In the morning I went for a paddle in the kayak out to English Bay. I ate a snack, window shopped at the Maritime Museum and checked out the boats tenuously anchored there. It was a good bit of exercise, paddling there against the northerly breeze but this meant the ride back was easy. It was fun to see all of the boats and shoreline attractions. It is just another form of the boaters’ gaze. Back on the boat, I ate lunch and worked on some chores. I tightened some of the bolts on the stern pulpit as they were a little loose, I think due to using the pulpit as a handle for getting in and out of the kayak. I took note of this and have since revised my technique. Getting tools for the job means moving some items stored on the settee, like water jugs and pots and pans so I could access the storage underneath. This quickly creates a bit of chaos on the boat. A small boat disadvantage is that you always need to move something to get to something. The small boat advantage is that it is easy to tidy up afterward.

A tenuous anchorage

During this chore, I was visited by Simon, a local Flicka owner who saw me anchored when riding his bike shoreside. He came by on his inflatable stand up paddle board with his dog. Unfortunately, I do not recall the name of his Flicka nor the name of his dog. Simon is a young Englishman who immigrated to Vancouver to work in the flourishing film business. He purchased his Flicka from Seattle a couple of years earlier. His boat was also a 1985, so we were able to compare features, layouts, and modifications, and talked about our travels with the boats. This turned into a lengthy and enjoyable meeting, and he invited me over to check out his Flicka. After he left, I finished up the boat chores, tidied up, and paddled over to Stamps Landing where he was docked. We have the same hull with vastly different features. I have an outboard with no head, he has an inboard with an installed head. He has a dodger, radar, roller furling and an anchor windlass. I have none of those. The previous boat owner invested quite a bit of money into his boat while my Flicka has had little modification since its initial build. Still, they are clearly the same boat in the era with, in my opinion, the coolest oval portholes of all Flickas.

Searching for Simon’s Flicka

Sister Flicka

Simon’s Flicka 20 foredeck Layout

Simon’s Flicka 20 cockpit and stern layout

I took leave from Simon in time enough to get to the Granville Island Public Market. I wanted to get some provisions as I was running low on fresh food and was planning on leaving the next day.  I had decided I’d had enough of the False Creek anchor show and the urban lifestyle of Vancouver was reminding me too much of Seattle. Simon had mentioned there was a grocer a few blocks inland that might offer quality goods for a more competitive price, but I found the market suited me fine. The produce was fresh, so I picked up some carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, grapes and the like, all satisfactorily in my budget. I also picked up some cod-fish for the evening’s supper. The Granville Public Market is the Pike’s Place of Vancouver and provides a large number of shops selling a variety of foods and artisan wares, as well as a variety of wares and artisan foods. It’s nice to be able to kayak to the store, and they have temporary moorage for shoppers. Still, I locked my tender up while I was there as I have limited trust for leaving gear unattended in Vancouver.

A birds-eye view of The Granville Island Public Market

On Granville Island

And from the docks. The purple kayak is my tender.

Accessible by boat

And from the docks again.

Security is a consideration in False Creek

A New Anchoring Technique. Using the chain of my stern anchor for added outboard security in the city.

Security is advised in False Creek

Bicycle Locks Doing Double Duty for Tender Security.