‘Barge Chilling Beach’ officially recognized by Vancouver Park Board

The Vancouver Park Board has officially christened part of the city’s coastline “Barge Chilling Beach,” in honour of the accidental attraction stranded on the rocks.

The board installed a very official-looking sign in the sand on Sunset Beach Wednesday, calling it a holiday gift to the city.

“No matter what storms life may send our way, we’ll always be here for you. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday and a prosperous 2022!” a tweet from the board reads.

Our little holiday gift to you, Vancouver.
No matter what storms life may send our way, we’ll always be here for you. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday and a prosperous 2022!

Van Parks & Rec pic.twitter.com/TZyX0xtVjU

— Vancouver Park Board (@ParkBoard) December 15, 2021

Just after being installed, the sign was prompting double-takes and bringing smiles to many out for a walk or run along the seawall. A small crowd slowly started to gather, and cell phones were out to capture the moment.

Janene Erickson was on a run when she spotted the new beach addition.

“I’m not surprised. I just love this,” she said with a big smile and laugh. “Leave it to us to do something like that. For now, it’s just chilling.”

Jordan watched the barge roll into False Creek and get stuck on the rocks.

“I got a picture when it hit and then I saw on Twitter that they posted the sign and I thought that this was the perfect moment to get a second follow up picture.” he said. “I think it just shows the city is trying to keep up with the culture, and I think that’s pretty cool of them to try to do because it’s not easy…I absolutely love the sign.”

Others like another man out for a walk thought it was great to see the park board get into the holiday spirit.

“I guess that’s cool that the park board’s got a sense of humour and this is amazing,” he said. “I just walk here a few times a week and just stumbled across people take photos and I was shocked to see a new sign.”

Very official @ParkBoard #BargeChillingPark #Barge #EnglishBayBarge #BargeOnTheBeach pic.twitter.com/7hCrrX7wdj

— Lasia Kretzel (@rhymeswpretzel) December 15, 2021

The barge came unmoored and ran aground on Nov. 15, bobbing along in choppy waters as a storm battered southwestern B.C before landing on Sunset Beach. The Burrard Street Bridge was closed that night as a precaution.

In the month since, the barge has become a popular attraction for selfie-seekers, as well as inspired several Twitter accounts, its image T-Shirt designs. A live stream has even been set up for dedicated barge watchers.

A single tug boat made an unsuccessful attempt to move the barge several days later, but there is currently no date set for when it will be moved.

The barge doesn’t pose a safety risk to the public, however the City of Vancouver is asking — as a precaution — that the public and people on the seawall keep a safe distance from it, and abide by the signage and barriers in the area. Security is on-site 24/7.

The Canadian Coast Guard says the owner of the barge is “responsible for securing, salvaging and arranging a tow for their barge.”