False Creek anchorage changes
Science Centre glows on a muggy night in False Creek.
Earlier this year, cruiser Allen Dick tied Cassiopeia, his Bavaria 42, to the False Creek Yacht Club docks under the Granville Bridge to obtain a free anchoring permit from the Boater Welcome Centre, the little houseboat which has long been a first stop for cruisers entering the bay. But he was told they no longer issued them, that he would have to find a permit online.
As it is, getting an online permit is simple and fast. If you know when you are going to arrive or depart, visit this City of Vancouver webpage, fill in the details and within moments you will find a permit in your inbox. The first page should be affixed to a dry spot on your boat, visible from the water.
If you arrive without a permit, and don’t happen to have a printer aboard, a hard copy permit can still be obtained from the office at the Heather Civic Marina, southwest of the Cambie Bridge.
Anchoring restrictions are still in force. Permits allow boaters to anchor outside the marked navigable channel for 14 out of 30 days Apr 1-Sept 30, or 21 out of 40 days during the low season.
The Boater Welcome Centre is still in business to offer help and answer questions for visiting cruisers. Call 604-648-2628, VHF 66A or email welcome@FCYC.com.
(False Creek is covered in Salish Sea Pilot’s Cruising Guide to Georgia Strait & the Sunshine Coast.)
I was there in winter and was told that rather than worry about getting a printed copy, I could simply write the permit number obtained on the web on paper and tape it to a portlight where it would be visible. I did that and stayed a week with no issues.
Good to know, Allen. And of course makes perfect sense.