South Pacific Day 1
ms Westerdam
Vancouver, British Columbia
Arriving: 7:00 AM
Departing: 4:45 PM
Chance of Rain - 60 Degrees
Vancouver is our favorite World City, and sailing into Vancouver under the Lions Gate Bridge is one of the great cruising experiences. We aren't going to miss it. We set the alarm at 5:00 to check the ship's position. Still well out to sea. Back to sleep. Up again at 6:00. Time to go up top.
It was an extraordinary morning. The top deck wet and the air still heavy with dew, the full moon low in the Western Sky, the faintest light of daybreak to the East, Venus and the stars above. First light had yet to penetrate the dense canopy of Stanley Park, dark in silhouette. The Lions Gate, lithe and graceful, cables and towers lit against the dawn. It looked like we would barely clear as we glided safely under and beyond. Making the turn into Coal Harbor, the sun rose to Port as the moon set to Starboard, the sleek steel and glass skyline of Vancouver got taller as we drew closer. Approaching the pier at Canada Place, the captain spun Westerdam 180 degrees and backed her into the slip, smooth and silent, 82,000 tons of grace.
As much as we love Vancouver, we've been here and done that, many times. It's just like a hang out Sunday at home. Ted and Tres walked down into Gastown to find a sports bar with the Seahawks on TV, but they came up a little short (pun intended) against the Rams today. Nancy and I toured the new Fairmont Pacific Rim. We did our errands and had the last great cup of coffee for the trip. Cafe Artigiano baristas have won every Canadian barista championship ever contested and have placed in the top ten in the World Barista Championships five times. Yes, it's that good.
United States Border Control was in full force at Canada Place. Think about that for a minute and you will understand why we didn't understand. Since our next port of call is in the United States, USBC required that all passengers disembark the ship to be cleared, even if they didn't intend to disembark the ship in the first place. Tres offended the border officer, though not in the way he intended, but we were all cleared to reboard the ship.
The sun appeared and disappeared through the streaky clouds, but the chance of rain never materialized. We sat on our verandahs and watched the sea planes take off and land against the backdrop of Stanley Park and the Coast Mountains until sailaway as Westerdam pulled away from the pier and the city, rounded the park, and slipped back under the bridge bound for the ocean.
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