Tag Archives: english bay

Vancouver’s Very Own Viking Ship

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For several years now, ever since I’ve lived near English Bay, I’ve been noticing this odd sight out on the water.  Once in a while, there’s this Viking ship out there. That’s right, with that characteristic striped orange sail, oars and what even what look like shields lining the gunnels. On really windy days it never appears, but periodically, when there’s a ruffle of a breeze you can see it bobbing about amongst modern yachts and freighters. The sail seems to hang limp most of the time, but the oars are busy enough.

Turns out that the ship, named the Murin, was launched over a decade ago as part of the BC Viking Ship project. Basically a group of gung-ho folks got together to create a 40 foot replica of the Norwegian Viking Ship Gokstad, which was built around 890 A.D. and unearthed in 1880 near Oslo. The “Gokstad Ship” was amazingly well preserved in an old Viking grave. It is currently on display at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. Pretty hardcore! No maritime city is complete with a couple of full scale replicas bobbing about, I say, and this one does us proud.

But what I really like about the Murin - and I just found this out – is that it’s open to the public. With a donation, anyone is welcome to experience working a real Viking longship. Although this isn’t like doing the Gondola thing in Venice. Apparently one’s expected to show up ready to row! Organizers estimate that up to 5,000 people have the chance to try their hand at sailing the Murin every year.

According to the Viking Project website: “This 40 foot boat can accommodate 12 people and the 2 hour rides are by donation. As a passenger you will be rowing (when there isn’t wind to propel the boat) so be sure to bring gloves to protect your hands…”

Amazing. What a great way to build on our nautical community!

Details on how to embark on the Murin. 

  • Departure Point: Heritage Harbour dock in Vanier Park, Vancouver (map)
  • Cost: By donation (please give generously)
  • How to Book: Email vikingship.ca@gmail.com to reserve

Header photo courtesy of stevecadman

English Bay’s Bulk Carriers Revealed

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Ever notice that Vancouver’s English Bay skyline is constantly littered with those, squat, red-hulled ships? Or maybe not. They’re  such an omnipresent feature of our surroundings, that we pay them little heed despite their importance.  Each of these modern-day merchant ships, or “Bulk Carriers”, doggedly cross the Pacific laden with Canadian commodities. In recent years, they amount to a ceaseless conveyor belt ferrying coal, potash, grain and softwood lumber to hungry markets in China.  So hungry in fact, that softwood lumber imports to China exceeded those bound for the U.S. this spring. Exports to China were up 157 per cent by volume over the same month last year.  Each of those sticks of wood was carefully stowed in English Bay’s bulk carriers.

While their economic usefulness to Canada and B.C. is undeniable, I am more interested in how the technology of these ships have evolved into the monsters we see today. Before the advent of steel, steam-powered ships longshoremen loaded the cargo into sacks, stacked the sacks onto pallets, and put the pallets into the cargo hold with a crane.

A lot has changed since then.Today, bulkers make up 40% of the world’s merchant fleets and range in size from single-hold mini-bulkers to mammoth ore ships able to carry 400,000 tons of deadweight tons.  A number of specialized designs exist: some can unload their own cargo, some depend on port facilities for unloading, and some even package the cargo as it is loaded. Most the ships loitering outside of Stanley Park are in the “Handymax” class capable of carrying 10,000 tons. They are part of a fleet of over 6,000 similar vessels worldwide.

I’m not sure what their direct contribution to community building is other than that, as we stroll the Seawall, we all enjoy looking out at them. To me and to so many others, they consistently evoke the romance of the high seas and of exotic destinations. No amount of sheer size and technological sophistication can change that.

Driver’s License for Boaters Brings Safety to BC Waters

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Every summer, Canada’s lakes, rivers and oceans are inundated (no pun intended) with power boats. And, like clockwork, on board partying and shoddy regard for safety create bad accidents and, sadly, fatalities.  According to the Canadian Red Cross, alcohol is a factor in over 40% of recreational boating deaths.  As little as ten years ago, anyone of any age could operate a recreational boat without any minimum boating safety knowledge, experience or training. A new ‘driver’s license’ for boaters is seeking to change that.

Since 2009, boaters in British Columbia and across Canada (Nunavut and North West Territories excepted) are required to  hold the Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) in order to operate a powered watercraft fitted with any size motor — even an electric trolling motor. Yes, fishermen, you heard right -  even if you’re using one of those teeny weeny outboards, than you need the PCOC. All is not lost though, there are tons of great resources out there to help you prepare for the online or classroom exam. Better yet, since April 15 this year, the online format changed to a more comprehensive one, including only 3 hours of study time. Visit BC Boating Licenses to find out how, when and where to take the test.  The site also includes sample exams and study questions to help you ace it.  The new requirement to hold the Pleasure Craft Operator Card assures a greater level of safety and accountability from anyone heading out on the water.

On any given summer day, I enjoy seeing the waters around Vancouver dance with literally hundreds of craft. But I can’t help wondering if safety suffers.  When a yacht and powerboat jockey for the same channel between two massive freighters, you gotta hope that neither amateur mariners is asleep at the tiller and maybe know a thing or two about safety. With the PCOC we can all float a little easier.

 

Bring Back the Tall Ships

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I am in mourning – bereft to learn that the 2011 Victoria Tall Ships Festival has been cancelled due to “Tough economic times.” Maybe a  corporate saviour will pull the festival off its economic sandbank? It happened with English Bay’s fireworks festival a while back, didn’t it?  Why not here?

Tall ship entering Haifax harbour

So consider this a brief  plea for a nautical bailout – a eulogy of sorts to the loss of sailing ships from around the globe berthing at Victoria this summer. Hopefully someone with a few pieces of eight to rub together will be convinced that supporting Tall Ships is important, not just to ship nerds like me, but also to the broader community.

From an aesthetic standpoint alone, they are beautiful examples of craftsmanship, grace and speed.  Tall Ship festivals travel the globe with the mission to bring living pieces of history up close and personal for the ordinary landlubber to see, touch, and appreciate.

Tall ship festivals also bring an international community of sailors, ship designers, historians and antiquarians together to share ideas and knowledge – a floating conference of sorts which keeps  a veritable floating museum alive.

Here’s hoping the ships  haven’t disappeared over the horizon just yet.

What’s in a Ship?

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For better or worse, most of us know little of ships. But maybe it’s not a bad idea that we try to.

Fun fact: today there are 50,000 merchant ships in the world oceans – carrying 90% of international trade.

Each of these ships is a a link in a global supply chain, vital to the world economy.

Empty freighters at the Port of Singapore during during the 2009 Financial Crisis

Strangely, the economic crisis brought, mostly out of fear, a whole new respect and acknowledgment of shipping’s importance.  In the months following Lehman Brothers’ stunning collapse, shipping languished at unprecedented levels.

Orders for new ships ground to a halt and freight dwindled. Newspapers portrayed the scary spectacle of port’s clogged for months with empty freighters with literally no purpose but to float about.  Ship lanes were empty.

Imagine if, all of a sudden, English Bay with its half dozen resident freighters was suddenly clogged with four times that many vessels waiting for coal, logs and potash that no one was buying. It would be a potent sign of our cherished captialist system imploding on itself. And I think we’d stop and take notice.

I guess it’s hard to notice shipping’s importance. We can’t  appreciate something when it’s a largely invisible process. And, when a ship does emerge close to shore, it’s hardly nice to look at.  Most these days are squat, brutish things bearing little resemblance to their more graceful ancestors.

With the advent of steam, the sight of sailed craft has slowly disappeared from the water – replaced exclusively by steel hulls and diesel propulsion.  How sad progress can be. Still, look hard enough and there is beauty in the most ugly thing and with that comes appreciation, even respect.

Clipper Ship, the Cutty Sark, 1869

Alain de Botton taught me that, writing in his latest book about London boat watchers as they stand for hours in the drizzle,  “alive to some of the most astonishing aspects of our time. Standing beside a docked ship, their heads thrown back to gaze at its steel turrets disappearing into the sky, they enter into a state of silent, satisfied wonder.” (The Pleasures and Sorrows of work).

So, all that said I hope I make a pretty good argument for giving ye ‘ol ships a few more props. Or even a passing salute, should the spirit move you.

Surfing – Yachting for the Masses

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There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.

Rat, Wind in the Willows

B.C.'s Desolation Sound

I’m the first to admit that my yachting days a still a ways off, so in the meantime I’m more than content to mess about in more humble vessels. Vancouver’s False Creek has allowed me to try out rowing, kayaking, dragon boating, outrigger canoeing. I did the latter for a few years, but have since switched to swimming, anything to stay close to water. Love of water has connected me to a great community for whom being connected to the ocean is important. But out of all these activities, it is surfing which stands out for me as the most fun and exhilirating way to get out and play on the water. Unless you live near a good surf break, it’s certainly less accessible than other water sports, but once you try it, you’re hooked. My wife showed me how on an all inclusive vacation to Sayulita, Mexico four years ago and now whenever we go near a beach our surfboards tag along.

My top five reasons why I love surfing:

1) It’s Cheap.

Sure, you have to travel to warm, sunny places for the most part (Tofino and Nova Scotia excluded), but once you’re there it’s really cheap.  The closest place to surf from Vancouver is Tofino, half a day’s travel by car.  Once you’re there, even if you don’t own a board, you can rent all your stuff, wetsuit included, for about $60 for two days. When I was in Mexico, a nice guy just lent me his board.  In Hawaii, I’d rent for 10 dollars from the kid on the beach. So, until I getting my pimped out 40-footer (probably named after a Greek Goddess, like Penelope or Thetis ) I’m content with a rental board and a wave.

Local B.C. surfer Pete Devries

2) Connection to Place.

It’s amazing how just bobbing up and down on the calm sea with the horizon ahead and land behind makes every worry melt away. Feeling the movement of the Ocean, the wind and the warmth of the sun places you firmly in the moment.

3) Exercise.

Ever notice that all surfers are hot with, like, chiseled everything ? No? Well, they are. Always being outside and continuous use of core strength must have something to do it. But I don’t like the exercise out of vanity (which I probably am), but simply because surfing is a an enjoyable physical challenge. Battling the surf to get out far enough to catch a proper wave can leave you out of breath with aching arms. But just conquering that first barrier to make it to open water feels great all on its own.

4) Sucking at it.

I’ve rarely done a sport where being total crap means is actually part of the fun. With surfing, there’s  nothing to prove. Even in Hawaii, when I shared a wave with some real hot shots, they would  just smile benignly at this pasty, white, gangly Canadian getting tossed incessantly and say, “Narly, man. You’ll get the next one.”

5) Community.

Surfing is at once totally solitary and immensely interactive. Out on the water you’re alone, out of ear shot – even on a crowded break. Still, everyone is aware of their neighbours and respectful of each other’s space and safety. Take turns, watch out for others – all that good stuff happens in surfing. It is a simple code which surfer communities the world over abide by. We could all learn from that.

So there you have it. Until I forsake community altogether for Penelope III, my Super-Yacht with a butler, I’m content to bob about on a board, rarely catching anything, happy as a clam.

To get you inspired:

Header photo courtesy of by Mark Ziubinski

Olympic Neighbourhoods – The West End

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Vancouver-westendAs a key media outlet for the 2010 Olympics, the Daily Gumboot is excited to bring you our “Olympics Neighbourhoods” series. Here’s how it works: each week, Managing Editor, Kurt Heinrich, and Editor-in-Chief, John will profile a different Vancouver neighbourhood with a specific focus on things that might interest out-of-town visitors who arrive in The Couve for the Olympics. We will do this between now and the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver and the story will be told be the Gumboot’s editors asking and answering the five questions below. These are the straight goods that you can’t get from VANOC, the Ministry of Tourism or the City of Vancouver. Let’s get to it!

1. Where is this neighbourhood exactly, and how do I get there?

JOHN: You know what? Lindsay McKeeman (see the video below) did such a great job that I think I’ll let her walk us all through the colourful journey that is the West End of Vancouver. Here is a map of the neighbourhood. Have fun with it!

LINDSAY: The West End of Vancouver is on the downtown peninsula neighbouring Stanley Park and the areas of Yaletown, Coal Harbour and the central downtown district. Encompassed within the West End is the vibrant Davie Village, or as I affectionately refer to it as the “gaybourhood”, which is home to the city’s gay community and annual Pride Parade held August 1st.  The West End also serves as the corridor to Stanley park, and an entry point to the Seawall.

2. Why should a tourist/traveler be interested in it?

LINDSAY: The West End, while still downtown, offers a close-by residential refuge from the busy bustling downtown business core. In addition this neighbourhood is home to a multitude of restaurants, pubs, cafes and clubs along Davie and Denman streets. If you continue West down Davie Street, you’ll find yourself at the ocean in English Bay. Walk down towards the water and you’ll link up with the Seawall as it snakes along the water to Stanley Park. The Seawall, on a clear day, is one of the most beautiful places to run or stroll, in Vancouver.

JOHN: The laughing statues – created by Yue Minjun – are a must see and you can find them in the Morton Triangle at Davie and Denman. It’s called A-maze-ing Laughter and it will certainly make you chuckle.

3. What good and/or unique things are there to eat?

LINDSAY: Want just a baked potato for dinner? no problem.  How about a baked potato with 40 different topping options? Mr Kumpir has you covered! What if you’re more of a sweet tooth? Again no problem, within the same block of Denman St there are cookie, cupcake, and cream puffs stores to satiate your search for sweets! One item restaurants aside, there are tonnes of cheap Sushi spots along Robson and Denman, including Akira Sushi. Akira Sushi, for what it lacks in esthetics makes up for in its cheap, good quality sushi. Highlights include the toro sashimi, gomae, and black rice rolls! Lolita’s south of the border Cantina, another favourite along Davie Street has super tasty soft taco’s, I recommend the halibut and “oceanwise” ceviche.

4. What can I do for fun in this neighbourhood.

LINDSAY: During the Olympics Vectoria Elevation will be lighting up the night skies over False Creek and English Bay in a myriad of patterns, that you can go online and control and create yourself! http://vectorialvancouver.net/

(I feel like I’ve talked about the seawall and restaurants, but those can be included too)

JOHN: English Bay is the home of the annual Polar Bear Swim (superfun and super cold), and, hey, let’s not forget the dancing. But that’s on New Year’s Day. If you just want to jump in the water when it’s cold, though, that’s cool too.

5. What are your three favourite things about the West End?

LINDSAY:

1) English Bay, and surrounding beaches, including sunset, second and third beach offer up some of the best spots in Vancouver to sit with some food, a bottle of fine wine and watch the sun set over the strait of georgia.

2) People watching. Oh yes, walking up Davie street or running along the Seawall offers some of the best people watching in the city. Whether it be drag queens in full costume or wide eyed tourists taking in the sites, there is never a dull moment in the West End.

Urban Density and the West End get along really, really well...

Urban Density and the West End get along really, really well...

3) Going for a Run along the Seawall. Again, while I feel like I’ve harped on this spot a lot already, I’m still quite new to Vancouver and the West End, so going for a run along the Seawall still leaves me breathless, for two reasons; its beauty, and quite frankly the length of that damn thing! If you’re feeling ambitious, technically you could run all 22km of that beauty!

JOHN: my favourite thing is that the West End is located right next to my home town of Merville! I guess that’s why Kurt put it in…not because he made a mistake. But we’ll get to that next week. I also like the dancing and weaving through pedestrians who walk on the bike path – for shame, pedestrians…