Please enjoy this geocache commemorating a bit of local history, and kindly leave the cache guardian in place for the next visitor to enjoy -- it's not meant to be removable. Please also be mindful of muggle activity while you search, as this is a highly frequented area. Happy caching!
On November 15, 2021, an atmospheric river drenched the southern part of BC, leading to widespread flooding, high winds and high tides. This natural disaster prompted a state of emergency for the province of British Columbia.
In the city of Vancouver, the Burrard Bridge closed on November 15 after an unmoored barge threatened to collide with it. The bridge opened the following morning on November 16 after the barge grounded along the Seawall. This barge, known as SMT-5000, would remain stuck on the English Bay shoreline for over a year.
SMT-5000 soon gained media attention, and became a popular attraction in the weeks that followed, even launching its own instagram account and merchandise as "the most photographed barge in the world".
In December of 2021, the Parks Board installed a sign jokingly renaming the location to "Barge Chilling Beach" (as a nod to Guelph Park in Mount Pleasant, also known as "Dude Chilling Park"). However, this proved to be a controversial move. The sign was repeatedly spray-painted over with the word "Í7iy̓el̓shn", meaning “another soft under foot place” -- the name of the beach in the Squamish language. Eventually, the sign (always meant to be a temporary addition, according to the Parks Board) was removed.
Throughout the first half of 2022, authorities planned the removal of the barge, which was deemed too heavy and structurally compromised for towing away. Deconstruction finally began in August of 2022, almost nine months after the original stranding.
On December 12, 2022, the last remnants of the barge were finally removed -- after 15 weeks of work, and close to 13 months after it first arrived.
https://englishbaybarge.ca/