The rowing plan is to row with the ebbing tide out of English Bay, row along Point Grey to the North Arm Jetty, and then row with the flooding tide back to Hollyburn Sailing Club.The tides at Point Atkinson are: Low High:  4:23am, 4.0 meters or 13.1 feet Low Low: 11:35am, 1.1 meters or 3.6 feet High High: 6:52pm, 4.3 meters or 14.1 feet.

I estimate that it will take 3 to 3 1/2 hours to row to the North Arm Jetty so I must be on the water by 8:00am. I have to be at the North Arm at the change in the tide, around 11:30am to begin the row home.

7:56am, top of the Hollyburn Sailing Club ramp, ready to launch.

I am all packed, ready to go.  There is a slight Easterly threatening.

Gwragedd Annwn awaits on the beach while I put her dolly away.

I shove off the beach and begin to row for the “Maelstrom”.

The flag shows an Easterly drift.

I row South towards the ebbing current.  The water is pretty flat.

Leaving HSC behind.  That dot in the upper left is a helicopter

Lions Gate Bridge, First Narrows.  The rough water is where the ebbing tide is flowing.  The “Maelstrom” that will take me out of English Bay towards Point Atkinson and Lighthouse Park.

Gwragedd Annnwn in the Maelstrom, looking West.

The Maelstrolm is all the agitated water in the photo.  The ebb tide current goes all the way out to Point Atkinson / Lighthouse Park.

Rowing the Maelstrom  West.

Looking South, across English Bay towards Kits, Jericho and Spanish Bank beaches.

The famous “Pink Building”, Villa Maris, 2222 Bellevue Avenue.

Deep Sea Freighter Blue Horizon

Blue Horizon has one of the bluntest bows I have ever seen,  No Bulbousness here.

Looking East towards Lions Gate and First Narrows.

I have rowed south out of the main body of the current.  See how flat the water is towards the bridge.

Out of the Maelstrom, heading for Point Grey.

There is almost no wind.  English Bay is almost glossy.  A good day to row.

Angelic Power leads the line of Freighters anchored at anchorages 12, 14 & 16.

The deep sea freighters Angelic Power, Aquamarine and Global Partnership anchored in English Bay.

Bow of Angelic Power.  Note the painted figurehead.

Not a lot of current flowing here.  All freighters are massive.

Floatplane heading from Victoria?

There is always a lot of floatplane traffic over English Bay.

Prince of Whales tour boat.

There must be whales (or something for the tourists to see) to the west of us. 

Gwragedd Annwn leaves the Aquamarine in her wake.

I continue rowing for Point Grey.

Marker FI(2) R at Spanish Banks.

I row past the marker at the edge of Spanish Banks.  It is shallow (drying) to the South and East of this marker.

Leaving Spanish Banks behind.

I row on along the drop-off towards the North Arm.

Cobbled-together picture looking West towards Vancouver Island.

When you are on the edge of English Bay, there is a lot of open ocean between you and Vancouver Island.  In this photo, Point Grey is on the left, Point Atkinson is on the right.  About 35 miles to Vancouver Island.

A deadhead lurks for the unwary Oarsman.

This is a smaller deadhead.  Still, if a boat hit this at speed, it would cause a lot of damage.  Good thing that I saw it in time to avoid it.

Point Grey.

Getting closer to point Grey.  Amost no current here.

Stand-Up Paddleboarder heading back

The North Point Grey Gun Emplacement.

Unlike the Gun emplacements at Lighthouse Park and Stanley Park, this one and the South Point Grey Gun Emplacement are covered with graffiti. 

The water near the shore is shallow and rocky

I am rowing Grwagedd Annwn backwards for better visibility, as the depthsounder oars tell me that the water is 18″ or less deep here. I think that I see a channel back out to the deeper water ahead.

North Point Grey Gun Emplacement.

Looks like the ones at Lighthouse Park and Stanley Park.

Gwragedd Annnwn works her way backwards away from the beach past the shallows to deeper water.

I am rowing out the gap between two sandbars.  I wonder if a rip tide flows here when the tide is higher.

South Gun Emplacement at Point Grey.

The South Gun Emplacement has different graffiti than the North one.

North and South Gun Emplacements.

View looking North-East of the two Gun Emplacements. 

Looking North off Point Grey.

The view back home.  Still a little way to go to get to the North Arm Jetty.  I row on.

Boat anchored off Wreck Beach.

A powerboat anchored off Wreck Beach.  The man to the left of the boat is standing in the water.  It is very shallow and sandy here.  A good swimming beach.  I am still heading for the North Arm Jetty.

Powerboat heading up the North Arm.  The tide has not yet turned.

A powerboat heading up river.  The tide is almost slack.  This is about as far as I go.  Time for lunch until the tide begins to flood.

Leaving the North Arm behind.

Just about 11:30.  I am rowing back towards Hollyburn.  Long way to go. 

A Seaplane flies South.  Better flying down low?

This seaplane flew south past me at a low altitude.  I wonder why so low?

North Arm of the Fraser in the distance

On the row home, leaving the North Arm Jetty behind.

Tug Boat Yacht St. Ives.

Just ahead of the deep sea frieghter Les Victoria is the St. Ives.  This tug is usually moored at the Cate’s tugs dock by Lonsdale Quay.  Very pretty.

The deep sea freighter Les Victoria enters port for Burrard Inlet.

As usual, I first heard about the Les Victoria entering port on the Vancouver Port Traffic channel.  She is moving quickly along into harbour.

I wonder how many oarspower she has?

Happy that I am not in the shipping channel right now.

Passing the Aquamarine on the way home.

On the way back, I pass between the Aquamarine and the Angelic Power.

Angelic Power on the return.

Notice how much rougher the water is than on the way out.  The breeze has come up from the South-West.

Seaspan Commander heading in.

The tug Seaspan Commander has finished her tow and is heading back to port.

Traffic Separation Buoy QB.

Traffic Separation Buoy QB in in English bay.  Traffic Separation buoy QA is about 2 1/2 miles west of Point Grey outside of the bay.

Buoy QB.

There is a two knot flood current into English Bay here. 

Looking South-West towards the anchored Deep Sea freighters in English Bay.

Getting closer to HSC with every stroke.

The “Pink Building”.  Almost home.

John Lawson Park and the Harmony Arts Festival.

The Harmony Arts Festival starts just west of the Sailing Club.

The Ambleside Fishing Pier and the Hollyburn Sailing Club.

Almost home.  by the time I land, I will have rowed Gwragedd Annwn for over six hours.  Under good conditions, the North Arm is three hours away.  Quite the row, you should try it sometime.

Happy rowing.

Mike

Click on the picture for larger format.

When the tide is ebbing out of Burrard Inlet, there is quite a current running out of harbour from Lions Gate Bridge.  The current flows along the West Vancouver Shore, tapering off near Lighthouse Park.  The maximum predicted current for today is 5.5 kts at 10:29 this morning.  Here is the tide table for Point Atkinson from the Fisheries and Oceans Canada site:

I intend to ride the current out to Lighthouse Park and then ride the flood back into the harbour.  I will launch around 10:00am and start the return trip from Point Atkinson when the tide eases.  I will row along the shore in the back eddies until the tide begins to flood and then row out into the harbour to ride the current back to Hollyburn Sailing Club.  Here is an overview of the currents flow:

 At 9:30am I put Gwragedd Annwn in at HSC and row out into the Maelstrom.

   The current speed is between 4.25 and 5 knots. 

The waves are not too large today.  There is no oncoming (Westerly) wind to make them higher.  I have been out here when the surf kayaks are playing in the current.  Today is not the day for them to be out, too tame.  A good day to row, not to surf.

Too flat for the Surf Kayaks to play in.

Vancouver always looks good with a cloudy, not rainy sky.

 I have rowed the current almost four and one-half nautical miles in less than forty minutes.  Between my boat speed and the current speed, I am doing about 6.75 knots. 

 

Vancouver in the distance

Leaving Vancouver in the distance, the Current (and my oars) push Gwragedd Annwn towards Lighthouse Park, Point Atkinson and Howe Sound.

 

To the South, Point Grey

Looking South towards Point Grey.  Almost at the outer edge of English Bay.

 

 

West.  Vancouver Island in the distance

This is a cobbled together picture looking West towards Vancouver Island.  It is pretty hard to get lost in English Bay unless you are going West.  North, South or East will bring you to a shore rather quickly, but, if you go West, it is thirty plus nautical miles until you hit a shore.  In a fog,  North, South and East I would row for an hour or two to find a shore. West?  I would row until I hit the Island.  Would be quite the row.

The Point Atkinson Lighthouse

Point Atkinson Lighthouse.  This is the view looking North from the water.  Needs painting.

Passage Island, Howe Sound.  Sewell’s tour boat.

 I meet a tour boat from Sewell’s out for a quick spin around Howe Sound.

Point Atkinson Lighthouse

 A closer look at the Lighthouse.  This is almost the same view as is being used in the “Cedar Cove” tv show ad spots.

Sewell’s Tour boat.

 The tour group speeds off, hoping to find something to look at before the boat & motors scare if off.

Point Atkinson Lighthouse.

 Looking East towards the Lighthouse.  Not a lot of hikers around the park today.

Looking up Howe Sound.  Grebe Islets.

 Looking North up Howe Sound.  Grebe Islets are to left of centre of the picture.

Searchlight Emplacement for WWII Harbour defence.

 Harbour Defence from WWII.  There are four of these structures around English Bay that I know of.  One is here at Lighthouse, two are at Point Grey and one is at Stanley Park by Siwash Rock.

 

Searchlight Emplacement

 Close-up view of the searchlight  emplacement.  I wonder what type of gun Lighthouse park had.  Did it ever fire?

Point Atkinson Lighthouse Dock.

 The dock structure at the Park.  Has not been used in many years.  Needs work.

 

Mink on shore.

 One of the nice things about rowing is that you can get quite near the wildlife.  This is a photo of a mink foraging along the shore.  They move so quickly that it is hard to get even a poor picture of one.

Caulfeild Cove

 Caulfeild Cove.  I do not know why it is spelt Caulfeild and not Caulfield.  There is a small public dock here.  There are usually a few boats moored in the Cove.

Caulfeild Cove Dock.

 The dock at Caulfeild.  The tide is quite low.

Cypress Creek Delta.

 Cypress Creek.  There were fisherfolk trying for Sea Trout.  Were not lucky when I rowed past.

Mooring Buoy in current.

 The tide current past a mooring buoy.  The current is moving at about a knot and a half.

West Vancouver labortories Dock

 The West Vancouver laboratory dock.  This is where they grow the genetically enhanced salmon in tanks on shore.  I can imagine the “Space” network making a series of movies like the “Shark Attack” ones, featuring genetically altered Salmon terrorising the waters around Georgia Strait.  A monster salmon leaping up and snatching a bus off the Lions Gate Bridge?  I would watch it.  At least once.

Creek outflow under the Dock

 This might be the outfall from Sherman Creek or from the genetically enhanced fish tanks.  I should look for unusual fish around the outfall but, in the movies, that is how the first victim gets eaten.  I will just row by…

Colourful mysterious flag.

 This is just a colourful and unusual flag flying at a house on the beach.  The West Vancouverites are a colourful lot.

Dunderave Pier at low tide.

 Dundarave Pier at the foot of 25th Street, West Vancouver.   There is a restaurant, “The Beach House” at the top of the pier.  It used to be called  “Peppi’s”.  In around 1994, it became “The Beach House”.  I have never eaten here since the change.  There used to be a little concession stand/burger place west of the top of the pier.  It might be a “Vera’s” now.

Hungery seal off Ambleside Fishing Pier.

 The welcome back committee.  A seal waiting to steal a catch from the fisherfolk off of the Fishing Pier at Ambleside Beach.

 

Back to Hollyburn Sailing Club.

 

Another good row.

 

See you out on the water.

 

Mike 

Mike, the Urban Oarsman.

As an Urban Oarsman, you will occasionally want to know how deep is the water that you are rowing in.

What is the easiest way to do this you ask?     

Depth Sounder Oars 

Turn your oars into a depth sounding device.  There are two methods:

Method one:    

Turn your oars into a Depth Sounding device by marking one oar with lines 1” thick on the blade. 

It helps to mark the lines so you know at a glance how deep the water is. 

To use: Hold oar with both hands and stick upright into water.  Read depth from scale on blade. 

Note: this only works in water as deep as the scale is on the oar.

How useful is this you might well ask?…well not very… 

Why?,

1.      Well Gwragedd Annwn needs eight to ten inches of water to float in.  If she is not floating I already know that she is in less than eight to ten inches of water. 

2.      You have to stop rowing and take the oar out of the oarlock to use the Depth Sounder Oar.

3.      You have to stand up in the boat to use the Depth Sounder Oar.

4.      The scale on the blade does not go very deep.

Method two:

Is there a better way?  A way to measure the depth and row at the same time?  Yes there is. 

Let me explain…

While I was rowing in the pitch-black waters of Burnaby Lake, I noticed that sometimes my oars were striking the bottom as I rowed along.  The water was so black that I could not see through it to the bottom below, even in eight inches or less of water.  I would just notice that Gwragedd Annwn would stop moving and the oars were churning up mud because she had run aground in the weeds and mud in the shallows of Burnaby Lake. 

I noticed that the angle of my oars had a correlation to the depth of the water.  When my oar blades were covered to the shoulder of the blade by the water, I was in about twelve inches of water.  The deeper my oar stroke, the deeper the water.  It was not hard to figure out the angle and the corresponding depth.  I did this the easy way, I put Gwragedd Annwn up on the beach at HSC and blocked her up so she was level and her waterline was at twelve inches above the beach.  I then put her oars in the oarlocks and measured up from the beach to waterline and marked each oar.  When she was on her road trailer, I measured to determine where the waterline would be on the oars for eighteen and twenty-four inches of depth.  I marked my oars with white tape at Twelve, Eighteen and Twenty-four inches of depth. 

See photos:

Gwragedd Annwn’s oar marked for Twelve Inches of depth.

 This is my normal rowing stroke.  I put the oars down between eight to twelve inches deep.

 The water line is at the shoulder of the blade.  The first stripe of tape is at the waterline, at twelve inches.

Gwragedd Annwn’s Oar marked for Eighteen Inches of depth.

If I bury the oar to the second strip of tape, the oar tip is at Eighteen inches below the waterline. 

If I touch bottom with the oars, I know that I have about ten inches of clearance to the bottom. 

Gwragedd Annwn’s Oar marked for Twenty-four Inches of depth.

If I bury the oars to the third strip, I am in Twenty-four or more inches of water. 

Notice the steep entry angle of the oars…”Rowing over Stumps” to quote Philip Bolger.

Rowing Gwragedd Annwn is good in any water twelve inches or deeper.  The oar blade is fully immersed and the angle at the oarlocks is easy to row with. 

 Once you have found where to put your stripes, get some one inch wide painting tape and mask off your oars.  Be sure to mark the aft or inside of the oar so you can see the stripes as you row.  You could do as I did, mark the forward or outside face of the blade with the horizontal strips every inch (or whatever measurement you like) and the aft or inside face with the angled stripes.

Paint the oar stripes white.  Let dry.  Mark the stripes with the measurements. 

You can use waterproof white tape instead of painting if you like. 

Go rowing.  Bury your oars to test the depth.  Take a stroke on the oars to sound the lead. 

Two feet or more? Good Rowing. 

Mike

Click on picture for larger format image.

April 14th, 2013.  I have returned to Still Creek to explore as far upstream as I have water to row in.  I sorta copied this map of Still Creek from “The Waterways of Burnaby”, a PDF file I downloaded from the City of Burnaby site.  It looks as if there are a lot of creeks to explore that come off of Still Creek…What I did not realise is that it is the “Waterways of Burnaby” and the “Navigable Waterways of Burnaby” are not the same thing.  According to the City of Burnaby Website, The water level of Burnaby Lake varies according to the time of the year.  From March 15 to May 15, it is at 131.0′, May 15 to August 15, it is at 131.5′ and from August 15 to September 15, it is at 131.0′ and from September 15 to March 15, it is at 130.5′.  Burnaby Lake and Still Creek are five inches deeper than the last time I rowed here.  Should be able get further upstream than before.

I park in the parking lot next to the flying field.  I put Gwragedd Annwn onto her dolly from her trailer and walk down the trail to the Suspension Bridge.

Gwragedd Annwn on her trailer in the Parking Lot. The flying field is to the right (East). 

Gwragedd Annwn at the Suspension Bridge.  I cross and launch her to the left (West). 

The Suspension Bridge over Still Creek, looking North.  Not a lot of clearance under the bridge for Gwragedd Annwn. 

Launching Gwragedd Annwn on the North-West Side of the Suspension Bridge.  Dolly in reeds, locked to a post.  I am going in the early spring before the reeds have grown too large to launch here.

Good thing that I am going upstream, not a lot of room to go under the Bridge.

This is a side channel called Pollywog Creek.  I should have brought a machete. 

This is the pedestrian overpass at the end of Sperling Avenue.  Behind it you can see one of the floating debris barriers that I have to get around.  Hopefully there is enough room to the North side to slip Gwragedd Annwn by. 

Pollywog Creek is to the Right (North), and Pole Line Creek is to the Left (South).

I guess that you could fish from the debris barrier.  It is connected to the shore on the South side.  

Just past the debris barrier, heading west up creek.

 Looking North up Crabapple Creek.  I could only go as far as where the tree overhangs the creek. 

Where the tree overhangs Crabapple Creek. I do need a machete.  Or a chain saw.  

This view is looking South, out of Crabapple Creek towards Still Creek.  The entrance to Cranberry Creek is to the right, but is barely visible.  Not many of the side creeks are passable by Gwragedd Annwn.  Perhaps only by beavers. 

This is the entrance to Sunken Engine Creek which connects to Beecher Creek.

Looking South down Sunken Engine Creek.  I cannot get Gwragedd Annwn very for up it, and certainly not to Beecher Creek branch.

The creek water is getting clearer the further I row West.  Just before the Douglas Road, I spot coins in the water.  Someone’s lucky wishing well? 

Leaving Douglas Road and another debris barrier in my wake.

The view ahead to the west past the Douglas Road Bridge.

A red-eared slider turtle sunning his/her self on the South Bank of the creek.

I have seen Red-eared Slider turtles before.  I have a BC Provincial Museum Handbook, #44, “The Reptiles of British Columbia”, by Patrick T. Gregory and R. Wayne Campbell, 1984, That only identifies two turtles as living in BC.  The Northwestern Pond turtle (Clemmys marmorata), collected in British Columbia twice in 1933 and 1936, last reported in 1966.  They further state ” In fact, the western Pond Turtle may never have occurred naturally in this province: the two records could be of turtles which escaped after being imported from the south for food” The Western Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii) which they state …”is restricted to the southern part of the province.”  They further state that “There is some question as to the status of coastal populations of Painted Turtles”, that they may be the results of escaped pets. 

I have yet to see a Painted or Western Pond Turtle on a rowing trip. 

Rowing Gwragedd Annwn up the creek past the industrial buildings on Regent Street to the right (South), and Still Creek Avenue to the left (North).

The Westminster Avenue bridge viewed from the Creek.

The view Past the Westminster Avenue bridge, the Industrial buildings are no longer on either side of the Creek.

Further up the Creek.  I can see the bottom much more clearly.  There are fish in the shallows.  I think that they are trout, but, never get a good enough view to make sure. 

Where the Creek starts flowing too fast and shallow to row up.  The truck is on Willingdon Avenue.  Costco is to the right (North) behind the trees.  This is a far as I go.  I have reached the “Headwaters” of Still Creek. 

The view back the way I came.  Costco is to the Left (North) behind the trees and the Trans-Canada Highway is to the right (South).  A view like this could be in any wilderness Rowing trip.  What really makes you know that you are in the city is the ever-present traffic noise. 

Looking East again, there are bushes close to the shore and in the tight spots I break off branches passing by.  Gwragedd Annwn accumulates a lot of twigs in her bilge. 

Going under the Westminster Bridge on the way back. 

Leaving the Westminster Avenue Bridge astern. 

Close-up view of going under the Douglas Road Bridge.  On the East side of the bridge is where I saw the coins on the Creek bed. 

I brought a magnet on a line and a net to salvage some of the coins. 

Salvaged Booty!  Some how I do not think that I will get rich on the recovered treasure of Still Creek. 

Leaving the Douglas Road Bridge and the Still Creek Treasure bed behind. 

Rowing up to the Kensingdon Avenue Pedestrian Bridge and road Bridge.  Still Creek is quite wide here and I wonder do Kayakers and Canoests paddle here?  It is a shame that there is no easier access for water craft to this stretch of Still Creek than the ad-hoc one I used with Gwragedd Annwn. 

Reflections on the underside of the pedestrian overpass. 

I decide that the reeds are too thick and the ground too muddy to take Gwragedd Annwn out on the North-West side of the suspension bridge.  I will take her out on the South-East side where I retrieved her on the Burnaby Lake row.  To do this, I must get her under the bridge.  I find that if I move to the stern, she will just clear.  Using my body weight, I manuver her under the bridge, crawling along her deck to depress her enough to clear the bridge.  A slow and awkward process. 

Gwragedd Annwn on the South-East shore, ready to be hauled up the beaver rut to her dolly, her trailer and to home.

This is the end of the row “Return to Still Creek”.

I think that Burnaby Lake and Still Creek would get more rowing/paddling usage if there was a way to get your boat into the waters more easily.  A boat launch for human powered craft brought from your home to the lake for day use at the rowing centre would be a great idea.

I hope you try out Burnaby Lake and or Still Creek sometime.  A bit of wilderness right here.

Good Rowing,

Mike

One of the most recognised  land features in Stanley Park is Siwash Rock.

Siwash Rock is located on the West side of Stanley Park Between Ferguson Point and Prospect Point.  It is a Volcanic Dike eroded from softer sedimentary rock.  I have circumnavigated Siwash Rock many times, both by oar and by sail.

You need a high tide to do it.  The rock is awash only at high tide.  Here is a picture of the rock with about a nine foot tide:

Siwash Rock, covered with mussels.  It must have been a good spawning year in 2011.

I have rowed around her on a twelve foot tide to circumnavigate the rock.

A close up of the gap to the right that you row over…..

Again, this is at about a nine foot tide.  An twelve foot tide is enough enough water….for Gwragedd Annwn.

There are always a lot less people walking the Seawall in the winter.

Another view of the gap, dry, at about a (according to the tide charts) nine foot tide:

The Siwash Rock gap, dry, Looking East towards Stanley Park

Photo of Siwash Rock looking West, with a (according to the tide charts) twelve-six tide:

This photo was taken on September 9th, 2012 at 2:34pm.  The tide table said that it was a 12.9′ Tide in Vancouver Harbour.  From this experience, I would guess that I could circumnavigate with an 11′ tide, maybe a little less.

View from the West, with the same tide:

I have drifted through the gap on an incoming tide at just over a knot.  I do not know how fast an the ebbing tide would carry Gwragedd Annwn and I through the gap.

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Similar view of the rock, taken Two hours and forty-five minutes earlier, about a nine foot tide.

Urban Oarsman Matt, His son, and I rowed to False Creek, stopping to Circumnavigate Siwash along the Way:

Urban Oarsman Matt & Son rowing around Siwash Rock, 11:53 am, February 3rd, 2013, with a (about) twelve foot-six tide.  This is the first time Matt & Son had rowed around the rock.

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This a picture of the gap taken on January 13th, 2009, at 2:14 pm at a fourteen-six (about) tide.

Notice how fewer mussels there are around the base of the rock compared to recent photographs.

This picture was taken after the big windstorm that blew down the trees in Stanley Park.

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One of the features that is not easily seen from the Seawall is the “sea-eye”.  Is it a result of a lava tube when the volcanic dike was formed?

There is a secret treasure hole in the North-West corner of the Rock.  It is not visible from the shore.  It is awash on a fifteen-foot tide or so.

I am sure that all the Pirate treasure, Native artifacts or water-proof geocashes are in here.  I have never rowed up to it and put my hand in to find out.  Would be a great spot.  Not many people know about this hole, but you do, because the Urban Oarsman knows of it, and you too.  So on the next high tide, take a cruise around Siwash Rock.  Look for your own treasure.  You will be glad you did.

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Siwash Rock at Sunset:

My goal this year is to get a photo of Siwash Rock with the setting moon.

Another Row, Another Sunset.

Siwash Rock, Depth-Sounder oars.

Same spot, no Depth-Sounder oars.

Same Spot, No Depth-Sounder Oars, no people on the Seawall.

Siwash Rock at sunset.  a great place to be for the Urban Oarsman.

Mike

A Hollyburn Sailing Club event.  Paddling and Rowing out to watch the Equinox Sunset, March 22, 2013

March 22nd, 2013.  The Equinox Row.  We leave Hollyburn Sailing Club and paddle and row west along the shore towards Lighthouse Park to watch the Equinox Sunset.

The water is calm, winds light, conditions are perfect.  A good time to be on the water in English Bay.

The traffic is light coming into and out of the First Narrows.

We continue West up coast towards Lighthouse Park after the swells have passed.

Paddling out  towards Lighthouse Park, Lions Gate Bridge (First Narrows) in Background.

Ian built this pretty paddle canoe.  It is Robert Baker’s design “Piccolo” commissioned by the editors of “Wooden Boat” magazine.  He has brought it out to the Hollyburn Sailing Club Wooden Boat show.  For more photos go the the Hollyburn Sailing Club site: http://www.hollyburnsailingclub.ca/

The Hollyburn Sailing Club site is worth exploring. Click on the Photos tab in the top row to see photographs, both recent and from the long-ago past.

Hollyburn Sailing Club (HSC) is my home base.  It is an active Sailing, Rowing, Paddling and Stand up Paddling Club.  If you do not own your own boat, you can join the Co-op and use one of their boats.  The Co-op has sailing boats, kayaks and a paddle board. HSCis where I store Gwragedd Annwn and started this row from.

The photo Steve took of Gwragedd Annwn with me at the oars:

This picture was taken around 6:10 pm.  An hour to go to Sunset.

Equinox Sunset reflection off shoreline apartment buildings, West Vancouver, BC.
Lions Gate Bridge is in the background, Stanley Park to the right.

Setting sun, off Lighthouse Park, 6:16pm, March 22nd, 2013.

Setting sun, over the Lighthouse, Lighthouse Park, 6:22pm.

From anywhere in English Bay, no matter what the time of year, you never see the sun setting over the water, as there is always a mountain or the Island for the sun to set over.  When the sun is as far south as it gets, it set over the Island, when it is a far north as it gets, it sets over Lighthouse Park or Mt. Elpinstone on the Sunshine Coast (depending on where in English Bay you are watching the sunset).

6:25pm, The sun is almost behind Lighthouse Park. 

There is  some sun on us as the Paddlers and rower gather to watch her set.

The equinox sun is behind the hill, Twilight and time to head back to HSC before dark.

Twilight row home.  It is a twilight paddle for the Kayakers.  This is Ian in his solo paddle canoe.
A beautiful evening on the water off Ambleside.

Almost back at HSC.  The end of an Equinox Row.

Mike