Barge still chilling in Vancouver’s English Bay
Posted May 17, 2022 2:23 pm.
Last Updated May 17, 2022 6:34 pm.
If you still haven’t had a chance to take pictures in front of English Bay’s famous barge, you’re in luck! It looks like Vancouver’s most unlikely attraction could be sticking around all summer.
Back in February, the City of Vancouver said deconstruction was expected to be completed within 15 weeks. But now, 15 weeks later, the barge is still safely in one piece.
Now, the city has told CityNews staff are still in the planning and preparation phase of the barge deconstruction and aim to confirm a start date for the “complex process” in the near future.
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Vancouver Pile Driving Ltd. (VanPile) has been put in charge of carrying out the seemingly mammoth task. But an inside source says they’ve been ready to get started for months and are just waiting for a permit.
The barge has been a feature of Sunset Beach since it was swept ashore during a king tide and heavy winds in November 2021. An attempt to tow the barge shortly after it ran aground proved unsuccessful, leaving it a fixture of the beach for over six months.
In that time, it has seen its fair share of highs and lows, being the site of at least one proposal in late 2021, but also the subject of a few controversies.
In December, the Vancouver Park Board officially recognized the landmark with a playful sign reading “Barge Chilling Beach,” a nod to Mount Pleasant’s “Dude Chilling Park.” The sign became a popular site for photo opportunities, but was removed the following month after it was vandalized.
There is also an ongoing debate among people in Vancouver about whether the barge could be considered an art installation, or if it is simply an eyesore which should be gone by now.
Darlene Kellar, who is visiting Vancouver for the first time told CityNews, “I don’t understand why anybody would leave something like that here. It just disrupts from the beauty of the mountains and the ocean.”
But Kellar’s proud Vancouverite sister, Ruth-Ann Stewart, disagrees.
“I’ll tell you the truth, I think it’s kinda neat,” she said. “I think we should do something with it and make it more of a part of the beach here.”
With files from Greg Bowman and Crystal Laderas
