I departed from Burnaby on a Sunday with headphones on, suitcase in hand, and a backpack slung over my shoulders.
A skytrain to downtown. A 45-minute bus to the terminal. A 1.5 hour ferry across the straight. A half-hour drive to Schooner Cover. I arrived mid-afternoon.
I'd covered a lot of ground in the first day, and we hadn't even embarked on our trip yet.
That changed soon enough. The wind was blowing, the sun was shining, and I was among friends and family.
The wind didn't always cooperate. Most days we didn't even raise the sails. Captain Lockhart set the autopilot while the navigator checked his GPS, then we'd start the motor and head to our next destination.
We'd arrive in port mid-afternoon each day and spend time relaxing on deck or exploring the local villas. In the evening it was off to a pub for dinner.
There were no rival pirate ships, and no sunken treasure. But after a rather uneventful summer spent mostly indoors, a good cruise in the sun was exactly what I needed.