Vancouver Sightseing & Sailing In July
 

Planning 2 week trip to Vancouver in July. 10 days sailboat charter from Ganville Is Vancouver for Gulf Islands. Leaves 4 days for hotel & sightseeing in a favorite city as a youngster but haven't visited for 30 years. What suggestions for 3 day hotel & sightseeing on the front end of the sailboat trip & 1 day on the end.
Will need to provision the sailboat so any suggestions for food shopping favorites to take on the boat would be welcome especially bread and cookies etc since we don't bake.
Also any tips on neat places to visit by boat in the Gulf Is...know I am asking alot but am really looking forward to this trip!

>>>>>>What suggestions for 3 day hotel & sightseeing on the front end of the sailboat trip & 1 day on the end.<<<<<<

There is so much to see in Vancouver -- Stanley Park, Robson Street, Chinatown, Gastown, cable car to the top of Grouse Mountain, Capilano Canyon, Granville Island Market, Royal Hudson train to Squamish and on and on. A particular favourite of mine is the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.

As to hotels, we stay with friends when we visit Vancouver, so I'm really not familiar with the city's hotels. I do know there are hotels in every price range, B&Bs, and even a good hostel (YMCA or some such) that two sets of middle aged Australian friends have complimented.

>>>>>>Will need to provision the sailboat so any suggestions for food shopping favorites to take on the boat would be welcome especially bread and cookies etc since we don't bake.<<<<<<

Well I don't bake much either.:) I'm assuming that, since you're setting sail from Granville Island, you will be able to stock up with food there. I'm sorry, I don't know much about provisioning a sailboat. If you need to top up your supply of fresh fruit and veggies about half way through your cruise, I believe you would be able to do so at one of the little harbours or docks on the Gulf Islands.

>>>>>>Also any tips on neat places to visit by boat in the Gulf Is<<<<<<

I know there are lots of islands, and I've heard many of them are nice, but I myself have only been to Victoria on Vancouver Island. The Butchart Gardens in Victoria are justly famous.

Whale watching is said to be a favourite activity off the Gulf Islands, but I don't know if some locations are better for this than others, and I also don't know if there is a seasonal element to whale watching.

For instance, my mother sees Southern Right Whales off the coast of South Africa, but those whales split their time between Antarctica and the coasts of Southern Africa, Australia and South America. The Southern Right Whale seasonal migrations to and from Antarctica are fairly predictable.

I don't believe that is the case with the Killer Whales off the British Columbia coast. I think the Killer Whales are there all the time, but I could be wrong about that.

Salmon fishing is another popular past-time off the British Columbia coast.

The fact that you needed to ask questions about provisioning a yacht and the fact that you seemed to think your ability or inability to bake had any relevance to the topic whatsoever makes me wonder how often you've done this before. The water off the coast of British Columbia is cold. While the Gulf Islands do protect the coastline, and while July is a good time to be doing this, I nevertheless hope you're experienced sailors. If your skills are not up to snuff, I do hope you'll spend your time between now and July learning the ropes.

Anyway, hope you have a good trip.

Just want to clarify a couple of points in my message. We are very experienced sailors and know how to provision...what we were hoping for was resources ie what stores/shops in Vancouver others like to shop for food at and perhaps a hotle or 2 in the Granville area.

You can set your mind at rest about your food shopping, in that Granville Island has a large variety of food for sale in a very convenient market area.

As I mentioned, I'm not in a position to give advice about Vancouver hotels. However, if you do a search for Vancouver hotels here in the Fodors Canada forum, I'm sure many discussion threads will come up.

Granville Island Market does indeed have everything you need-including possibly a free temp moorage slip-a at a price ;)
There's also a boutique hotel called the wait for it-Granville Island Hotel- that might suit.
In the Gulf Islands a stop @ Ganges Harbour will put you in walking distance of bakeries and grocery stores.
Sightseeing locally?
First off there is no need for anyone to ever visit the tacky and expensive tourist trap known as Capilano Suspension Bridge-go instead to nearby Lynn Canyon-they have a web site.
If you like 'ethnic neighbourhoods' then a visit to Chinatown and the Sun Yat Sen Gardens-on the east side of Downtown and Little India @ Main & 49th Ave are a good idea.
They are connected by the Main Street bus a $C2 ride apart.
The Gulf Islands?
Look to Pender Island for the Saturday Market so much more manageable and mannered than the sprawling one on Saltspring.
Salmon fishing as mentioned earlier is both heavily regulated and relatively poor near the Gulf Island, groundfish are for the most part totally closed as stocks have collapsed from overfishing.It's easy enough to toss a crab trap overboard though and Dungeness are plentiful and great eating-you must have Saltwater fishing licence to use a crab trap!

We visited the Gulf Islands by boat in the summer of 2001. Every port is different, and many have good old fashioned entertainment, like volleyball, shuffleboard, bikes and canoes to rent as well as offering the usual maritime activities. It's a refreshing blast from the past. You will find good books available on the various places you can stop.

After leaving the San Juan Islands, our first stop was Bedwell Harbour on S. Pender Island. I think the marina has expanded since we were there. It is west facing, so sunsets are beautiful, with basalt cliffs overhead and a rocky beach below. The resort is family friendly, with a couple of restaurants, a heated pool, at the time free laundry and showers. You could dinghy to N. Pender for shops/movies.

Telegraph Harbor on Thetis Island was lovely. The marina is famous for its ice cream sundaes. There are lots of outdoor games available. On the island, in off-hours farmers leave produce out with a box you can put your money in if you make a purchase, the old honor system. We took the ferry to Chemainus, on Vancouver Is., which is a former lumber/coal town, now famous for its murals and touristy shops.

I'll stop and start below so this doesn't get too long for the web site.

Saltspring Island is nice. Lots of artists and a fine market in Ganges.

If you have the time, you may want to go north to Nanaimo, which is a lovely town with a beautiful harbor and wonderful parks.

Also, Princess Louisa Inlet is lovely, with basalt cliffs rising thousands of feet above the waters, cascading waterfalls, seals. It might be a stretch in a sail boat, though.

We went to the Desolation Sound area, too (had a power boat). Wow! It is awesome.

But, back to the southern parts of the Strait of Georgia. You might consider stopping down to Sucia in the San Juan Islands (customs at Roche Harbor first). It's a great marine park with beautiful harbors and trails. Also Stuart Island, with its one room school house has great hikes and is a treat.

You don't really have to worry about doing too much provisioning in Vancouver other than getting a good book on the Islands. There are plenty of places to shop and eat on the islands.

So much to see; so little time. You'll have a great trip.

Thank you Sam Salmon And Orcas..that was just the info we were looking for. We especially appreciate the suggestions re:provisioning availablity on the Gulf Islands and the extra info on sightseeing. We are ready to enjoy our trip!