For the original article with other international boat trips, additional photos and content, visit The Guardian
Photo of Bowen Island ferry. Photo credit: Alamy
Riding the BC Ferries vessel to Bowen Island from Horseshoe Bay is a 20-minute affair but it allows enough time to climb to the boat’s open-air top deck and take in three nautical miles of breathtaking west coast scenery. Sparkling ocean, forested fjords and whales – if you’re lucky – are your surroundings. Watch as locals brace themselves for the ferry’s final moments upon entering Bowen Island’s aptly named Snug Cove, when the horn blasts and passengers are momentarily jolted forwarded as the ferry nudges into place at the port. Step on to the wooden dock and you’re transported decades back to a friendly, artisanal island where locals leave car doors unlocked.
