after completing the North West Passage this past fall we were in a quandary about what to do next. We'd been so focused on a year of planning, including acquiring Gjoa and two years execution of our North West Passage expedition that, all of a sudden, we were faced with new decisions. Where to go and what to do next?

Our full-time cruising life started in June 2010. Since then we haven't sailed south of 50 degrees North latitude and have spent two winters aboard north of the Arctic Circle. Patagonia definitely and strongly beckoned. It seemed a logical next step, but, to be honest, after almost six years north of 50, we've seen enough cold, snow, rain, fog, ice, mountains, fjords, glaciers and low pressure systems to last a lifetime. We'd now like to experience some of those azure blue seas and white sand beaches that exist in the lower latitudes.

Gjoa is a great high latitude boat, but, lacked desired attributes for more tropical climes, so, although we weren't actively looking for a buyer, when one appeared it seemed to make sense and Gjoa is now in new hands. We met her new owner, Randall Reeves, in Nuuk, Greenland in 2014 and at various places in the NWP thereafter. He indicated an interest in acquiring her at that time, but, we weren't ready then.

Randall is planning an ambitious expedition voyage of his own. You can read all about it and follow along with him at  http://figure8voyage.com/. We wish him every success.

We are now 'boatless' and probably will be for some time to come. This blog will no longer be a sailing blog, but, more of a general travel blog. We are busy planning the year ahead and have lots of ideas. We are planning a three month road trip north to enjoy another Canadian summer followed by a 'busman's holiday' aboard a cruise ship in September. We will be aboard for 43 days and travel from Vancouver to San Diego, then Hawaii, visit a number of the South Pacific islands and Australia before ending up in New Zealand. A once-in-a-lifetime voyage. Upon arrival 'downunder', we'll have a look at what tropical boats are on offer, so, stay tuned! Could there be a multihull in our future?

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More Days Out

After last winter spent in the Arctic, the weather here in Vancouver seems almost tropical to us. Today, December 28, it's -29C, with ice crystals, in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut where we were last year on this date. Here in Vancouver it's +4C and sunny. I don't think it's gone below 0C, during daylight hours, since we've been here and we haven't even got our winter coats out yet. It's funny to see the locals all bundled up with heavy coats, scarves, gloves and toques and we're in light jackets with zippers wide open because we're too hot! Of course, the sea is not frozen either and we're enjoying long walks along the seafront on fine days. Here is a scene that if I didn't tell you it was December, you may think it was July. It was taken at Lighthouse Park, in West Vancouver.

There were many other fine views on our walk that day.

As I've mentioned before, there is a Sea Wall promenade along the shore in front of our apartment building in West Vancouver. It's great, but, is really the poor cousin to the more famous Sea Wall around Stanley Park in downtown Vancouver. On another fine December day, we took the circular 10k walk that went right around the perimeter of Stanley Park and back to our bus that takes us over the Lion's Gate bridge to North and West Vancouver.

The morning started a little fresh and there was snow on the mountain tops as can be seen behind the interesting view of the sculpture 'Girl in a Wetsuit'.

The day warmed up as we walked along. There were a few inviting, sandy beaches along the route.

We were interested to see (and hear) many Black Oystercatchers in the shallows. A new species for us as they only exist on the west coast of Canada.

We left the Sea Wall at Denman Street, where this fun art installation resides, and finished up the day with a late lunch at a Malaysian restaurant on Denman, the Banana Leaf. What a great day out!

Another day out was a very quick overnight visit to Victoria, on Vancouver Island. The ferry trip over was 'interesting' as we were in a 45 knot gale! The wind was pinning us to the dock and the ferry had to bounce and scrape itself along the dock to get to open water. Glad we weren't in Gjoa. The whipped spume and wave tops blown flat brought back memories of past voyages in our own boat. We took a circuitous route across to keep the bow as close to the wind as possible. The motion was barely noticeable although there were a few hard knocks from wave strikes. I was trying hard not to think about engine failure as we enjoyed a lunch onboard. For the ferry captains, it's probably just another day at the office as these ferries are a lifeline, run year-round and are rarely cancelled. Once in the lee of Vancouver Island it all settled down and it was fine which is probably what the captain was counting on.

Victoria, especially its Parliament building, was lit up for Christmas and was very welcoming.

We've been to Victoria before. The reason for this visit was that we wanted to visit friends we'd met in London in 2012 when we both overwintered at St. Katharine's Dock. They also transited the NWP (in 2013, a 10,000 mile journey in one season!), so, we were looking forward to trading ice stories with them. As their boat is right in the central harbour, across from the grand old Empress hotel, we decided to splurge and take advantage of a special B&B rate being offered there. There weren't many guests in the hotel. Actually, half the hotel was closed off and covered in scaffolding as there was a large renovation going on. It didn't dampen the experience though. The hotel was beautifully decorated for Christmas and somehow we ended up in one of the only two turret rooms in the hotel. It felt like a suite as the turret was just large enough to hold the round bed and the sitting area and luxury bathroom were separate. Breakfast was taken in the grand dining room which just oozed history, it felt very special.

We plan to return to Vancouver Island in the spring for a lengthier visit.

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Out and About around Vancouver

We've been comfortably ensconced in our Vancouver winter quarters for about six weeks now and are enjoying our stay very much, especially our ocean views. From our apartment we particularly enjoy watching the working boats, like this little beachcomber tug towing a log.

At ground level, the sea wall just outside our door also offers fine vistas. This one shows a huge flock of goldeneye ducks enjoying the calm conditions.

Next to our building is a 'Happy Rock', first one I've ever seen! Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, but, it always brings a smile anyway. In case you can't read it, the words on the sign are 'HAPPY ROCK Just pat me to be happy'.

We're also enjoying many excursions. Our first pilgrimage was to visit the Vancouver Maritime Museum. It was a little disappointing with not much to look at, but, the primary purpose for our visit was there in all its restored glory and made up for the general lack of displays.  The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) St. Roch, first Canadian boat to transit the North West Passage (she actually did it both ways) was fascinating to see 'in the flesh'. There were also a few displays of Maud (Amundsen's ship) artifacts which resonated with us as well.

We'd had to give Haines, Alaska and its bald eagle festival a miss in our rush to beat the snow on our road trip to Vancouver. We were very disappointed and so, it was a delight to find that the bald eagles also congregate at Harrison Mills, just a short drive from Vancouver. We didn't want to rush our visit so went for an overnight trip in the van. We booked onto a mini-jetboat tour that was excellent.

The jetboat was well able to hold station against the ferocious river flow and take us through very shallow waters to get us close (but not too close) to the eagles. There were hundreds resting on the river flats and feasting on salmon. They were in the trees and soaring on the thermals above us (note to self: don't look up in awe at eagles flying close overhead, one particularly low-flying eagle let loose with a rather large deposit that covered both of us. We had to wade in and wash off in the nearby stream).

There were many serious-looking lens and tripod-toting tourists about. After looking at our disappointing photos, zoom envy has now taken hold and it looks like camera replacement is on the horizon. Whatever we get, it won't be as gargantuan as this lens. This man's partner had an even larger lens and they both had to wear special chest harnesses to carry the weight of them.

The best our zoom could do is this. Hardly inspiring, but, maybe you can get the idea, the eagles were a truly wonderful sight.

Almost as good as seeing the eagles was visiting the farm animals at the farm B&B we'd chosen for the night, Blackberry Lane farm, near Agassiz BC.

In addition to the cows and goats we found in the barn, there was a resident barn cat who wasn't allowed in the house. His Blackberry Lane Institution Wanted poster clearly informed guests to watch out for his sneaky behaviour!

A walk around the resort town of Harrison Hot Springs, deserted in November, completed a delightful outing.

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Vancouver - our winter home

After arriving in Vancouver, we hit the ground running to find an apartment for our winter stay. It's the first time in over five years that we'll be living on land instead of water (or ice! as we did during last winter's Arctic sojourn) and we wanted to get settled quickly. A quick overview tour of Vancouver and its neighborhoods, along with a focused list of 'must-haves' enabled us to quickly narrow down the list of candidates and we found a suitable place in two days flat.

Vancouver, taken from Lonsdale Quay on the North Shore.

As befits two sailors, our must-have list included being as close to the water as possible and an unobstructed, south-facing view of ship movements in Vancouver Harbour. Our search landed us in West Vancouver, to a seaside village known as Dundarave. Dundarave looks south over Howe Sound to Stanley Park and east to the Lion's Gate bridge. The shoreline is fronted by the West Vancouver sea wall, a great place for strolling along to the adjacent village of Ambleside. It's a ridiculously expensive place to live with the average house price over $2 million. I don't think we could afford to live here permanently, but, with a slight increase in our rent budget, it will be affordable for the short term and it will be fun to live like the '1%', for a little while at least.

We are on the ninth floor of a building which is about 200 ft. from the water's edge. We can hear the waves crashing over the seawall, all while being snug, warm and not having to worry about the anchor dragging, or, the ice shifting.

View of the seawall, Lion's Gate Bridge and Stanley Park from our ninth floor solarium.

Our south-facing view across Howe Sound, there are always ships here waiting to get unloaded in the Port.

The north view behind us to the Mountains and three ski areas within an hour!

Dundarave is so convenient, One bus and $1.75 takes us across the Lion's Gate bridge to a very walkable downtown Vancouver, or, to Stanley Park, in just a few minutes. The seawall and Dundarave beach are steps from our front door. The village high street with coffee shops and a great supermarket are a block away. Two blocks away is a community centre with a very large pool, fitness classes and an ice rink. At the end of the seawall is the Park Royal shopping centre with a Whole Foods market, a giant Asian supermarket (Osaka) and many other fine shops and restaurants. We couldn't have found a better place and are very much looking forward to our time here. We'll be here until April.

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